Advent Meditations: Monday 5 December
| Mon Dec 5 |
am 25 pm: 9, 15 |
Isa 5:8-23 | 1 Thes 5:1-11 | Luke 20:21-38 |
SECOND MONDAY OF ADVENT
ON THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR – Saint Colman, Monk & Bishop, 675 was 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 fellowship with his contemporaries St. Finian and St. Aidan.
Colman succeeded Finian as the third Abbot-Bishop of Lindisfarne, perhaps the most important monastery in Northumbria. The Venerable Bede gives a glowing account 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. Hiss 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 worship than distant (Roman) church authorities, and about how far the secular power of the king should extend over spiritual matters. Colman maintained faith in the Celtic tradition and is remembered either on this date of Feb 18th for his faithfulness to the faith as he received it.
BIBLICAL MEDITATION – Psalm 15 appointed for today asks: who is the true man/woman of God? What does such a person find happiness/ blessing in? The Psalmist says that we find our blessing in walking blamelessly and doing what is right. Simple basic steps of being a human made in the image of God by speaking the truth in love, being a true friend in season and out of season and for our neighbor’s never taking action against them. In a translation of this Psalm, the hymnologist Sebastian Temple says the persons who live this way has found the truth and has found his soul. IN short being a person of integrity. Integrity here does not mean sinless, but it does describe a person who by God’s grace “sins less”. The Psalmist is calling persons to be a person who is whole, complete, sound.
Psalm 15 invites us to this Advent to consider the inseparable connection between “what we say and what we do, how we pray and how we live. AS we make this Advent Journey let us consider what it would it take for each of us in this season to find our soul as a person of integrity? To relish the truth of living a good and holy life in such a way it becomes part and parcel of who we are.
ADVENT DISCIPLINE – Meditate on this simple translation of Psalm 15 put to music and identify who you know who has those qualities and thank them for being such a person and gift. https://youtu.be/EJ0mbT5JEp8
PRAYER: Father, we pray this day in this holy season for the joy and peace that comes with living a life of integrity. We know that the path of integrity is revealed in the life and resurrection of your Son our Savior. Fill our hearts and minds with the truth of Him as we journey this Holy Season so we may be his presence to the world.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “Do not desire to be other than you are, but desire to be very well what you are.” – St. Francis de Sales
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