Our patron saint - St Cuthbert
This page has been adapted from a presentation given at Church on St Cuthberts Day (March 20th) in 2005
On this day, 1,318 years ago, surrounded by monks and a few friends, a frail old Bishop died in a cave on the rocky outcrop of Farne Islands just off the coast of Northumbria. The Bishop was Cuthbert of Lindisfasrne – St Cuthbert – our patron saint and the man after whom this church, in which we worship today, was named…
But who exactly was he? What did he do? What was he like? What made him special enough to have a church named after him? And what can we learn from his life that will inspire us today?
Cuthbert was born in 635 near Melrose in Scotland of humble parentage. He was a poor shepherd boy who loved to play games with his friends. One of his friends scolded him for loving to play so much.
In fact, his playmate said words that he didn’t seem to be saying himself. “Cuthbert, how can you waste your time playing games when you have been chosen to be a priest and a bishop?” The youthful Cuthbert was – not surprisingly - confused and wondered if he really was going to be a priest and bishop.
In the year 651, while watching his sheep, he saw a vision. The 9th century biographer St Bede in his “Life and Miracles of St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne” describes what Cuthbert observed thus: “On a sudden he saw a long stream of light break through the darkness of the night, and in the midst of it a company of the heavenly host descended to the earth, and having received among them a spirit of surpassing brightness, returned without delay to their heavenly home.”
Next morning, he found that St Aidan - founder of the Priory of Lindisfarne and a man of great holiness - had died at the very moment of his vision. At this point, so St Bede claims, Cuthbert resolved to give up being a shepherd He decided to enter the monastery of Melrose in order to train as a monk. As prophesied in his youth, Cuthbert was to become a priest and a bishop. He soon became known for his piety and learning. But his was not a faith which was purely or even primarily an intellectual exercise – more than an academic, Cuthbert was an evangelist From one village to another, from house to house, St. Cuthbert went, on horse or on foot. He did “missions” everywhere and brought many people to know God. He spoke the dialect of the peasants because he had been a poor shepherd boy. And so people felt attracted to him and no one was afraid of him.
Here is our first lesson from Cuthbert. A passion for the Good News of Christ and a desire to see people understand it It would have been all too east for Cuthbert to be cloistered in an Abbey After all there were few roads, no easy transportation It was a pony or shank’s pony to get around
But such was Cuthberts desire for mission that he overcame the difficulties
May St Cuthberts be a place where we are empowered with the same passion for the Gospel that filled St Cuthbert and drove him onwards and outwards in mission
A great change occurred in Cuthberts life in 664. This was date of the Synod of Whitby which decided between the Celtic and Romans traditions and decided in favour of the Roman traditions. Cuthbert accepted that decision. He was then appointed Prior of the great monastery of Lindisfarne, in order that he might introduce the monastic changes to that house. The fact that he himself had been trained in the Celtic tradition and was now conforming to the new order helped him to persuade the monks at Lindisfarne to accept the change themselves.
Here then we have the second lesson that we can learn from Cuthbert. No doubt he would personally would have chosen to keep to the Celtic tradition. All too readily, like some of the other Celtic bishops, he could have “taken his bat home” and go, as they did, back to Iona or Ireland.But he didn’t. For Cuthbert unity in the church was more important than personal preference
Suddenly – literally overnight – everything about Lindisfarne, it’s structure, it’s worship and it’s prayer life would have completely changed. The fact they chose Cuthbert as the person to bring about change makes a powerful statement about his reconciling qualities. How easily we allow personal preference to shape our agenda? How readily we refuse to accept what is not familiar to us?
May St Cuthberts be a place of healing and reconciliation, where unity is valued and cherished and the spectre of division driven from our doors
Cuthbert remained Prior a Lindisfarne until 676, But when he was 40 years old he felt that he was being called to be a hermit and to do the hermit’s job of fighting the spiritual forces of evil in a life of solitude. He moved to the tiny islet adjoining Lindisfarne – now called St Cuthberts Island Here Cuthbertspent whole nights in prayer But it proved impractical – for when the tide went out people could simply walk across the shingle and he was disturbed by a continual stream of visitors! So he moved to the more remote and larger island known as ‘Inner Farne’ There he constructed a modest hermitage where he lived for 10 years. Of course, even then people did not leave him alone - they went out in their little boats to consult him or ask for healing. However, on many days of the year the seas around the islands are simply too rough to make the crossing and Cuthbert was left in peace. Here Cuthbert spent time in prayer - having only seals and sea birds for company. It is said that many powerful healings and miracles occurred during this time
And so we have our third lesson – that desperate need for the life of prayer Cuthbert spent 10 years in virtual solitude There he fought the spiritual battle, seeking God for himself and his people
May St Cuthberts be a place of deep prayer, where we give a priority to seeking the face of God and fight the spiritual battle with the resources of His Holy Spirit.
Reluctantly – in 685 – Cuthbert agreed to become Bishop of Lindisfarne. Despite this reluctance, he threw himself energetically into his new role travelling widely and converting people to the Christian faith.Life had come full circle. Expecting to live out his days on Farne Island, the now frail and time-worn saint followed the call of God to return to his missionary roots.It was to be an exciting period – with much progress for the Gospel. However it was to be short lived. Feeling the approach of death he retired back to the hermitage on the Inner Farne where, in the company of Lindisfarne monks, he died this day in 687AD. His body was brought back and buried on Lindisfarne in accordance with his wishes.
Cuthberts willingness, even with the onset of human weakness, to obey the call of his Lord and Master leads us to the fourth and most important lesson.Whether as a young shepherd boy contemplating his future. Whether as an enthusiastic young gospel preacher taking Jesus to the villages of Northumbria.Whether as Abbot of Lindisfarne working for unity and peace. Whether as a hermit doing battle in prayer with the forces of evil. Whether as a bishop travelling his diocese leading men and women to Jesus - qt every point and in every situation he was alert to the call of God. Not my will, he said, but your will be done
May St Cuthberts Church today be a place where men and women, young and old, hear the call of God on their lives and have the courage and the obedience to follow with gladness and passion for the Good News.