St Samthann--wise sayings from the 8th century

Celtic Advent Day 35 December 19th

St. Samthann of Clonbroney

St. Samthann could easily become one of my favorites of the Celtic Saints. Born in Ireland, she lived in and around County Meath, founding the Abbey of Clonbroney before her death in 739AD. Her feast day is alternatively listed as either December 18th or 19th.

It is reputed that she was promised in marraige against her will, but that she prayer fervently for a means to avoid the nuptuals. The morning of the ceremony a large fire broke out at the wedding site, scaring the guests and the groom...and allowing Samthann to escape to a abbey where she was able to take vows. She was soul-friend to a male saint, Maelruen, who later went on to be instrumental in the 8th century reform movement of Celtic Christianity, the Celi De, or Culdees.


The main aspect of her life that has caught attention over the centuries are the wise sayings that are attributed to her. There are three main sayings that I can find. A monk told Samthann that he was going to give up study so that he could better devote himself to prayer. Her reply was that he would never be able to fix his mind in prayer if he neglected study. Another monk announced that he wished to make a pilgrimage. She told him that Kingdom of Heaven can be reached without crossing the sea and the God is near to all who call on him. My favorite was when another monk asked her for advice on what position to assume for prayer. Her answer was "in every position: standing, sitting or lying."

I am a sucker for one line sayings like this. They seem to invite me to stop by brain's tendency for "what's next?," pause, and chew a little on that saying. I have a couple of collections of Desert Father and Mother sayings that I use for meditation. There is also a great page of Celtic Saint saying that is part of the Reformed Celtic Church site. It is most easily found at: www.celticsaintsblessings.com/wisdomofthesaints.htm

I was going to attempt to "wax eloquent" about the issue of prayer, how any time or position is appropriate for prayer, based on Samthann's admonition above. Then I realized that had already been done quite beautifully in a book that was sitting on my shelf: Holy Companions. Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints by Mary C. Earle and Sylvia Maddox. They have a chapter devoted to Samthann. Part of that reads:

"In the Celtic tradition we encounter a keen sense of God with us 'in every pass.'
Samthann's sayings and teachings reflect this. We can make the mistake of thinking
God is with us only in church, or only when we are saying a particular prayer, or only
when we are engaged in some activity of service. On the contrary, God in Christ reveals
to us that there is no place where God is not. Every moment of time, every speck of the
universe, is saturated with divine presence. Were that not the case, there would be no
time. no space.

Samthann calls us to allow ourselves to become aware of God's presence no matter what
position we pray in, whether we are at home or on pilgrimage, whether we are studying
or praying. This begins with simply paying attentin--paying attention to our lives, to our
surroundings, to our friends, to ourselves. This may sound easy. However, in a culture
as rushed and harried as ours, paying attention may require more practice than we'd expect!
Paying attention happens more easily when we slow down, become aware of our breath,
and see what is right in front of us. (page 112 of the book noted above)"

I try, often unsuccesfully, to incorporate this attitude of "pray at all times" in my life. Sometimes I will use the Way of the Pilgrim prayer (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner) as a breath prayer when I am walking to my next destination. Other times I will pause before I enter a particular building, usually a Nursing Home or Assisted Living as that is where I spend most of my time, and realize that I am entering a place that can be as holy as a cathedral or monastery, depending on one's attitude to the people and surroundings. The town I live in has a plethora of trains that run through town. Murphy's law (another great Celtic saying) would ensure that the trains always comes at a time when I am being over scheduled and worried about being someplace on time. I used to take a perverse pleasure in seeing the crossing gates start to close a few blocks ahead of my route, then quickly turning and plotting out an alternative route in my mind to "beat the train." Now, most of the time, I will pause and wait, and use the time for a mini-contemplation. I hope St. Samthann would approve.

Lord, thank you as always for leading me to saints like Samthann. So often I need to slow down and remember that praying to you can be a delight to engage in, in whatever location or position that I am in. Despite the pre-Christmas rush, help me to return in these remaining days of advent to deliberation, prayer and peace. In thy name. Amen.