St. Columba and Thin Places

 

Delightful

I think it to be 

in the bosom 

of an isle, 

on the peak 

of a rock,

that I might often see there the calm of the sea,

that I might see its heavy waves over the glittering ocean, 

as they chant a melody to their Father on their eternal course . . .

That I might bless the Lord who has power over all.

Heaven with its pure host of angels, earth, ebb, floodtide.

That I might pour over one of my books, good for my soul;

A while kneeling for beloved Heaven, a while at psalms . . .

A while fishing, a while giving food to the poor, a while in my cell,

A while meditating on the Kingdom of Heaven . . .

It would be delightful!

Associated with St. Columba, these poetic excerpts suggest both a monastic rule of life and a life in which the natural world and spirit are connected. 

In the third meeting of our Celtic Saints and the Arts class, we focused on Columba's spiritual way through the lens of the concept of "thin places," those locations and landscapes that awaken in us a deeper sense of the sacred.

Iona, "the holy island" where Columba set up his community, is one of the primary thin places of Celtic Christianity. The text of the touching folksong "Iona Boat Song" references the use of that hallowed ground for burial over the centuries. Both words and music help us picture a procession at sea to the final resting place of a king.

Softly glide we along, Softly chant we our song,
For a king who to resting is come;
Oh, beloved and best, Thou art fairing out west,
To the dear isle Iona, thy home.
Calmly there shalt thou lie, With thy fathers gone by,
Their blood mingled deep with thine own;
Ne'er again to awake, Till the last morn shall break,
And the trump of the judgment is blown.

A number of the topics discussed in the class are addressed in this earlier post which also includes a little video of me playing several of my piano pieces about Columba on Iona.

Below are images of Columba at sea and on Iona as presented on commemorative British stamps in 1997 and a stained glass window of Columba at the Episcopal Chuirch of the Good Shepherd in nearby Lake Wales, Florida.