“‘And as we were setting forth, we saw coming to us a man of radiant beauty, who greeted us by our own proper names, and said: “Beloved brothers, God has revealed this land to you, and this is the half of the island, and it is not permitted to you to go beyond it; so return to the place whence ye came.” And when he had said this, we asked him whence he came, and what his own name was.’”
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
– 2 Corinthians 12.2-4
Barinthus’ Report
It was perhaps the report of Barinthus, an elderly Irish saint, that moved Finnian to send the twelve apostles out to various parts of Ireland and beyond with the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom.
Barinthus had arrived at Clonard with a tale about The Promised Land of the Saints, a mystical island of paradisal beauty, situated far in the western ocean. Responding to a vision, he and his son had made the journey there and found the island to be more beautiful than they had imagined. But as they resolved to make a fuller circuit of the mystical place, they were confronted by an unnamed man who forbade them to go any further. They could enjoy a taste, a glimpse, of the paradise of the saints, but no more, not as long as they were in this life.
When the lot fell to the elder Brendan to undertake a journey to that glorious place, he being determined to be too old and too much needed at Clonard, Brendan, as we have seen, undertook the challenge. He would sail to The Promised Land of the Saints and bring back a fuller report of its wonders and glory.
A Tale with a Large Grain of Truth
We now know, of course, that there is no island such as Barinthus described anywhere to be found in the vast Atlantic Ocean. But that a paradise of glory and bounty exists—in a spiritual dimension in heaven now, but fully material and glorious in the new heavens and new earth—no Christian doubts. And, as Paul and other Biblical writers indicate, we can visit that glorious place, if only by the “eyes of the heart” (Eph. 1.15-23). There we can enter the glorious heavenly City, of which we are even now citizens (Heb. 12.22-24). We can join with saints and angels in worship of our Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and in interceding for our fellow believers (Rev. 4, 5). We can see Jesus, seated in glory, and bask in the transforming radiance that issues from His face (Col. 3.1-3; 2 Cor. 4.6). And we can, like the apostle Paul, experience such joy and fullness and delight that we will not be able to describe it in words.
It can take a while to get to the place where you experience unseen glories like this (Heb. 11.1). But your journey in the Lord should always aim at them, long for them, and take the time to seek them. We cannot know them fully, but we can know them truly and with transforming grace and power.
Every believer’s life is a journey toward more fullness. There will be obstacles, setbacks, wrong turns, opposition, and failures. But if we persevere in our calling, keeping our goal in sight at all times, we will grow through our journey, be granted more glimpses of the glory of the Lord, and find that we are becoming more like Jesus as we persist in looking to Him.
The story of Brendan’s journey in search of The Promised Land of the Saints is not to be taken literally at all points. But, as Tim Severin will show us in later installments, there’s enough history in it to embolden us in our own callings. And there is also enough of grace and faith to keep us mindful, throughout our journey, that the Lord Who calls us to His Kingdom and glory will never fail us nor forsake us, and we will be with Him always, now and forever.
For Reflection
1. Do you think of your life as a Christian as a journey of faith? In what ways?2. Do you keep in mind some vision of The Promised Land of the Saints? How does doing so help you on your journey?
Psalm 84.1-12
(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!
Blessed are they whose strength is founded in Your strength, O LORD above.
All whose hearts in You are grounded journey in Your strength and love.
Though they weep with tears of sadness, grace shall all their way sustain.
In Your Presence, filled with gladness, they shall conquer all their pain.
LORD of hosts, my prayer receiving, hear me, help me by Your grace!
In Your courts I stand believing; turn to me Your glorious face!
LORD, our sun, our shield, our glory, no good thing will You deny
to those who proclaim Your story, and who on Your grace rely.
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).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast takes up the book Understanding the Times to help us in knowing how to live and proclaim the Kingdom. Our ReVision series, “The Kingdom Economy”, features the first three installments this week. And new in our bookstore, our book, 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.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
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. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
