Colum Cille (24)

At another time, in the island of Io[na], on a day of crashing storms and unendurably high waves, when the saint, sitting in the house and giving orders to the brothers said, “Prepare the guest-house quickly and draw water for washing the feet of guests,” one of the brothers said, “On this very windy and too perilous day, who can cross in safety even the narrow strait?” Hearing him, the saint spoke thus, “To one holy and chosen man, who will reach us before evening, the Omnipotent has granted calm, though in the midst of storm.” And behold, on the same day, a ship that the brothers had for some time awaited and in which Saint Cainnech was, arrived according to the saint’s prophecy. The saint with the brothers went to meet him, and honourably and hospitably received him.

  - Adomnán, Life of Columba[1]

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

 - John 13.14

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

 - Acts 16.14, 15

In the vignette cited above, we encounter one of Adomnán’s central themes in his biography of Colum Cille—that of the saint’s ability to prophesy future events. This may or may not be an instance of this gift. It seems the brethren on Iona had been expecting Cainnech for some time, and Colum may simply have been more accurate in calculating his arrival than the brothers.

Or, as Adomnán explained, he may well have seen him coming in a vision and prophesied his arrival despite the bad weather.

Either way, Colum knew how to prepare for visitors and what to do in caring for them. One of the great overlooked lessons of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD) is the importance of hospitality. The practice of hospitality pops up here and there in the literature from this period. So important a part of the life of a monastery was hospitality that we read of two accounts in which great saints were chagrined, even shamed, because they had no refection to offer visitors arriving at their door.

The monastery at Iona, like many other Celtic monasteries, kept a guest house for visitors, that they might be comfortable and enjoy a measure of privacy during their stay. This was not always the case. For example, when Brendan and his companions arrived at the monastery on Ailbe, where they were to stay a year and be refreshed, they were lodged in the private cells of the brethren there. Imagine having someone move into your one-room home and share it with you for a year. That’s what these monks did, and none of them begrudged the inconvenience. It was yet another way of refreshing Brendan’s team with the grace of the Lord.

Also, Colum instructed his monks to draw fresh water for washing the feet of Cainnech and his company. This would have included the sailors who manned the vessel—which, as they reported, crossed the strait on smooth seas, the raging storm notwithstanding. This practice would have several practical purposes. Of course, it would be a way of easing the burden of the visitors’ journey. Imagine, after a long voyage by sea or on foot, having someone wash your tired feet in warm water. Ahhhh.

More than that, however, the foot-washing was a statement: Here, we honor Jesus. Here, we follow His example and teaching. Here, we, like Jesus, are available to serve your every need. Washing the feet of visitors was a way of focusing them on Jesus from the beginning of their stay; and it involved a commitment of the hosts that they would be obliged to keep, even if someone were to stay with them for a year.

Hospitality is a powerful focal point for the grace of God to work. We see this in the example of Lydia, who, brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus and brimming with fresh grace, opened her home to Paul and his companions and provided for their needs. The grace of God reaches others through our truthful words, when we talk about Jesus, open the Word of God for others, or give testimony of His saving work in our lives. But grace is also communicated by our works, and the exercise of hospitality—whether of food, clothing, a place to stay, a bed for the night, a chance conversation at the grocery story, or a meal with friends—provides a wide range of opportunities for grace to flow through us to reach and refresh the souls of others.

And where grace flows, thanks and praise to God will follow (2 Cor. 4.15).

Colum was a scholar, an evangelist, a demanding teacher, and a rugged ascetic. But he understood the value of hospitality, and he practiced it faithfully with everyone he encountered, whether on his turf or theirs. May we also learn to give of ourselves, our time, our possession, our attention, and the grace of God at work within us that others may be refreshed in Him as He refreshes their soul through us.

For Reflection
1. What opportunities for showing hospitality will you have today?

2. What should you do right now to prepare for those opportunities, so that the grace of God will flow from you?

Psalm 143.1, 2, 9-12 (Divinum Mysterium: Of the Father’s Love Begotten)
Hear my earnest prayer, O LORD! Give ear to my pleas for grace!
In Your faithfulness and righteousness, look upon me with Your face!
Enter not to judgment with Your servant, LORD, with Your loving servant, LORD:
None can stand before Your Word.

Rescue me from all my enemies! LORD, I refuge seek in You.
Let me know Your will, O LORD my God; make me know what I must do.
Let Your Spirit lead me on to level ground; save my life! Preserve my soul!
Rescue, LORD, and make me whole!

T. M. Moore

Bring some joy to your world
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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.

[1] Adomnán, pp. 27, 29.