The procurator said: “I will leave you now, and will come to you again together with all things, that ye will require, as the Holy Procurator came to the apostles of old…And when the time expired, Brendan prepared to set forth, and was putting out from the land, when he saw the procurator coming to him with a boat full of provisions, and he gave these to Brendan, and then returned himself the way by which he came.
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
– Acts 4.32
A true community of Jesus
Brendan was preparing to leave the monastery on the island of Ailbe to continue his return voyage to Ireland. His first attempt at finding The Promised Land of the Saints met with disappointment, setback, and want. But Brendan was not defeated in his soul. He would sail west again, and this time the attempt would bring the result he hoped.
This vignette has the ring of history to it. The procurator—the Erenagh or Abbot of the monastery on Ailbe—made lavish provision for Brendan and his crew. A “boatload of blessings”, we might say. He said that in so doing he was only following the example of the Holy Procurator—the Holy Spirit—Who always provided so abundantly for the saints of old. The Spirit of God dwells in us, so it only makes sense that we should aspire to be like Him, which is, after all, to be like Jesus.
Where did the procurator find all these provisions? Undoubtedly from the monks at his monastery and anyone in the community around the monastery who was willing and able to help. And apparently the people were as generous as the procurator hoped, for they needed another boat to carry the provisions. Many of the monasteries of 6th-century Ireland were like this—true followers of Jesus and a true community of His love.
Where generosity begins
We can imagine that the people in the community around the monastery on Ailbe didn’t have many material goods. Nor did the monks who served them. But of what they had the people gave, probably just a lot of small gifts—here and there a few biscuits, a bit of dried beef, a blanket, some eggs, a handful of grain. But it’s the small gifts of generosity that became the overwhelming boatload of provisions that the procurator gave to Brendan.
We tend to think of generosity only in material terms and big donations. But the generosity the Holy Procurator shows is entirely spiritual. The Father Himself provides our daily bread, in reply to our seeking it from Him. But the Spirit brings gifts of ministry, fruit of holy character, power to speak a word for Jesus—all of which can be reduced to “widow’s mite”-size acts of generosity every single day.
But we must plan for and gather our generosity together, as it were, just like the procurator of Ailbe. As we come to the Word of God each day and seek the Lord in prayer, we do well to think clearly about the day ahead. Where will an act of generosity make a difference? A word fitly spoken? A gesture of kindness? A welcoming smile? An attentive ear? The gift of some of your time? If we prepare for such acts of generosity, devoting all we are and have to the Lord in prayer, we will be more likely to respond generously when the opportunity arises.
What do we have, after all, that we have not received from God? (1 Cor. 4.7) And since all that we have and are comes each day as a generous gift from God, what better use could we make of whatever it might be than to encourage, assist, affirm, or edify someone else?
God is a generous giver. Let us seek to be as generous as He is, and as so many of our forebears in the faith have been as well.
For Reflection
1. What opportunities for being generous will you have today?
2. How can you prepare so that you will be ready to make the most of these opportunities?
Psalm 84.1-4
(Holy Manna: Brethren, We Have Met to Worship)
LORD of hosts, how sweet Your dwelling;
how my soul longs for Your courts!
Let my soul with joy keep telling
of Your grace forevermore.
Like a bird upon the altar,
let my life to You belong.
Blessed are they who never falter
as they praise Your grace with song!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
If you’d like to see some other examples of the lives of Irish saints, download the PDF of our free book by that title by clicking here.
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the ministries of our church. Read recent installments in this series by clicking here. And new in our bookstore, our workbook, The Ongoing Work of Christ, shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
