- Proverbs 17:3 -
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the LORD tests the heart.
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It takes intense heat to purify gold and silver. Similarly, it often takes
the heat of trials for the Christian to be purified. Through trials, God
shows us what is in us and clears out anything that gets in the way of
complete trust in him. Peter says, "These have come so your faith - of
greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may
be
proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ
is revealed (1 Peter 1:7). So when tough times come your way, realize that
God wants to use them to refine your faith and purify your heart.
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May 16th - Brendan the Voyager, Abbot (RM)
Born c. 484-489; died at Annaghdown, Ireland, c. 577-583.
"I fear that I shall journey alone, that the way will be dark; I fear the
unknown land, the presence of my King and the sentence of my judge."-The
dying words of Saint Brendan to his sister Abbess Brig.
Like the wanderings of Ulysses, the story of Saint Brendan voyaging over
perilous waters was a popular story in the Middle Ages. We see him as only
a
shadow in the old Celtic world, and who he was or where he came from is
uncertain, though it is supposed that he was born the son of Findlugh on
Fenit Peninsula in Kerry, Ireland, of an ancient and noble line. It is
said
that he studied theology under Saint Ita (f.d. January 15) at Killeedy,
that
he was a contem****ary and disciple of Saint Finian (f.d. December 12) and
later Saint Gildas at Llancarfan in Wales, and that later he founded a
monastery at Saint Malo.
Another version of his early life says that the infant Saint Brendan was
given into the care of Saint Ita, who taught him three things that God
really loves: "the true faith of a pure heart; the simple religious life;
and bountifulness inspired by Christian charity." She would have added the
three things God hates are "a scowling face; obstinate wrong-doing; and
too
much confidence in money." When he was six he was sent to Saint Jarlath's
monastery school at Tuam for his education, and was ordained by Bishop
Saint
Erc in 512.
Though Brendan was a real person, fabulous stories are told how his
wanderings in search of an unknown land, perhaps the Faroes, the Canaries,
or the Azores. For seven years he voyaged to find the Promised Land of the
saints.
On the Kerry coast, with 14 chosen monks, he built a coracle of wattle,
covered it with hides tanned in oak bark softened with butter, and set up
a
mast and a sail, and after a prayer upon the shore, he embarked in the
name
of the Trinity. After strange wanderings he returned to Ireland and, about
559, founded a great monastery at Clonfert in Galway of 3,000 monks and a
convent under his sister Briga (f.d. January 21). He gave his monks a rule
of remarkable austerity.
Later he visited the holy island of Iona, which was the center of much
missionary activity. He founded numerous other monasteries in Ireland and
several sees. And he himself made missionary journeys into England and
Scotland.
It is said that Columbus, to whom Brendan's story would have been
familiar,
may have been inspired by the saint's epic saga Navigatio Sancti Brendani
Abbatis. Long before Columbus, the Irish monks were renowned as travellers
and explorers. Tradition says that they reached Iceland and explored even
farther afield in the Atlantic-perhaps as far as America.
Scholars long doubted the voyage to the Promised Land described by Brendan
could have been to North America, but some modern scholars now believe
that
he may have done just that. In 1976-77, Tim Severin, an expert on
exploration, following the instructions in the Navigatio built a
hide-covered curragh and then sailed it from Ireland to Newfoundland via
Iceland and Greenland, demonstrating the accuracy of its directions and
descriptions of the places Brendan mentioned in his epic.
Brendan himself stands out in a dark age as the captain of a Christian
crew.
Like the Greeks and the Vikings, he had a craving for the sea, but he
built
his boat, and launched it in the name of the Lord and sailed it under the
ensign of the Cross. It is a thrilling saga, for all its strangeness, and
set many a sailor later to search in vain for Saint Brendan's Island; but
none ever found it, though it was said at times to be seen, like an Isle
of
Paradise, riding above the surface of the sea.
Now the great mountain that juts out into the Atlantic in County Kerry is
called Mount Brandon, because he had a little chapel atop it, and the bay
at
the foot of the mountain is Brandon Bay. Brendan probably died while
visiting his sister Briga, abbess of a convent at Enach Duin (Annaghdown)
(Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Gill, Little, Severin, Webb).
******
Below I've recounted some of the many legends surrounding Saint Brendan:
There is a graphic description of one of their expeditions: "Three Scots
came to King Alfred, in a boat without oars, from Ireland, whence they had
stolen away, because for the love of God they desired to be on pilgrimage,
they recked not whither. The boat in which they came was made of two hides
and a half; and they took with them provisions for seven days; and about
the
seventh day they came on shore in Cornwall, and soon after went to King
Alfred" (Gill).
Saint Brendan was chanting the office for the Feast of Saint Paul the
Apostle, when his brethren asked him to do so quietly for fear of
disturbing
the sea monsters. He laughed, "What has driven out your faith? Fear naught
but the Lord our God, and love Him in fear. Many perils have tried you,
but
the Lord brought you safely out of them all. There is no danger here. What
are you afraid of?" And he celebrated Mass more solemnly than before.
"Thereupon the monsters of the deep began to rise on all sides, and making
merry for joy of the Feast, followed after the ****p. Yet when the office
of
the day was ended, they straightway turned back and went their way"
(Plummer).
They sailed to another small, lovely island, in which there was a
whirlpool.
"They went across the island, and found a church built of stone, and in it
a
venerable old man at his prayers. . . . And the old man said to them, 'O
holy men of God, make haste to flee from this island. For there is a
sea-cat
here, of old time, inveterate in wiles, that hath grown huge through
eating
excessively of fish.' Thereupon they turned back in haste to their ****p,
and
abandoned the island.
"But lo, behind them they saw that beast swimming through the sea, and it
had great eyes like vessels of glass. Thereupon they all fell to prayer,
and
Brendan said, 'Lord Jesus Christ, hinder Thy beast.' And straightway arose
another beast from the depths of the sea, and approaching fell to battle
with the first; and both went down to the depth of the sea, nor were they
further seen. Then they gave thanks to God, and turned back to the old
man,
to question him as to his way of living and whence he had come.
"And he said to them, 'We were twelve men from the island of Ireland that
came to this place, seeking the place of our resurrection. Eleven be dead;
and I alone remain, awaiting, O Saint of God, the Host from thy hands. We
brought with us in the ****p a cat, a most amiable cat and greatly loved by
us; but he grew to great bulk through eating of fish, as I said; yet our
Lord Jesus Christ did not suffer him to harm us.'
"And then he showed them the way to the land which they sought; and
receiving the Host at the hands of Brendan, he fell joyfully asleep in the
Lord; and he was buried beside his companions" (Plummer).
Then they came to an island filled with flowers and fruit trees and found
harbor. "Then Brendan said to his brethren, 'Behold, our Lord Jesus
Christ,
the good, the merciful, hath given us this place wherein to abide His holy
resurrection. My brothers, if we had naught else to restore our bodies,
this
spring alone would suffice us for meat and drink.'
"Now there was above the spring a tree of strange height, covered with
birds
of dazzling white, so crowded on the tree that scarcely could it be seen
by
human eyes. And looking upon it the man of God began to ponder within
himself what cause had brought so great a multitude of birds together on
one
tree."
[He prayed with tears that God might reveal the mystery of the birds to
him.]
"And the bird spoke to him. 'We are,' it said, 'of that great ruin of the
ancient foe, who did not consent to him wholly. Yet because we consented
in
part to his sin, our ruin also befell. For God is just, and keeps truth
and
mercy. And so by His judgment He sent us to this place, where we know no
other pain than that we cannot see the presence of God, and so hath He
estranged us from the fellow****p of those who stood firm. On the solemn
feasts and on the Sabbaths we take such bodies as you see, and abide here,
praising our Maker. And as other spirits who are sent through the divers
regions of the air and the earth, so may we speed also.
"'Now hast thou with thy brethren been one year upon thy journey; and six
years yet remain. Where this day thou dost keep the Easter Feast, there
shalt thou keep it throughout every year of thy pilgrimage, and thereafter
shalt thou find the thing that thou hast set in thy heart, the land that
was
promised to the saints.' And when the bird had spoken thus, it raised
itself
up from the prow, and took its flight to the rest.
"And when the hour of evening drew on, then began all the birds that were
on
the tree to sing as with one voice, beating their wings and saying,
'Praise
waiteth for Thee, O Lord, in Sion: and unto Thee shall the vow be
performed.' And they continued repeating that verse, for the space of one
hour.
"It seemed to the brethren that the melody and the sound of the wings was
like a lament that is sweetly sung. Then said Saint Brendan to the
brethren,
'Do ye refresh your bodies, for this day have your souls been filled with
the heavenly bread.' And when the Feast was ended, the brethren began to
sing the office; and thereafter they rested in quiet until the third watch
of the night.
"Then the man of God awaking, began to rouse the brethren for the Vigils
of
the Holy Night. And when he had begun the verse, 'Lord, open Thou my lips,
and my heart shall show forth Thy praise,' all the birds rang out with
voice
and wing, singing, 'Praise the Lord, all ye His angels; praise ye Him, all
His hosts.' And even as at Vespers, they sang for the space of one hour.
"Then, when dawn brought the ending of the night, they all began to sing,
'And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,' with equal melody and
length of chanting, as had been at Matins.
"At Tierce they sang this verse: 'Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing
ye
praises with understanding.' And at ***t they sang, 'Lord, lift up the
light
of Thy countenance upon us, and have mercy upon us.' At Nones they said,
'Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity.' And so day and night the birds sang praises to God. And throughout
the octaves of the Feast they continued in the praises of God. . . .
"Here then the brethren remained until the Whitsun Feast; for the sweet
singing of the birds was their delight and their reviving. . . . But when
the octave of the feast was ended, the Saint bade his brethren to make
ready
the ****p, and fill their vessels with water from the spring. And when all
was made ready, came the aforesaid bird in swift flight, and rested on the
prow of the ****p, and said, as if to comfort them against the perils of
the
sea: 'Know that where ye held the Lord's Supper, in the year that is past,
there in like fa****on shall ye be on that same night this year. . . .
After
eight months ye shall find an island . . . whereon ye shall celebrate the
Lord's Nativity.' And when the bird had foretold these things, it returned
to its own place.
"Then the brethren began to spread their sails and go out to sea. And the
birds were singing as with one voice, saying, 'Hear us, O God of our
salvation, Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of
them
that are afar off upon the sea.' And so for three months they were borne
on
the breadth of ocean, and saw nothing beyond the sea and sky" (Plummer;
these stories are also told in Curtayne).
Saint Quote:
Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of God rather for sinners than
for
the just, since Jesus Christ declares that he came to call not the just,
but
sinners.
-St. Anselm
Bible Quote:
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they
shall...walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
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A short prayer to one's own patron Saint:
O heavenly Patron ______, in whose name I glory, pray
ever to God for me; strengthen me in my Faith; establish
me in virtue; guard me in the conflict; that I may vanquish
the malign foe and attain to glory everlasting. Amen.
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