Lindesfarne
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| Lindesfarne Priory |
The iconic images of Lindesfarne are of the castle and the priory. The priory is old, the castle much less so. The priory was founded by St. Aidan in 634. The first structure was wood and thatch. Later a stone structure covered in lead was built. The priory did well until Viking raiders ran the monks off and established new rules. It was reestablished as a Benedictine monastery in 1093. It lasted until King Henry VIII suppressed it along with many, many abbeys in 1536. That was about the time the castle was built mostly as a fortification against Scottish invaders.
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| The castle is barely visible through the fog, from the north end of the island. |
The time we spent on Lindesfarne was mostly foggy and rainy. I took the opportunity to walk the perimeter of the island and Mary and I both attended multiple prayers services each day. The walk around the island was a time to go deeper inside; to spend time directly with God in nature. The fog lent an air of eerie stillness dampening out all sounds except for the continuous sound of the surf. The sheep were still and even the birds took this time to hunker down. I tried to imagine the time of St. Aidan. It would have been a time of no fear of invasion; little to distract from the effort of living a Godly life and witnessing to the others living in the community.
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| Stile |
Crossing the fields today means crossing an occasional wall or fence. The stile is a design that allows humans to cross over a fence and keeps sheep inside the fence. The fence is meant to keep the sheep where the humans want them to be. The stile is meant to give humans freedom to go where they want to. This stile is an elegant design with a single grip to steady yourself as you cross the barbed upper strand of wire. What a lovely metaphor. A single point of anchor can steady a person as they venture out from where the sheep are safe. We each have times in our lives when we go beyond our earlier boundaries. Where is the anchor we need to keep ourselves steady as we go?
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| Lindesfarne Labyrinth |
Also on the walk, near the castle is a labyrinth. It is made of round rocks, worn smooth by the sea placed in a pattern on the grass; simple and functional. It is a silent call to prayer and meditation, available to any who pass that way. The labyrinth has been a place of excellent reflection for me. I often reflect on how my walk with God has gone through twists and turns as I approach the center. At varying times I am closer and farther from the inner life of Christ. Always tending toward the center, but often turning completely away as I yearn to reach the middle. In the center is a thin place. A place where I have often felt at home with God. A place to rest. A place of stillness. The journey out again is a reminder to take what I have gained with me as I go back into a world that needs peace and love more than ever.
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| A wooden artwork similar to the one at Durham made of stone. This one inside St. Mary the Virgin church in Lindesfarne. This is a depiction the monks carrying St. Cuthbert's remains to escape the Viking invaders. |
The walk around the island was like a mini-pilgrimage, trying to be in touch with a holiness and a person from 1500 years ago. I imagine that somehow life was simpler then and so those lucky people could follow God without distraction. That might have been true in a sense, but they also died of disease or injury much more frequently. There were prolonged periods of war and plague through history. There was also ignorance of science that lead to superstition and some really bad choices medically. It is hard to imagine fleeing the Vikings and carrying a casket with the body of your recently deceased leader. My efforts of piety seem so small compared to that amazing effort. But I do like being able to visit a dentist. Trying to balance real world requirements and real desire for time with God can seem tricky. These people made an art of constantly being aware of the nearness of God. What if I could, in the dentist chair, be aware of the gift of modern dentistry and then be grateful for the other humans who serve my needs by caring for my teeth? What if I could lift up all the folks in the supply chain who make the drills and the forms and the chairs and the floss in grateful thanksgiving? Can a dentist visit be a pilgrimage of its own? Can that time be spent in the inner life with Christ? Can that time be in a special relationship with those standing, or sitting closest to me for the time?
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| Smelling roses. |
Praying each morning and each evening at multiple venues throughout the village put a different rhythm into our lives as well. The song,
If I were a Rich Man from "The Fiddler on the Roof" has a line that has resonated in me since I was young - "...if I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack, to sit in the synagogue and pray". This has been the richest time of my life - to have the luxury of praying, in a community, three times a day. Which brings me to a final thought on Lindesfarne for now: stopping and smelling the roses. Noticing the beauty and wonder of the world around me and how it points to a loving creator is something I do more often. I am intent on remembering to do this always.
Melrose Abbey
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| Melrose Abbey |
This is the final stop for tracing the lives of Aidan, Cuthbert, and Bede. The "modern" ruins of Melrose are not the historical old abbey, but are important in their own right. The old ruins are about 2 miles away and where Aidan first set up the abbey. It was a great location at the time, being almost completely surrounded by a bend in the river made it easily defensible. Unfortunately today what is left of the original abbey is barely noticeable. The modern ruins are impressive. One can see the size and shape of the abbey and the buildings that made up the complex. Some of the remaining stonework is still quite beautiful.
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| The portal where only the ordained could get to the other side. It was huge inside, but the non-ordained were relegated to the courtyard; never experiencing the beauty of worship close up. This building was begun in 1136. |
The history of the old abbey is what I am concerned with. Aidan set it up and when Aidan died there Cuthbert came to the abbey in response to a vision of Aidan's spirit ascending to heaven. Cuthbert's call was true and he became a hugely important saint. Cuthbert got his first training in the old abbey. I have written quite a bit about Cuthbert and it is very interesting to see where he got his start.
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| The night stair. |
There are many things about Melrose that are interesting. The night stair is just a remnant on a wall instead of a full stair case. One can imagine the monks coning in from the cloisters at 3am to pray. This is a particular spiritual practice that I find fascinating and thank God I am not called to follow.
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| The heart of Robert the Bruce is buried under this stone. |
At Melrose it is believed that the heart of Robert the Bruce is interred. There is good evidence to suggest that under the marker really is the heart of the man that defeated the English at Bannockburn.
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| St. Aiden |
I have put Melrose and Lindesfarne together on this post because of they are the bookends of Cuthbert's life. Cuthbert started his monastic vocation at Melrose because of St. Aidan's influence. He finally died at Lindesfarne at an abbey founded by Aidan. As I consider the lives of these two men, I am struck by the echoes of Aidan in Cuthbert and of Cuthbert in the area. When I think of those whose lives echo in mine, I thank God profusely for their influences. When I think of whose lives I may one day be echoed in, I am humbled and pray to be more like Cuthbert and Aidan.
Let the life I live and the example I set be pointers to a relationship with God. Amen.
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