In the last couple of weeks, we have honored some leaders from the Church from Great Britain. The Venerable Bede,whose feast day was recognized on the last week of May, was born in England in 672; he is a Doctor of the Church and a renowned historian. St Boniface, whose feast day was of Monday of this week, was a Benedictine monk born in England in 675 who became a missionary to Germany, where he is today that country’s patron saint. Tomorrow, on June 9, we honor St Columba, who was born in Ireland in 521. He established a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland, which became a missionary base for evangelization in Scotland and northern England. St Columba, along with St Brigit and St Patrick, are considered the major saints of Ireland.
We are getting ready to go to the diocesan liturgical music workshop today, so it is appropriate that we quote a hymn today that is attributed to St Columba:
Be a bright flame before me, O God
a guiding star above me.
Be a smooth path below me,
a kindly shepherd behind me
today, tonight, and for ever.
Alone with none but you, my God
I journey on my way;
what need I fear when you are near,
O Lord of night and day?
More secure am I within your hand
than if a multitude did round me stand.
Amen.
In that hymn, Columba asks why he needs to fear when God is near. Our psalm today states: “Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways!” But fear in the Jewish mind is not a fear of punishment or retribution from the Lord, but rather a reverence from God that allows us to grow in wisdom and in intimate knowledge of God. A “fear” of the Lord, a sense of wonder and a sense of presence that the Lord is with us, teaches us to live as disciples and reassures us of God’s power and guidance. A “fear” of the Lord gives us a reverence of God’s will. In wonder and awe, may we be aware of the presence of the divine in our lives.
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