TODAY IS THE FEAST DAY OF SAINT AIDAN OF LINDISFARNE

Aidan of Lindisfarne, born in Ireland, may have studied under St. Senan before becoming a monk at Iona. At the request of King Oswald of Northumbria, Aidan went to Lindisfarne as bishop and was known throughout the kingdom for his knowledge of the Bible, his learning, his eloquent preaching, his holiness, his distaste for pomp, his kindness to the poor, and the miracles attributed to him. He founded a monastery at Lindisfarne that became known as the English Iona and was a center of learning and missionary activity for all of northern England. He died in 651 at the royal castle at Bamburgh.

Aidan of Lindisfarne[a] (Irish: Naomh Aodhán; died 31 August 651) was an Irish monk and missionary credited with converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in Northumbria. He founded a monastic cathedral on the island of Lindisfarne, known as Lindisfarne Priory, served as its first bishop, and travelled ceaselessly throughout the countryside, spreading the gospel to both the Anglo-Saxon nobility and the socially disenfranchised (including children and slaves).

He is known as the Apostle of Northumbria and is recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, and others.

Biography

Bede's meticulous and detailed account of Aidan's life provides the basis for most biographical sketches (both classical and modern). Bede says virtually nothing of the monk's early life, save that he was a monk at the ancient monastery on the island of Iona from a relatively young age and that he was of Irish descent.[1][2] According to Catholic tradition, in Aidan's early years, he was a disciple of Saint Senan on Inis Cathaigh.[3] Aidan was known for his strict asceticism.[4]

Background

Aidan (died 651) was the founder and first bishop of the Lindisfarne island monastery in England. He is credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria. Aidan is the Anglicised form of the original Old Irish Aedán, Modern Irish Aodhán (meaning 'little fiery one'). Possibly born in Connacht, Aidan was originally a monk at the monastery on the Island of Iona, founded by St Columba.[5]

In the years prior to Aidan's mission, Christianity throughout Britain was being largely displaced by Anglo-Saxon paganism. In the monastery of Iona (founded by Columba of the Irish Church), the religion soon found one of its principal exponents in Oswald of Northumbria, a noble youth who had been raised there as a king in exile since 616. Baptized as a Christian, the young king vowed to bring Christianity back to his people—an opportunity that presented itself in 634, when he gained the crown of Northumbria.[6]

Owing to his historical connection to Iona's monastic community, King Oswald requested that missionaries be sent from that monastery instead of the Roman-sponsored monasteries of Southern England.[4] At first, they sent him a bishop named Cormán, but he alienated many people by his harshness, and returned in failure to Iona reporting that the Northumbrians were too stubborn to be converted. Aidan criticized Cormán's methods and was soon sent as his replacement.[7] He became bishop in 635.[8]

Missionary efforts

Ceiling fresco in St. Oswald Church, Bad Schussenried, Germany: King Oswald of Northumbria translates the sermon of Aidan into the Anglo-Saxon language, by Andreas Meinrad von Ow, 1778.

Allying himself with the pious king, Aidan chose the island of Lindisfarne, which was close to the royal castle at Bamburgh, as the seat of his diocese.[4] An inspired missionary, Aidan would walk from one village to another, politely conversing with the people he saw and slowly interesting them in Christianity: in this, he followed the early apostolic model of conversion, by offering "them first the milk of gentle doctrine, to bring them by degrees, while nourishing them with the Divine Word, to the true understanding and practice of the more advanced precepts."[9] By patiently talking to the people on their own level (and by taking an active interest in their lives and communities), Aidan and his monks slowly restored Christianity to the Northumbrian countryside. King Oswald, who after his years of exile had a perfect command of Irish, often had to translate for Aidan and his monks, who did not speak English at first.

The tomb of St Aidan, St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh

In his years of evangelism, Aidan was responsible for the construction of churches, monasteries and schools throughout Northumbria. At the same time, he earned a tremendous reputation for his pious charity and dedication to the less fortunate—such as his tendency to provide room, board and education to orphans, and his use of contributions to pay for the freedom of slaves:

He was one to traverse both town and country on foot, never on horseback, unless compelled by some urgent necessity; and wherever in his way he saw any, either rich or poor, he invited them, if infidels, to embrace the mystery of the faith or if they were believers, to strengthen them in the faith, and to stir them up by words and actions to alms and good works. [...] This [the reading of scriptures and psalms, and meditation upon holy truths] was the daily employment of himself and all that were with him, wheresoever they went; and if it happened, which was but seldom, that he was invited to eat with the king, he went with one or two clerks, and having taken a small repast, made haste to be gone with them, either to read or write. At that time, many religious men and women, stirred up by his example, adopted the custom of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, till the ninth hour, throughout the year, except during the fifty days after Easter. He never gave money to the powerful men of the world, but only meat, if he happened to entertain them; and, on the contrary, whatsoever gifts of money he received from the rich, he either distributed them, as has been said, to the use of the poor, or bestowed them in ransoming such as had been wrongfully sold for slaves. Moreover, he afterwards made many of those he had ransomed his disciples, and after having taught and instructed them, advanced them to the order of priesthood.

— Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation (Book III: Chapter V); Butler, 406–407.

The monastery he founded grew and helped found churches and other religious institutions throughout the area. It also served as centre of learning and a storehouse of scholarly knowledge, training many of Aidan's young charges for a career in the priesthood. Though Aidan was a member of the Irish branch of Christianity, his character and energy in missionary work won him the respect of Pope Honorius I and Felix of Dunwich.[10]

When Oswald died in 642, Aidan received continued support from King Oswine of Deira and the two became close friends.[11][12] As such, the monk's ministry continued relatively unchanged until the rise of pagan hostilities in 651.

During the time that he was bishop, the hostile army of the Mercians, under the command of Penda, cruelly ravaged the country of the Northumbrians far and near, even to the royal city, which has its name from Bebba, formerly its queen. Not being able to take it by storm or by siege, he endeavoured to burn it down; and having pulled down all the villages in the neighbourhood of the city, he brought thither an immense quantity of beams, rafters, partitions, wattles and thatch, wherewith he encompassed the place to a great height on the land side, and when he found the wind favourable, he set fire to it and attempted to burn the town. At that time, the most reverend Bishop Aidan was dwelling in the Isle of Fame, which is about two miles from the city; for thither he was wont often to retire to pray in solitude and silence; and, indeed, this lonely dwelling of his is to this day shown in that island. When he saw the flames of fire and the smoke carried by the wind rising above the city walls, he is said to have lifted up his eyes and hands to heaven, and cried with tears, "Behold, Lord, how great evil is wrought by Penda!" These words were hardly uttered, when the wind immediately veering from the city, drove back the flames upon those who had kindled them, so that some being hurt, and all afraid, they forebore any further attempts against the city, which they perceived to be protected by the hand of God.[13]

Legacy and veneration

Modern statue of St. Aidan beside the ruins of the medieval priory on Lindisfarne

After his death, Aidan's body was buried at Lindisfarne, beneath the abbey that he had helped found.[14] Though his popularity waned in the coming years, "in the 11th century Glastonbury monks obtained some supposed relics of Aidan; through their influence Aidan's feast appears in the early Wessex calendars, which provide the main evidence for his cult after the age of Bede."[14]

His feast is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, 31 August. Reflecting his Irish origins, his Scottish monasticism and his ministry to the English, Aidan has been proposed as a possible patron saint for the whole of the United Kingdom.[15][16]

Aidan is honored in the Church of England and in the Episcopal Church on 31 August.[17][18]

St Aidan's College of the University of Durham was named after Aidan.

References

Notes

1. ^ Aidan is the anglicised form of the original Old Irish Áedán.

Citations

1. ^ Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. Medieval Sourcebook. Vol. Book III.
2. ^ Farmer 2011, pp. 7–8.
3. ^ Walsh, Michael, ed. (2001). Butler's Lives of the Saints. Kent, England: Burns & Oates. p. 271. ISBN 0-06-069299-5. OCLC 1100354738.
4. ^ a b c "St. Aidan the Bishop of Lindisfarne", Orthodox Church in America
5. ^ St Aidan of Lindisfarne, Catholic Pure and Simple
6. ^ Baring-Gould 1914, pp. 63–70.
7. ^ Kiefer 1999.
8. ^ Fryde et al. 1996, p. 219.
9. ^ Baring-Gould 1914, p. 392.
10. ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 435.
11. ^ Hole 1966, pp. 1100–111.
12. ^ Butler 1956, p. 398.
13. ^ "The Venerable Bede: Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". ccel.org. Retrieved 23 January 2023.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
14. ^ a b Farmer 2011, p. 9.
15. ^ Bradley 2002.
16. ^ Milmo 2011.
17. ^ "The Calendar". The Church of England. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
18. ^ Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018. Church Publishing, Inc. 17 December 2019. ISBN 978-1-64065-235-4.

Sources

• Webb, Alfred (1878). "Aidan, Saint" . A Compendium of Irish Biography. Dublin: M. H. Gill & son.
• Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
• Baring-Gould, S. (1914). The Lives of the Saints. With introduction and additional Lives of English martyrs, Cornish, Scottish, and Welsh saints, and a full index to the entire work. Edinburgh: J. Grant.
• Bradley, Ian (26 August 2002). "Wanted: a new patron saint". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
• Butler, Alban (1956). Lives of the Saints. Palm. Edited, revised, and supplemented by Herbert Thurston and Donald Attwater
• Chambers, Robert; Thomson, Thomas Napier (1857). "Aidan, Saint" . A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen. Vol. 1. Glasgow: Blackie and Son – via Wikisource.
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Aidan" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 435.
• Farmer, David Hugh (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Fifth Revised ed.). OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-959660-7.
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
• Hole, Christina (1966). Saints in Folklore. London: G. Bell and Sons.
• Kiefer, James E. (29 August 1999). "Aidan of Lindisfarne, Missionary". Biographical Sketches of memorable Christians of the past. Society of Archbishop Justus.
• Milmo, Cahal (23 October 2011). "Home-grown holy man: Cry God for Harry, Britain and... St Aidan". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2013.

Further reading

• Chambers, Robert; Thomson, Thomas Napier (1857). "Aidan, Saint" . A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen. Vol. 1. Glasgow: Blackie and Son. pp. 35–38 – via Wikisource.
• Cosmos, Spencer. "Oral Tradition and Literary Convention in Bede's Life of St. Aidan", Classical Folia 31 (1977): 47–63.
• Mayr-Harting, Henry. The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England (London: Batsford, 1972)
• Pelteret, David A.E. "Aidan d. 651." in Reader's Guide to British History (London: Routledge, 2003), historiography; online in Credo Reference
• Simpson, Ray. 'Aidan of Lindisfarne – Irish flame warms a new world'(Wipf and Stock ISBN 9781625647627) (2014) novel and extensive historical notes.

• Aidan 1 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
• St. Aidan's Anglican, Hurstville Grove, Sydney
• St. Aidan Anglican Church, Moose Jaw, SK Archived 2 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
• St. Aidan's Eastern-Orthodox Church, Manchester UK

Coming soon! Delia Discloses   ...  Confessions of a Tyneside housewife 

DELIA DISCLOSES   ...  Confessions of a Tyneside housewife.

Delia lifts the veil on some saucy, sexy, secret shenanigans at a posh London hotel.

Watch this space!

 

I had a wonderful dream last night...

Myrtle Thornberry appeared. She was singing Schubert's Ave Maria. She appeared very happy.

Myrtle was accompanied by violin. And guess who was playing the violin? None other than the Church of England Busybody.

Myrtle Thornberry R.I.P.  victim of The Clique

 

METHINKS THIS NEEDS REPOSTING...

Friday, 27 January 2023

An open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury...

Dear Justin,

I write to you about a matter of the utmost seriousness and urgency.

I know from what you have said on the matter that you are opposed to gay marriages taking place in Church of England churches. Nevertheless you will undoubtedly find yourself outnumbered by bishops who would welcome this abomination. The acceptance of homosexual practices is one of the most reprehensible aspects of modern society.

I'm not sure if you are familiar with this blog Justin, but I have been a longtime campaigner against the legalisation of gay marriage in this country. My campaign war cry has been,

Gay Marriage 

It shall never be

Not in Merrie England

Land of the free

Homosexual practices are sinful - remember what the saintly Pope Benedict XVI said: 'Homosexual acts are disordered and always intrinsically morally evil.'

Saint Catherine of Sienna

Let's have a look at what Saint Catherine of Sienna reported from the words of The Lord himself:

 St. Catherine of Siena on homosexuality

St. Catherine relays words of Our Lord, about the vice against nature, which contaminated part of the clergy in her time. Referring to sacred ministers, He said: "They not only fail from resisting this frailty [of fallen human nature]…but do even worse as they commit the cursed sin against nature. Like the blind and stupid having dimmed the light of the understanding, they do not recognize the disease and misery in which they find themselves. For this not only causes Me nausea, but displeases even the demons themselves, whom these miserable creatures have chosen as their lords. For Me, this sin against nature is so abominable that , for it alone, five cities were submersed, by virtue of the judgment of My Divine Justice, which could no longer bear them…It is disagreeable to the demon, not because evil displeases them and they find pleasure in good, but because their nature is angelic and thus is repulsed upon seeing such an enormous sin being committed. It is true that it is the demons who hits the sinner with the poisoned arrow of lust, but when a man carries out such a sinful act, the demons leave."

Very strong words indeed. Even the demons are so nauseated that they depart when homosexual acts take place.

And of course it is not only the Anglican Church who are falling hook, line and sinker for the agenda promoted by the Gay Lobby. Consider this recent pronouncement from a Catholic cardinal, Cardinal McElroy, in the USA:

It is a demonic mystery of the human soul why so many men and women have a profound and visceral animus toward members of the L.G.B.T. communities. The church’s primary witness in the face of this bigotry must be one of embrace rather than distance or condemnation. The distinction between orientation and activity cannot be the principal focus for such a pastoral embrace because it inevitably suggests dividing the L.G.B.T. community into those who refrain from sexual activity and those who do not. Rather, the dignity of every person as a child of God struggling in this world, and the loving outreach of God, must be the heart, soul, face and substance of the church’s stance and pastoral action.

The self-basting pietism of McElroy and his ilk makes me sick.

 

The surprising spiritual power of church bells

Andrew Wilkinson | CC

Bells not only call people to prayer, they have a spiritual weight that isn't widely known.

In older cities, especially in the downtown area, bells ring out every hour from the steeple of the local church or cathedral. They are sometimes hard to hear in the hustle and bustle of traffic, but when visiting a country parish the bells can be heard from miles around.

Church bells have been around since the 5th century and were in common usage in the Middle Ages. They were particularly used by monastic communities to call the monks, who during the day were in various places in the monastery, to gather for prayer in the chapel. Later on the custom became more common in parish churches and the bells were used to call the people to the celebration of the Eucharist as well as the recitation of the Angelus prayer throughout the day.

However, the church bells also have great spiritual power. When a new church bell is installed it is traditionally “baptized” or “consecrated” by the bishop or local priest. Former ceremonies mirrored that of baptism and the current ceremony still requires the use of holy water. The bells are also given a name in honor of a particular patron saint, though many are named after the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Roman Ritualprovides a very solemn blessing of church bells and it speaks of the spiritual symbolism and sacramental power these bells now possess.

God, who decreed through blessed Moses, your servant and lawgiver, that silver trumpets should be made and be sounded at the time of sacrifice, in order to remind the people by their clear tones to prepare for your worship and to assemble for its celebration. Grant, we pray, that this bell, destined for your holy Church, may be hallowed  by the Holy Spirit through our lowly ministry, so that when it is tolled and rung the faithful may be invited to the house of God and to the everlasting recompense.

Let the people’s faith and piety wax stronger whenever they hear its melodious peals. At its sound let all evil spirits be driven afar; let thunder and lightning, hail and storm be banished; let the power of your hand put down the evil powers of the air, causing them to tremble at the sound of this bell, and to flee at the sight of the holy cross engraved thereon.

May our Lord Himself grant this, who overcame death on the gibbet of the cross, and who now reigns in the glory of God the Father, in the unity of the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

Note how the priest calls down God’s power to drive away “evil spirits” as well as “thunder … lightning, hail and storm” through the sound of these bells. The blessing continues with a final prayer that again recalls the spiritual weight the bells are given.

O Christ, the almighty ruler, as you once calmed the storm at sea when awakened in the boat from the sleep of your human nature, so now come with your benign help to the needs of your people, and pour out on this bell the dew of the Holy Spirit.

Whenever it rings may the enemy of the good take flight, the Christian people hear the call to faith, the empire of Satan be terrified, your people be strengthened as they are called together in the Lord, and may the Holy Spirit be with them as He delighted to be with David when he played his harp.

And as onetime thunder in the air frightened away a throng of enemies, while Samuel slew an unweaned lamb as a holocaust to the eternal King, so when the peal of this bell resounds in the clouds may a legion of angels stand watch over the assembly of your Church, the first-fruits of the faithful, and afford your ever-abiding protection to them in body and spirit.

We ask this through you, Jesus Christ, who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Did you catch that last line? The priest prays that “when the peal of this bell resounds in the clouds may a legion of angels stand watch over the assembly of your Church.” These bells are no ordinary bells!

So the next time you hear a church bell, remember the spiritual power it has and offer a short prayer to God, thanking him for the many blessings in your life.

 

Demons of Pornography

• Msgr. Stephen Rossetti
• 
  

Exorcist Diary #254: Demons of Pornography

["The Penitent Magdalene," Georges de la Tour, 1625]

Regularly someone contacts us and asks for help with evil spirits related to internet pornography. They typically report using pornography since childhood and have been compulsive users for decades. When asked what they are doing to overcome this destructive behavior, they report going to confession regularly and asking God for the grace to overcome it. But, to no avail.

However, upon further inquiry, they might report little use of human resources to overcome this compulsive behavior. Their use of blocking software, an accountability partner, behavioral changes, boundary setting, online programs (e.g. The Augustine Way), psychotherapy, medications and other typical human interventions to overcome a porn addiction may be limited. They are hoping God will take away the problem. This miraculous Divine intervention sometimes happens. However, God expects that we will do everything we can to overcome our sins. Many times God will only give a special healing grace in conjunction with our own efforts. A long-standing porn addiction is pernicious and difficult to overcome; it often requires difficult behavioral changes. A combination of both spiritual and behavioral change is almost always needed....

In treating this destructive behavior, we first might recognize that our culture is steeped in a culture of sexual promiscuity. This creates an unhealthy environment and sets the stage for a sexual addiction. Curbing one's exposure to sexually tempting television and internet sites is an important start. One person told me that he began sexual binges by viewing "normal" youtube videos, which then led into more salacious images followed by sexually compulsive behavior. Many television shows must honestly be called "soft" porn and not appropriate for people of any age.

Second, concrete, behavioral changes must be implemented. One seminarian courageously gave up his cellphone, since it was consistently the instrument of his sexual downfall. Some who are porn addicted find it helpful to turn off their cellphones and laptops after dinner, putting them in a public place, not to be used until after breakfast. These are just a couple of types of behavior changes which can be an important part of an overall behavioral program.

Pornography destroys marriages, cripples one's relational life, and distorts one's view of sexuality. Certainly the Evil One encourages, tempts, and entices us with its use. Satan especially knows our inner wounds and seeks to exploit them. People addicted to internet sexual porn often suffer from one or many of the following: poor self-esteem and self-denigration, poor body image, isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, anxiety and fear, powerlessness, depression, inner frustration and anger, and more. Thus, some types of healing remedies for the psyche are almost always needed in combatting a porn addiction.

For some, it does appear that the demonic is also involved in a more direct way. In these cases, deliverance prayers can be a critical part of the healing process. Such individuals are usually not possessed and so do not need a solemn exorcism (no need to call your diocesan exorcist!). But the Evil One is directly present, which makes this sexual addiction doubly difficult to overcome.

What to do? In addition to the many important behavioral changes needed and a regimen of inner emotional healing, a course of deliverance prayers might also be attempted. After a few sessions, one should ask: are the sessions helping? If there is no change, then likely the problems are not directly exacerbated by the demonic. But if there is a rather significant diminution of the symptoms and a greater sense of freedom as a result of the prayers, then continued deliverance prayers are appropriate.

In such cases, the following deliverance prayer may be used by the laity, in addition to other deliverance prayers. This prayer is found on our website under "Deliverance Prayers for the Laity":

Deliverance From Evil Spirits of Pornography

Heavenly Father, I ask that you pour out the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus right now upon my memory, imagination, emotions, common sense power and cogitative power. I ask that these parts be completely flooded with the Most Precious Blood. In the Most Holy Name of Jesus and through the power of the Most Precious Blood, I bind all evil spirits that may have attached to these parts or oppress them in any way, and I command you to leave me now and go straight to the foot of the cross. I call upon the Fire of the Holy Spirit right now to go through my memory, imagination, emotions, common sense power and cogitative power. I ask that the Fire of Holy Spirit bring healing to these parts, to purify them, sanctify them and connect them to Our Lord Jesus.

​ I now ask the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus to go into my heart. I ask Jesus to completely flood my heart now with his Most Precious Blood. If any evil spirits have attached themselves to my heart or oppress it any way, I bind you now and command you in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Most Precious Blood to leave me now and go directly to the foot of the cross. I call upon the Fire of the Holy Spirit to go into my heart. I ask the fire of the Holy Spirit to bring healing to my heart, to heal it, purify it, sanctify it and connect it with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

I ask for a healing grace for any and all emotional wounds and traumas in my life especially: [name the wound/trauma]. I ask that the Precious Blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit heal these wounds and bring me peace. I willingly forgive all those who have harmed me, including: [name them]. I forgive them from the bottom of my heart and I ask God to bless them. I accept God's forgiveness for my own sins, including the sins of pornography and impurity. May God's healing graces flood my heart and heal me.

In Jesus' name, I sever any unholy ties with individuals in my past, including those whose images I have viewed, or any unholy ties in past generations. I take back what I gave and give back what I took, in Jesus' name. May these unholy ties be broken and any resulting sins or weaknesses from these ties be lifted and washed away. May we all be washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb.

I ask for a special grace of purity through the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe, St. Mary Magdalene, and St. Maria Goretti. May God heal me of this vice. In the name of Jesus, may I and all who suffer this evil be healed. In the name of Jesus, may we be at peace. Amen.