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| Image by Helen@littlethorpe |
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Ciarán
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A GREETING
O God, you have searched me and known me.
(Psalm 139:1)
A READING
God clothed [Aaron] in perfect splendour,
and strengthened him with the symbols of authority,
the linen undergarments, the long robe, and the ephod.
And he encircled him with pomegranates,
with many golden bells all round,
to send forth a sound as he walked,
to make their ringing heard in the temple
as a reminder to his people.
(Sirach 45:8-9)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’
(Isaiah 6:8)
A PRAYER
May the light of God
Illumine the heart of my soul.
May the flame of Christ
Kindle me to love.
May the fire of the spirit
free me to live
this day, tonight and forever.
- from Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer,
by J. Philip Newell
VERSE FOR THE DAY
We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks.
(Psalm 75:1)
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| "The Bell Ringers," by Henry Ryland (c.1890) |
Ciarán of Saighir is perhaps the earliest Irish monk of all. Born on Cape Clear Island in the mid fifth century, he grew up in a pre-Christian Celtic Community but as a child had dreams in which he began to intuit the existence of Christianity. He ultimately journeyed to Tours and to Rome for his educaton and stayed in Rome twenty years. It was in Italy that he first encountered Patrick, who encouraged him to go back to Ireland and suggested he found a monastery near a well at Fuaran, in a part of the country equally accessible to those from the north and south. When Ciarán asked how he would know that he'd come to the right place, Patrick is reported to have given him a bell. The bell would only ring when he had arrived at the holy site. As Ciarán travelled, and after months of no sound from the little bell, when he arrived at Fuaran's well there was a sudden reverberating sound.
Given that Patrick has the reputation of bringing Christianity to Ireland, there is some dispute about the dates and times of Ciarán’s life. The tradition holds that the two men met in Italy on the pilgrim road between Rome and northern Europe. We can imagine this meeting of two great figures, both of them schooled in Christianity in the part of southern Europe that was also populated by Celts. Whether Ciarán preceded Patrick to Ireland or not, he was the first monk to be born in Ireland.
As with other saints, there are numerous stories of Ciarán’s relationship and affinity with animals. In the folklore surrounding him, some of the animals were his first disciples, since as yet no other Christian people were around to join him. Folklore stories tell of how he befriended and cared for animals, including a wild boar, to be part of his first monastic community.
In our own time, the image of the bell can offer us a useful metaphor for ‘aha’ moments on our own faith journey. There are many different ways that we refer to bells when we want to signify ideas of remembering, or having a sudden brainwave, or feeling a sense of warning. Bells are used to call communities to worship. During the pandemic, churches rang their bells in support of health care workers.
What are the ways that God signals to you when you are on the right path?
How much do you want to ‘ring the bells’ of your own faith with the news of Jesus coming as one of us?
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| Image by Julia@littlethorpe |
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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thank you and peace be with you!