A fortnight and a month without food,
Or somewhat longer, was he, through the effort;
Suddenly a blackbird hopped from a branch,
And made a nest in the hand of the saint.
Coemgen remained in the pen
Alone, though great was the pain,
And the nest of the blackbird on his palm,
Till her birds were hatched.
– The Monk Solomon, Life of Coemgen
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…
– Luke 18.1
Come on…
In his poem about Kevin (Coemgen) and the blackbird, Seamus Heaney says that “the whole thing’s imagined”, that is, this story was made up. And that’s probably true.
But why? Why would anyone, wanting to heap esteem on a “high saint” like Coemgen, make up an episode as outrageous as this? He is in his little pen, praying with his hands stretched out, palms up. A blackbird lands in his palm, builds a nest, lays eggs, and hatches and fledges her chicks, all while Coemgen continues in prayer. Didn’t he get tired? Heaney asks. Didn’t his fingers grow numb?
Heaney becomes more generous in the final stanza, where he envisions Kevin lost in prayer and ecstasy, so much so, that not only did he not notice what was going on around him, he forgot where he was:
A prayer his body makes entirely,
For he has forgotten self, forgotten bird
And on the riverbank, forgotten the river’s name.
Coemgen could get lost in prayer, Solomon wants us to understand, so much so, that he became oblivious to the outside world, continuing for long seasons of prayer without becoming weary. A true saint and follower of His Lord. But even in prayer—and perhaps because he was in prayer—he was ready to serve his “neighbor” the blackbird.
The focus of Solomon’s account of Coemgen’s life is on his ascetics. He underwent great hardship, suffering, and deprivation so that he would become more dependent on the Lord, find all his joy and provision in Him, and be ready to serve whomever the Lord might bring his way. This is what “high saints” do, Solomon says, and, by implication, it’s what we should strive for as well.
A disciplined life
It may seem strange to say, but everybody lives a disciplined life. That is, everybody has ways of doing over and over the things that make sense to them or that contribute to their reaching their goals in life. Those disciplines—of refreshment, work, leisure, relationships, rest, and more—shape us for a certain kind of lifestyle.
And that’s the purpose of the disciplines of the Christian life. At bottom, those disciplines are two: Love God and love your neighbor. Underneath those are ways of loving God and neighbor that breakdown into practices and protocols—disciplines—that shape our lives as Christians. Love God: Seek Him in prayer; feed on His Word; obey His teaching; enjoy His Presence; tell others about Him. Love your neighbor: Develop your conversational skills; be a helping and encouraging presence; look for ways to serve or help; talk about Jesus.
We must develop the disciplines and skills that define our lives like Coemgen’s—lost in love for God and determined to hold our hand out to our neighbor. They won’t make a nest in it, but many will receive it warmly, welcome the gesture, and benefit from your love.
A disciplined Christian life starts in the soul, where in our mind, heart, and will we are determined, day by day, to be agents of the grace of God. For Coemgen, it was patience with a blackbird. For us? Who knows? But we must be ready, and that means making sure all the disciplines we need are in place and working to make us more like Jesus every day.
For Reflection
1. What disciplines do you practice that relate to growing in love for God?
2. What disciplines do you practice to show God’s love to your neighbors?
Psalm 146.5-10
(Hallelujah! What a Savior!: Man of Sorrows)
Blessed are they whose hope resides
in the LORD, blessed at His side.
By Him heav’n and earth abide—
God forever reigns in Zion!
He is faithful evermore;
He gives justice to the poor,
feeds the hungry from His store—
God forever reigns in Zion!
Jesus sets the pris’ner free,
heals blind eyes that they may see,
lifts those burdened painfully—
God forever reigns in Zion!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Need more help with becoming a disciplined Christian? Download our free book, The Disciplined Life, by clicking here.
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are investigating the values that God’s economy requires. Our Read Moore podcast is working through Joy to Your World!. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
