Subj : March 20th - St. Cuthbert To : All From : rich Date : Fri Mar 19 2021 10:21:32 From: rich March 20th - St. Cuthbert Cuthbert is one of England's most popular saints. There are different traditions as to whether he was born in Ireland, England or the Scottish Lowlands. His name is Saxon rather than Celtic and a widow named Kenswith, whom he dearly loved as a mother, raised him. At the age of about 15 Cuthbert had a very intense spiritual experience which encouraged him to give his life to God. A few years later he entered the monastery at Melrose and in 661 went with St. Eata to the newly built abbey of Ripon where he worked as guest master. A year later, King Alcfrid gave the abbey to another group of monks and Cuthbert with St. Eata and the other monks had to return to Melrose. The area at that time was suffering severely from a plague and Cuthbert with many of the other monks succumbed to it. Many died, but Cuthbert survived and was made prior at Melrose. While he never fully regained his health, Cuthbert began a strenuous period of missionary activity to counteract the pagan practices so prevalent in this area. Unlike his predecessors, Cuthbert was a native of the lands and spoke their language and lived their simple way of life naturally. His cheerful disposition, as well as his winning ways and deep love for the people, warmed their hearts and he was very successful in bringing the Gospel message to them. In his monastery conflict arose between those who wanted to keep the Celtic date of Easter and those who wanted to accept the decision of the Council of Whitby which chose to follow the Roman date. The Celtic bishop, St. Colman resigned and with the Irish monks and about thirty of the English monks left and founded a new monastery in Ireland. Cuthbert worked hard to encourage the remaining monks to accept the decisions of the council and continued his work among the people of the countryside. Tradition tells us that he had received the gift of healing and would spend many hours of the day teaching and praying for the sick, while spending many hours of the night in prayer. Over the next 16 years his reputation for holiness and healing abilities grew. People flocked to him for help and tradition tells us that at times he would stop for sleep only every third or fourth night. Desiring to lead a simpler life of closer union with God, Cuthbert finally received permission from his abbot to live as a hermit and in 676 went to a small island about two miles from Bamborough. People continued to seek him out for spiritual advice and healing and in 685 he was compelled to accept the bishopric, succeeding his former abbot, St. Eata. His episcopate lasted only two years. With the defeat of the Northumbrian army and the death of King Egfrid, a plague broke out again decimating many villages in Cuthbert's diocese. He worked tirelessly, visiting the sick and caring for those afflicted. His frail health finally gave way and he resigned his bishopric and returned to Farne Island where he died about three months later in the year 687. Cuthbert is a saint many can identify with. He was an ordinary fellow with no family. His occupation was that of a simple shepherd. He had no special training or education. But, his God given gifts of a cheerful disposition, a winning personality and a loving spirit, he used to bring help and goodness to others. When he received the call to follow Jesus, he accepted the challenge and despite the loss of his health and many setbacks, he remained faithful to that call with total commitment to it. May he intercede for us that we too may follow God's call to holiness. Saint Quote: Even the death on the Cross was sublime: for it was the culminating and necessary point in that scheme of Love in which death was to be followed by blessed resurrection for the whole "lump" of humanity: and the Cross itself has a mystic meaning. --Saint Gregory of Nyssa Bible Quote: And on the next day, a great multitude that was to come to the festival day, when they had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried: Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel.=C2 (John 12:12-13) DRB <<>><<>> Splinters from the Cross: Little headaches, little heartaches Little griefs of every day, Little trials and vexations How they throng around our way! One great cross, immense and heavy, So it seems to our weak will, Might be borne with resignation, But these many small ones kill, Yet all life is formed of small things, Little leaves, make up the trees, Many tiny drops of water blending, Make the mighty seas. Let us not then by impatience Mar the beauty of the whole, But for love of Jesus bear all In the silence of our soul. Asking Him for grace sufficient To sustain us through each loss, And to treasure each small offering As a splinter from Thine Cross. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .