St Columba (Jun 9)

Abbot of Iona, Missionary 597

Lighting the Lamp

[Jesus said] “Be dressed for action, and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.” Luke 12.35-36

Spreading the word

Born in Co. Donegal, Columba grew up with a love of the Scriptures, and for 15 years after ordination preached to his countrymen and founded many monasteries including those of Derry, Kells and Durrow. Hour after hour was spent in copying the Gospels, much of the Pauline corpus and the Psalms. Copyright laws were not as strict as today, but Columba’s work provoked a dispute between rival clans, and he deemed it expedient in 563 to sail to Scotland, where on the Isle of Iona he founded the monastery still visited today by many pilgrims.

The Iona base

Iona became the centre of Celtic Christianity, and daughter-houses were founded on the Scottish mainland as well as in England. Still Columba travelled widely, from house to house, and yet he made time for continuing his copying of the Scriptures. On 8 June 597, working on his beloved psalter, he came to the verse, ‘Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing’ (PS. 34.io). Feeling suddenly tired, he laid down his pen and told his cousin Baithin to finish the work. He died in his sleep the following day.

Ready and waiting

Filling each day with work for God, completing each task as best we can, committing the future to Gods care, and living the present to the full, keeps us in ‘ready-and-waiting’ alertness for his directions, his guidance -and perhaps his coming before we go to glory. The method of his coming may surprise us: the fact of it should not. Suppose he came today? Would he find us about his business? Or tonight? Would we be sleeping the deep sleep of weariness, the broken sleep of worry, or the peaceful rest of a day’s work well done?

Would we greet him with apprehension, or joy? Or would we think it was someone or something else?

Are we looking for completely new employment hereafter, or a continuing of our present work? Or a blissful (but perhaps rather boring) rest? Oh, Lord, surprise us with joy!

Perhaps there will be a new gospel to preach, new worlds to evangelize, new methods to learn, new beings to meet . . . Oh, Lord, surprise us with joy!

Thrilling with anticipation

Since there will be ‘new heavens and a new earth’, we shall not see our present world replicated in eternity. With such a new prospect, God is inviting us to thrill with anticipation. We shall probably meet St Columba: will he be evangelizing? founding new congregations? We may even be helping him – and perhaps we shall remember this day, back on earth, when we focused on his early ministry in Ireland, and then on Iona and the British mainland.

Suggested hymns

I bind unto myself today; I cannot tell why he whom angels worship; Inspired by love and anger; Spirit of God, as strong as the wind.