And as they were not admitted to the island, a waxed tablet was let down to them with writing on it to this effect: “Labour not to enter this island, for ye will never enter it. But the island which ye seek ye shall find, and this is not it. Depart to thine own land, O Brendan…”
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
– Acts 16.6, 7
A mythic interlude
Having left the island monastery of Ailbe, somewhere near or part of the Faroe Islands, 200 miles north of Scotland and Ireland, Brendan, well supplied, set off again. It seems to me, reading the account of Brendan’s adventures between here and finally getting home, that a good bit of Irish myth has been mixed in, perhaps to keep the story interesting.
After all, how exciting is the story of a failed expedition? The great saints of Ireland were always heroes, weren’t they? Do we not expect them to do good works? Works far beyond anything we could manage?
And so the historical narrative is interrupted by a bit of tale-telling. Brendan and his crew spend Easter on the back of a whale. They (like Odysseus, heading back to his home) survive dangerous whirlpools that threatened to pull them under. Brendan has a tête-à-tête with the devil without succumbing to his wiles. And they resuscitate a giant, only to send her straight to heaven at her request.
The storyteller wants his readers and hearers to know that God is not finished with Brendan. He is a hero, a true and holy man of God, chosen for a special mission. He is a good man, a man of courage and grace, able to resist temptation and revive a dead soul to new life in heaven. He’ll be back. Let’s have a brief intermission. Go get some popcorn but hurry back, for the true history of Brendan the Navigator will resume shortly.
A further word
Their journey resumed, Brendan and his company approached an island that seemed like a good place to stop and stay for a while. And, although they could hear voices on the island singing praise and thanks to God, they could not find a way to land their boat and disembark.
At that point, the episode of the waxed tablet occurs.
Waxed tablets had a variety of uses in early medieval Europe, especially in monasteries. A board with raised edges, about the size of a small tablet, was covered with wax. One could write on the wax with a stylus, and the tablet could be used over and over simply by putting one’s hand over the wax to warm it and then reforming the surface for new writing.
A message came from the people who were singing to the Lord. It was simple: Brendan, go home. The writer could have given Brendan a vision or dream, like the apostle Paul. But here he seems to have returned to a matter of historical truth. Brendan received a written message via a common medium which reinforced his determination to return to Ireland and cease his present meandering on the sea.
But how did the people on this island know to send this message? The writer does not tell us, but we can assume that, by some means, whether a visitor from Ailbe or a word from the Lord, the inhabitants knew that this man and his crew must not be encouraged on their way back to Ireland. They should stay their present course and just go home. People there were eager to receive them.
We may not always appreciate the advice our counselor, mentor, or spiritual friends proffer. But, as in Brendan’s case, we should always welcome encouragement to return to the basics of faith and to our vision of the Lord so that we will know His blessings in our journey with Him. Daily we must “go home” again, to the Word of the Lord, communion with Him in prayer and meditation, and to the fellowship and counsel of our closest friends.
Let us not neglect each day to go home to the Lord before we push off for whatever adventure He has in store for us.
For Reflection
1. What does it look like for you to “go home” each day?2. What happens when we fail to go home as we should?
Psalm 19.7-11
(St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus)
The Law of God is perfect,
His testimony sure;
the simple man God’s wisdom learns,
the soul receives its cure.
God’s Word is right, and His command
is pure, and truth imparts;
He makes our eyes to understand;
with joy He fills our hearts.
The fear of God is cleansing,
forever shall it last.
His judgments all are true and just,
by righteousness held fast.
O seek them more than gold most fine,
than honey find them sweet;
be warned by every word and line;
be blessed with joy complete.
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.
