From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   September 23rd - St. Adamnan of Iona, Abbot   
    (Also known Adamnan, Aunan, Eunan)   
      
   Born in Drumhome, Donegal, Ireland, c. 624; died 704.   
      
   Today the Universal Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Adamnan of Iona,   
   Abbot, who died September 23, 704. He was the 9th abbot of Iona (near   
   present-day Argyll, Scotland), the monastery founded by Saint Columba in   
   563.   
   Born c. 627, Adamnan became abbot c. 679. At that time, abbots were members   
   of   
   the powerful Ui' Neill family, kings in northern Ireland.   
      
   There were different practices in various parts of the British Islesthen. In   
   Celtic monasteries there was a different method for dating Easter, a   
   different   
   tonsure, and the relative authority of abbots and bishops is unclear.   
      
   Conflict over practice came to a head when King Egfrith of North Umbria   
   (Celtic)   
   married a Kentish princess (English) and the Synod of Whitby followed in 664   
   to   
   resolve the differences between the Celtic and English churches. The king   
   was   
   won over by the English, but the Columban factions remained unresolved until   
   Adamnan used his diplomatic skills to convert the Columbans.   
      
   Adamnan had an open mind regarding issues damaging to unity but not   
   essential to   
   the faith. He worked for 15 years to emphasize the essentials and downplay   
   the   
   differences. During this time he also established a law to protect women,   
   children, and clergy from injury or participation in war ("Cai'n Adomna'n"   
   or   
   "Law of the Innocents" (697)) and wrote the "Vita Columbae". The "Cai'n   
   Adomna'n" established legal rights for women for the first time in the   
   British   
   Isles.   
      
   The "Vita Columbae" stresses Saint Columba's relationship with God and his   
   fight   
   against exploitation, carelessness, falsehood, and murder. Saint Adamnan   
   upholds   
   Columba as an Irish saint whose faith transcends petty divisions (Markus).   
      
   May God help us all to live in the spirit of Saint Adamnan. In addition to   
   the   
   historical Adamnan above, there is the saint of popular devotion of whom it   
   is   
   related:   
      
   Sometimes it's okay to cry over spilled milk. When Adamnan was just a young   
   boy,   
   he was walking along a country road carrying a large earthenware jar of milk   
   on   
   his back. The jar Adamnan carried was so large and wide-mouthed that the   
   only   
   way he could carry it was to wind a hay rope around its neck, sling it onto   
   his   
   back, and hold the tails of the rope.   
      
   He walked slowly and carefully because the jar was full and he did not want   
   to   
   spill a single drop. You see, he had collected it by going from house to   
   house.   
   No one had refused him when he told them that he was getting it for three   
   older   
   boys who were studying to be priests and had no time to beg for their food.   
   Those who could afford it gave much, others could give only a cupful; so   
   each   
   drop was a precious gift.   
      
   Does this sound strange? It was customary at that time for young to gather   
   around the great teachers, like Saint Ciaran (f.d. September 9) or Saint   
   Finbar   
   (f.d. September 25). They made do with crude huts for housing and food that   
   could be begged from the many Irish anxious for the spread of Christianity   
   and   
   the training of additional clergy to preach the Gospel.   
      
   Adamnan was delighted with himself. The three older boys would praise him   
   for   
   collecting so much milk. There would be plenty for drinking and for their   
   porridge. Adamnan sought their approval because he counted it a grand thing   
   to   
   study and to be a priest. He meant to do exactly the same himself when he   
   was   
   older.   
      
   "Well, he was smiling to himself as he walked along and thinking of the   
   cheers   
   he would get when he reached the hut. Suddenly he heard the noise of horses   
   galloping behind him, and he heard men talking and laughing. When the riders   
   came into view, he saw at once that they were grand people. They were richly   
   dressed and rode beautiful horses. Soon they were quite close. Adamnan hid   
   behind the bushes at the edge of the track so as to let the horsemen pass.   
   He   
   did his best to keep the milk safe. In spite of all his care, however, one   
   of   
   the horses brushed against him. He stumbled and fell. The jar rolled off his   
   back, broke into pieces, and all the milk was spilled."   
      
   It was an awful thing to happen, made worse because the horsemen treated it   
   as a   
   joke. The angry young saint jumped up and shouted that they should at least   
   replace the broken jar, which he had borrowed. "The men just rode on, not   
   listening at all. Adamnan tore after them and he was so furious and   
   disappointed   
   that it made him run surprisingly fast.   
      
   "'You'll have to get me some more milk,' he yelled after them. 'You'll just   
   have   
   to. That was for poor scholars and they can't be left hungry just because of   
   you.'   
      
   "The men rode on. By this time the laughing had stopped and they were   
   talking of   
   something else. Then the horsemen looked around and there was the little boy   
   with the furious red face still at the tail of the last horse and still   
   shouting   
   at them! Never had they seen anyone run like that. It began to look as   
   though   
   they would never shake him off!   
      
   "Now one at least of that company was a good man at heart, only careless as   
   men   
   often are. He reined in his horse and he said to the others, 'Let's hear   
   what   
   the lad has to say.' So all the men said 'Whoa' to their horses and stopped   
   to   
   listen to Adamnan. He spoke up to them without fear, telling them that they   
   were   
   rude and bad to laugh at an accident so cruel to him. 'You must get me   
   another   
   jar of milk to make up for the one you broke,' he said, 'because that jar   
   had   
   only been lent to me and I collected that milk, cupful by cupful, from many   
   houses for the use of three poor students.' Little Adamnan was quite stern."   
      
   When Finnachta, who would become high king of Ireland, heard his tale, he   
   agreed   
   that the boy was right. He sent to the palace for another jar of milk of   
   equal   
   size to be brought by chariot to them. But the incident raised the curiosity   
   of   
   Finnachta about the way the poor scholars lived. While they waited for the   
   milk,   
   he asked many questions of Adamnan.   
      
   Later Finnachta invited to his own house those three older boys for whom   
   Adamnan   
   had been running errands. He never forgot Adamnan, who had fought for   
   justice.   
   In fact, he helped Adamnan to become a priest and they became good friends.   
   When   
   he became king of Ireland, he appointed Adamnan as abbot of a great   
   monastery.   
      
   "So that is the story of a little adventure happening to a boy which changed   
   his   
   whole life. Supposing he had just put up with the loss of the jar and milk   
   and   
   gone back to the hut, wailing and complaining? Well, if he had--there would   
   have   
   been no jar, no milk, no friendship with a king, and no story" (Curtayne).   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)