I visited Lastingham a few times when we were at Mirfield. The town itself is sort of nestled into the southern foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors. So it's only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Rievaulx. It's also sort of on the way to Whitby. Since those first visits, I've been fascinated with the figure of Cedd. I love the idea of a lesser known older brother who also played such a significant role in history, but whose contribution is almost completely forgotten.
While I was there, I found myself thinking about the Council of Whitby and the emotions that must have been in play. Whichever side won out, there were people whose spirituality would be changed. So many of the figures that emerged as saints from that time used their gifts to find compromise. They found ways of preserving what was good while also staying together as one family.
Asking for prayers from Saint Cedd
Holy Cedd, pray for us that God may grant us humility in times of conflict so that we might serve as those who build bridges and those who mend broken relationships. Amen.
A Collect for Saint Cedd
Holy God, grant wisdom to all whom you call to the councils of the Church, and especially to our delegates to General Convention, that following the example of your servant Cedd, they may always seek your will and not their own, for the benefit of all your Church. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
When I was in Durham Cathedral, I made the call to skip Ripon and the shrine of St. Wildrid in order to head north up to the town of St. Paul's Monastery in Jarrow on the banks of the Tyne River. St. Paul's was one of two monasteries that played a critical role in the foundation of Christianity here in the north of England. Even though these monasteries were very far away from Rome and the seats of power, they had an impact well beyond their size and location. One of the early abbots, a monk named Ceolfrith, was one of those folks with an outsize impact. And there's a great story about a book.
I had hoped to be able to get to Jarrow, and I am so glad that I did. There's a small chance I might be able to get to Ripon later in the trip, so I hope to be able to share Wilfrid's story. To be completely honest, part of why I was so tempted was because I'd been to Ripon when I was at the College, so I wanted to do something new.
Prayer follow the video!
Asking prayers from St. Ceolfrith
Holy Ceolfrith, your love of learning brought light and wisdom into the world through those whom you taught; pray for us that God might give us the grace to be an example to others so that God might be glorified through them.
A Collect for St. Ceolfrith
O Holy Spirit, you burn in the hearts of all your servants; inspired by the witness of Blessed Ceolfrith, help us to know and love you as you are revealed in Holy Scripture and help us to order our lives according to the same, to the praise and glory of the Father and the Son with whom you dwell in everlasting glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the southern edges of the North Yorkshire Moors are two places I wanted to share with you all. The first is the ruined Cistercian Abbey at Rievaulx. At its height, this abbey supported over 600 monks and lay brothers. They abbey was also held the shrine of St. Aelred, the second abbot who lived in the middle of the 12th century.
Prayer for St. Aelred follow the video!
Asking Prayers from St. Aelred
Blessed Aelred, pray for us that we might grow in holy friendship with the people in our lives so that we can come to see in them a glimpse of the intimacy and joy God wants each of us to enjoy with him.
A Collect for St. Aelred
Lord Jesus, on the night before you died, you called your disciples friends: help us to know your presence in our lives, and inspired by Aelred, our friend and yours, we may grow in love with you. Amen.
Cuthbert isn't the only saint at Durham Cathedral. The Venerable Bede, a scholar and priest from also from the seventh and early eighth century. Bede is often called the Father of English History for his work The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, but he is much more than that. Bede is one of those lesser known figures (at least lesser known in the wider world) who was key to holding on to and even advencing learning in the early medieval period.
On a production note, this another one of my early attempts. I recorded the introduction at Mirfield but the reaction at Lastingham. I also recorded Bede and Cuthbert together, and my original thought was to do one reaction video all at once. Later I figured I would edit each saint into one coherent video, but I'm not sure Bede's all that coherent.
Moving forward, I'm going to try to do one single video with everything in it, but I've still got a few more to edit and post before we get there.
Prayers for St. Bede follow the video!
Asking prayers from Saint Bede
Holy Bede, your example of learning and dedication is an example to the Church. Pray for us that we might use the gifts of learning and technology not to divide us but to bring us more deeply together in love.
A Collect for Saint Bede
Holy Father, Eternal Light, give us the grace of your wisdom, that, inspired by your servant Bede, a Teacher in the Church, we might bring the knowledge of your love into the dark places of the world. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The first major stop on my pilgrimage was Durham. There are several saints buried here at Durham Cathedral. I was planning to visit the Venerable Bede and Saint Cuthbert, but I had forgotten that the head of Saint Oswald is also here, buried with Cuthbert. I don't really talk much about Oswald, so I've got a little information below the video. Also following the video are the prayers I wrote at the shrine.
This is my first attempt at doing the whole video editing/YouTube thing, so please bear with me. I think I probably added more images than I'll be able to keep up in later videos, but we'll have to see. I'll probably be posting my video on St. Bede tomorrow.
Asking Prayers from Saint Cuthbert
Holy Cuthbert, pray for us today who carry the Gospel of
Christ amidst our own divisions. Pray that we might, by your example, learn to
bend where we must bend and hold on to the things that sustain our faith. A Collect for Saint Cuthbert
Holy God, creator of all things, we give thanks for your
servant Cuthbert, whom you raised up as an example of devotion and fidelity to
your Church; kindle in our hearts that
same fire of love and give us a zeal for the salvation of not just our own
souls, but the souls of all you have given us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Oswald
Oswald was a prominent king of Northumbria in the north of England during the 7th century. He united several smaller kingdoms, and he worked to establish Christianity. Oswald features prominently in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Oswald died in battle fighting one of the non-Christian kingdoms. Although this sometimes causes him to be regarded as a martyr, Bede focuses more on the holiness of his life and his care for the poor in his kingdom.
Asking for Prayers from St. Oswald
Holy Oswald, we ask you to pray for your fellow servants
that God may give us the strength to hold on to our faith firmly in a world
whose temptations are always at hand to take it away.
A Collect for St. Oswald
Almighty God and King, we give thanks for your servant
Oswald who use the gifts given to him to protect your church; help us to use
our gifts to defend the weak from the weapons of this age and, at the last,
grant us a share of your kingdom with your saints. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
I wanted to share some of my sabbatical experiences with you as I go. Over the next few weeks, I'll be travelling around to some of the shrines and holy places in England and Wales. As I go, I'll be putting together some videos about the people I'll be visiting and what it's like to visit them. Afterwards, I'll be writing a prayer based on my experiences.
A couple of thoughts about pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a popular topic in the Episcopal Church today. You can find a lot of people writing about it. For me, pilgrimage has a couple of dimensions.
The first is place. My pilgrimage will take me to the places where holy men and women have lived and worked and walked their own path as Christians. It will take me to the places where holy men and women are buried, the actual places where they are still present here in this world. The sense of place is important to me.
The second dimension is prayerful intention. As I come to each of these place, I come as a pilgrim. The journey is a prayer, and not a general one. At each shrine, before I visit, I reflect on what I want to bring to that place, what I want to ask God.
The last dimension is intercession. At each of these shrines, I will be asking these saints to pray for me and with me to God.
I hope I can pull this off, and I hope you enjoy it!
