Advent Meditations: Sataurday 12 December
| Sat Dec 12 |
am: 30, 32 pm: 42, 43 |
Isa 8:1-15 | 2 Thes 3:6-18 | Luke 22:31-38 |
ON THE CALENDAR – Feast of St. Finnian of Clonard, Irish Saint and Monastic , 470 – Saint Finnian was an Irish monk who followed in the path of Saint Patrick, whose disciples, including Saint Fortchern He is regarded as the founder of Irish monasticism. He had close relations with the British Church. He is said to have been born into a noble family at Myshall, County Carlow, Ireland. Where he was educated and made his first three foundations at Rossacurra, Drumfea, and Kilmaglush. Thereafter, he spent several years in Wales, where he was trained in monasticism. In 520, Finnian returned to Ireland, armed with the sanctity and sacred learning to reinvigorate the faith of his countrymen.
His most notable foundation was Clonard on the Boyne in Meath, which was the greatest school of the period, renowned for several centuries for its biblical studies (Finnian was a great Biblical scholar). During his abbacy, he is said to have gathered 3,000 disciples at Clonard. As each left the monastery to preach, he took with him a Book of the Gospels, a crozier, and a reliquary around which he would build a church or monastery. The rule of Clonard is believed to be based on the Rule of Lerins. Finnian corresponded with Saint Gildas on matters of monastic discipline, who had deplored the intrusion of wealth and power into the episcopal office in Britain. Perhaps this was an influence in development of a monastic rather than episcopal government within the Irish Church.
He is often called the “Teacher of Irish Saints.” At one time his pupils at Clonard included the so-called Twelve Apostles of Ireland:
MEDITATION: This section of the Prophet Isaiah is not light motif as it continues the description of the judgment that God is bringing on Israel and Judah as a result of their unfaithfulness towards God in placing their trust in political alliances. Because they chose to trust in Assyria rather than Yahweh, Judah will not get a free pass when Assyria comes to remove Syria and Ephraim. As God tells his
people to stop worrying about what the Assyrians and the Syrians and the Israelites are going to do and to start worrying about what He is going to do. That sounds ominous but it is a long view worth considering.
Human beings tend to calculate short term implications but rarely consider the long-term implications of decision that we make. When it comes to the relationship with God, the Advent season is asking of us to consider our decisions. Will God will be our sanctuary, our strength our basis for being or do we frame him as a stumbling block that many people say God and religion are. Increasingly we hear in the culture that acts of faith are delusional and so we have opted for incredible physical pleasure and material, but it has not made us a happier, more contented people. Increasingly people find something is missing. And instead we have turned to horoscopes, psychics, eastern and pagan religions or science to find our direction. We best take a note from Isiah and realize, He alone is our help,
PRAYER: O Lord God , in the name of Jesus Christ your Son our God, give us that love which can never cease, that will kindle our lamps but not extinguish them, that they may burn in us and enlighten others.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE/ACTIVITY – Experience the spiritual techniques used by St, Finnian and his monks by going to. https://aleteia.org/2019/03/15/here-is-a-helpful-meditation-technique-used-by-irish-monks-of-old
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “We are obliged to serve the churches of the saints as we have ability and to suffer with all who are placed in necessity. Pilgrims are to be received into our houses, as the lord has written; the infirm are to be visited; those who are cast into chains are to be ministered to; and all things commanded of Christ are to be performed, from the greatest unto the least.”. St. Finnian from The Duties of the Monks
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