But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

  - 1 Corinthians 1.27-29

Brave the host which has his hardness, an order with true angels’ acts:
though they were deaf, they had hearing; though they were lame, they had strength.

  - Béccan mac Luigdech, Fo Réir Choluimb, Irish, 7th century

Foolish and lame, hard and strong. How would you like to be seen this way?

Béccan was celebrating the monks who gathered around Colum Cille in the late 6^th century. The community of Iona was their home and the staging-ground for mission after to mission to the lost peoples of the British Isles.

In the world’s eyes these peregrini – wandering missionary/monks – were nobodies. They had no wealth, no connections, no pedigrees – nothing. They were “deaf” to the wisdom of the day and weak – “lame” – in the eyes of those to whom they brought the Good News of the Kingdom.

They were nothing, and they had nothing.

Nothing, that is, but an ear to the Word of God and the strength of His Spirit to guide and empower them.

The first Irish peregrini who “wandered about” preaching the Good News of Jesus seemed to most who heard them a motley crew; but they were God’s chosen vessels to carry on the work begun by Patrick, launching it beyond Ireland to distant lands.

God does not require that we fit the world’s conception of someone to be reckoned with; indeed, the less we fuss and worry about making ourselves appealing in the world’s eyes, the greater is the likelihood we’ll have ears to hear the Lord and strength from beyond our own resources to serve Him.

You may regard yourself as not very clever, not well attached, and not able to do much, but if you can hear the Lord’s calling and instruction and will surrender yourself to His power, He can use you in ways you’ve never dared to ask or think (Eph. 3.20) Those humble monks had courage and a firm conviction that they were on the side of the angels as they ventured out to make the Good News of Jesus known.

The knew their mission field and they worked it faithfully, often at great sacrifice.

In our day the work of personal evangelism is languishing; few are the pastors or lay men who make it a central feature of their ministries to reach out to the lost in an aggressive, consistent manner.

Whatsay we in The Ailbe Community draw a line in the sand, claim the mantle of Colum, and take up this noble calling once again? Let ours be the generation that reclaims the Great Commission as more than mere rhetoric, beginning in our own Personal Mission Fields.

We have prepared a Field Guide to Mission especially for you, the members of The Ailbe Community. It includes instructions, a worksheet, and three short booklets to help you take up the work of peregrinatio in your own Personal Mission Field. It’s free for a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe (see below).

Someone has to be a fool for Christ and have the strength of Colum to live and proclaim the Gospel. Why shouldn't that be you and I?

Psalm 107.1-3 (Faithfulness: “Great is Thy Faithfulness”)
Lord, You are good, we give thanks and we praise You! Your steadfast love will forever endure.
Let the redeemed, who from trouble You rescue, gather and say that Your mercy is sure!
  Lord, for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love
  We give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
  We who from east and west, north and south gather,
  Boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

Lord, a day is coming when will stand before You to give an account for our deeds. Help us to be faithful as those You have sent to the world with Good News!

A Field Guide to Mission
Colum and those who followed in his train “saved civilization.” That’s how Thomas Cahill summarized the work of these wandering missionary/monks in his book, How the Irish Saved Civilization. But they did nothing more than what you and I can do each day of our lives, by faithfully hearing the Word of God, taking it to heart, and going forth as commissioned peregrini to make the Good News known. For your gift of any amount to The Fellowship of Ailbe we’ll send you A Field Guide to Mission. We are devoting this newsletter to the foolish, lame, strong followers of Christ for the cause of shining His Light into the darkness of our world. We pray that you will join us in this endeavor. You can donate to The Fellowship by using the donate button here or at the website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

T. M. Moore, Principal
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