- Psalm 46:1-3 -
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
__________________________________________________________
When we are in God's will, we're in his perfect love; and perfect love
casts
out fear (1 John 4:18). If you're fearful today, perhaps you're
underestimating the keeping power of his care and concern for you.
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February 18 - St. Colman of Lindisfarne
Colman was in all probability a native of the West of Ireland; born in the
province of Connaught in the year 605. Not much else is known about his
early adult life, except that he entered the monastery at Iona and became
a
monk during the abbacy of Segenius, was a devoted disciple of St. Columba,
and spent years in study and fellow****p with his contem****aries St. Finian
and St. Aidan.
After the death of St. Finian in 661, Colman succeeded him as the third
Abbot-Bishop of Lindisfarne. Lindisfarne was the most im****tant monastery
in
Northumbria, England, close to the royal castle at Bamburg. The Venerable
Bede gives a glowing account of the church of Lindisfarne under Saint
Colman's rule. He emphasized the example of frugality and simplicity of
living set by Bishop Colman and the complete devotion of his clergy to
their
proper business of imparting the word of God and ministering to their
people.
Colman's brief episcopate is memorable largely because it came at a time
of
intense controversy in the Celtic church, including a fierce revival of
the
long dispute concerning the correct way of computing the date of Easter.
There was also strong disagreement about whether local monastic leaders
should have more power over local wor****p than distant (Roman) church
authorities, and about how far the secular power of the king should extend
over spiritual matters. While the Easter Controversy is the best known of
the ecclesiastical disputes of Colman's episcopate, a more obscure but an
equally passionate argument was raging at the same time about the way that
monks, priests and other ministers should cut their hair.
Clergy hairstyles may seem like a minor point of contention to us looking
back from a contem****ary perspective, but in fact it had tremendous
spiritual significance. Then, as now, hair was a major signifier of social
status. The tonsure issue was not a matter of fa****on, but theology. The
origin of the tonsure comes from the ancient Roman custom of shaving the
head of a male slave as a way of indicating the master's power-the slave's
forced submission to the master's will is so complete that he even loses
the
ability to control the appearance of his own hair. (Forced haircuts are
still used today as a visual symbol of an authority figure's total control
over a man's life, and as a way to denote low hierarchical status, such as
when soldiers enter boot camp.)
Greeks and Romans alike considered the shaved head to be the badge of the
slave. Romans punished Christians by shaving their heads as a sign of
contempt and mockery-making them wear their hair like slaves was meant to
humiliate them. This eventually backfired, as some monks began to
voluntarily shave their heads in the same manner and, when questioned,
identified themselves as "slaves of Christ."
Various religious orders practiced tonsure among themselves for hundreds
of
years, and toward the beginning of the sixth century many clerics in the
North had revived the custom in a modified form: not shaving the whole
head.
Some orders left a narrow crown of hair, meant to signify Christ's crown
of
thorns; some orders shaved off only a small circular patch on the crown of
the head; some kept the entire head shaved above the ears, and some
retained
a wide band of hair around the head. The Roman Catholic Church abolished
the
practice of tonsure in 1972, but some orthodox religious orders practice
voluntary tonsure even today.
The tonsure controversy, therefore, was directly related to the larger
issue
of whether to follow ancient ways that had been preserved from the
earliest
Christians or to conform to modern practices being imposed at a distance
from Rome. Clergy enjoyed a privileged status in seventh century Rome that
was never dreamed of by early followers of Christ. As a result, many
clergy
there had abandoned the tonsure and began to wear their hair in the same
way
as the members of the ruling class. Thus they were not visually identified
as servants, but masters. Roman clergy felt this was appropriate, as they
were educated and well-respected members of society, but the Celts placed
a
higher value on the virtue of humility and felt the traditional visual
image
of clergy as servants of Christ should be preserved with the symbolic
haircut. So although the Synod of Whitby in 664 is most often remembered
for
its celebrated argument over whether churches should use the Celtic method
or the Roman method of computing the date of Easter, the tonsure issue was
also an intensely debated matter on which many Celtic monks and clergy
stood
in irreconcilable disagreement with Rome.
Colman spoke eloquently at the Synod of Whitby as the chief defender of
the
Celtic methods. Neither side could really prove the priority of their
claims, but King Oswy made an imperial decision that everyone fall in line
with the Roman practices of the rest of Western Europe. Colman, refusing
to
accept the king's ruling in a spiritual matter, resigned his bishopric and
retired after serving only three years. He then left for Iona, taking with
him all the Irish and about thirty of the English monks at Lindisfarne.
For the next three years, St. Colman went to Scotland, founding several
churches there. In 668, accompanied by approximately thirty Irish and
English disciples, he crossed the seas to his native Ireland again,
settling
down on a remote island called Inishbofin, which means "island of the
white
cow." Colman founded a monastery there and built a school. The Inishbofin
foundation was an initial success, but after a short while the monastic
community was torn apart by conflict. It seems that the Irish monks were
accused of leaving the monastery to go on preaching journeys during the
Summer at the very time when they were needed for agricultural labor. Upon
their return in the Winter, they then expected an equal share of the food
with the English monks who had done all work of bringing in the harvest.
The
situation caused so much discord that Colman eventually settled the
English
monks in a separate foundation on the mainland, and named it Mayo of the
Saxons. Mayo was widely known and praised as a significant center of
sanctity and learning. It eventually became an episcopal see and is
mentioned in the Synod of Kells. The Venerable Bede praises the fact that
the abbots of Mayo were elected, rather than following Celtic custom as a
"hereditary" monastery.
The window icon at the top of this biography is almost certainly a
representation of Colman's role at the Synod of Whitby. His back is turned
on King Oswy, shown as the smallest figure, in the background wearing a
crown. In the foreground stands St. Hilda, the great female abbess who was
among the strongest sup****ters of the Celtic method of computing Easter.
See:
http://www.allsaintsbrookline.org/celtic/saints/colman.html
Traditional Celtic tonsure was usually made by shaving only the front part
of the head. We can presume that tonsure, rather than age or incipient
baldness, is the reason for Colman's prominent forehead and hairline.
Almost 300 other St. Colmans can be found in lists of the names of Celtic
saints. The one we celebrate today is identified as St. Colman, Last
Columban Abbot of Lindisfarne, Founder of Inishbofin and Mayo. Some
celebrate his feast day in August, but almost all accounts agree that St.
Colman died on the island of Inishbofin on February 18, 675.
Saint Quote:
O Lord, grant us that love which can never die, which will enkindle our
lamps but not extinguish them, so that they may ****ne in us and bring
light
to others. Most dear Savior, enkindle our lamps that they may ****ne
forever
in your temple. May we receive unquenchable light from you so that our
darkness will be illuminated and the darkness of the world will be made
less. Amen.
--Saint Columba
Bible Quote:
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides
that
which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so
now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you
have received, let him be anathema. (Galatians 1:8-9)
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Heartbeat Reparation Prayer
Eternal Father, I desire to rest in Your heart tonight.
I make the intention of offering You every beat of my heart,
joining to them as many acts of love and desire.
I pray that even while I'm asleep, I will bring back souls that offended
You.
I ask for forgiveness for the whole world,
especially those who know You and yet sin.
I offer to You my every breath and heartbeat,
as a prayer of reparation. Amen
"During the night you will rest in My Heart!
My Heart will listen to the beats of yours,
which will be so many acts of love and desire.
Thus, even while you are sleeping,
You will bring back to Me souls that offended Me ...
Ask forgiveness for the whole world,
especially those that know Me and yet sin
offer yourself in reparation!"
(Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez)
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