Lenten Meditations: Wednesday 20 March 2024

Mar 20, 2024 by Jill

FIFTH WEDNESDAY OF LENT – Saint Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne,687

LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Today we remember Cuthbert, who at the age of eight had a prophetic remark from a playmate turn his mind to sober and godly thoughts, and his upbringing as a shepherd gave him ample time for prayer. One night he saw in the sky a dazzling light and angels carrying a soul up to heaven and resolved to dedicate his life to God. Some years later Cuthbert came to Melrose Abbey asking to be admitted as a monk. It was from here that he began his missionary work, which he continued from Lindisfarne when he became abbot there. Consecrated bishop in 685 he remained an indefatigable traveler and preacher, walking all over his diocese, and spending time as a hermit on Farne Island in between. After only a year, however, he felt his end coming and resigned his office, dying on Farne in the company of a few of his monks.

BIBLICAL MEDITATION OF THE DAY: Psalm 130 today calls out to those of us on the journey to be mindful of where our hope and strength come from. It is a good Psalm in season and out of season, but it is especially fitting for today’s feast day, Saint Cuthbert. When one considers the life of Saint Cuthbert there is little question he found his hope and strength in the Lord. As a person who would have prayed this and the other Psalms daily, he counted on the promise of God’s mercy and love to sustain him as he made his journey from Melrose Abbey to the Holy Island. Of course, despite a faithful journey when he arrived at Lindisfarne, his world was challenged as he and the monks had to face weather,  disease, or warfare. Nonetheless, he diligently prayed this and the other 149 Psalms with the knowledge that the Lord stands with him. Cuthbert still looked to Christ as his Lord and Savior. The challenge for Cuthbert is the same for us. How do we live in this Psalm?  How do we take on the mindset of Cuthbert who was aware that one must pray from the depths of one’s being,’ ver. 2. That our life to have meaning must be grounded in prayer. That the journey is marked by faith, hope, and patience, ver. 5. That our witness cannot be private but rather must be manifest to the whole church,  celebrating  God’s mercy and sufficiency, verse 7.

PRAYER OF THE DAY:  Almighty God, who called your servant Cuthbert from following the flock to follow your Son and to be a shepherd of your people: in your mercy, grant that we, following his example, may bring those who are lost home to your fold; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “If I could live in a tiny dwelling on a rock in the ocean, surrounded by the waves of the sea and cut off from the sight and sound of everything else, I would still not be free of the cares of this passing world, or from the fear that somehow the love of money might still come and snatch me away. – Saint Cuthbert

Lenten Lyrics:  Cuthbert’s Song by Colin Symes

Lenten Discipline – In the Spirit of St. Cuthbert, find a quiet space or green space near your home, at a park, or a reserve. Visit the area with people you are in the community with. While you are there, spend thirty minutes in silence opening your mind and heart to God. Give 10¢ for every wild creature you see or go to http://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/general/ and take a virtual tour of the community that continues in the spirit of Sts. Aidan and Cuthbert.

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