Commemorated on March 20
Saint Cuthbert, the wonderworker of Britain, was born in Northumbria
around 634. Very little information has come down to us about Cuthbert’s
early life, but there is a remarkable story of him when he was eight.
As
a child, Cuthbert enjoyed games and playing with other children. He
could beat anyone his own age, and even some who were older, at running,
jumping, wrestling, and other exercises. One day he and some other boys
were amusing themselves by standing on their heads with their feet up
in the air. A little boy who was about three years old chided Cuthbert
for his inappropriate behavior. “Be sensible,” he said, “and give up
these foolish pranks.”
Cuthbert and the others ignored him, but
the boy began to weep so piteously that it was impossible to quiet him.
When they asked him what the matter was, he shouted, “O holy bishop and
priest Cuthbert, these unseemly stunts in order to show off your
athletic ability do not become you or the dignity of your office.”
Cuthbert immediately stopped what he was doing and attempted to comfort
the boy.
On the way home, he pondered the meaning of those
strange words. From that time forward, Cuthbert became more thoughtful
and serious.This incident reveals St Cuthbert as God’s chosen vessel (2
Tim. 2:20-21), just like Samuel, David, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and
others who, from an early age, were destined to serve the Lord.
On
another occasion, he was suffering from an injured knee. It was quite
swollen and the muscles were so contracted that he limped and could
scarcely place his foot on the ground. One day a handsome stranger of
noble bearing, dressed in white, rode up on horseback to the place where
Cuthbert was sitting in the sun beside the house. The stranger asked
courteously if the boy would receive him as a guest. Cuthbert said that
if only he were not hampered by his injuries, he would not be slow to
offer hospitality to his guest.
The man got down from his horse
and examined Cuthbert’s knee, advising him to cook up some wheat flour
with milk, and to spread the warm paste on his sore knee. After the
stranger had gone, it occurred to him that the man was really an angel
who had been sent by God. A few days later, he was completely well. From
that time forward, as St Cuthbert revealed in later years to a few
trusted friends, he always received help from angels whenever he prayed
to God in desperate situations.
In his prose Life of St Cuthbert,
St Bede of Jarrow (May 27) reminds skeptics that it is not unknown for
an angel to appear on horseback, citing 2 Maccabees 11:6-10 and 4
Maccabees 4:10.
While the saint was still young, he would tend his
master’s sheep in the Lammermuir hills south of Edinburgh near the
River Leader. One night while he was praying, he had a vision of angels
taking the soul of St Aidan (August 31) to heaven in a fiery sphere.
Cuthbert awakened the other shepherds and told them what he had seen. He
said that this must have been the soul of a holy bishop or some other
great person. A few days later they learned that Bishop Aidan of
Lindisfarne had reposed at the very hour that Cuthbert had seen his
vision.
As an adult, St Cuthbert decided to give up his life in
the world and advanced to better things. He entered the monastery at
Melrose in the valley of the Tweed, where he was received by the abbot
St Boisil (February 23). St Cuthbert was accepted into the community and
devoted himself to serving God. His fasting and vigils were so
extraordinary that the other monks marveled at him. He often spent
entire nights in prayer, and would not eat anything for days at a time.
Who
can describe his angelic life, his purity or his virtue? Much of this
is known only to God, for St Cuthbert labored in secret in order to
avoid the praise of men.
A few years later, St Eata (October 26)
chose some monks of Melrose to live at the new monastery at Ripon. Among
them was St Cuthbert. Both Eata and Cuthbert were expelled from Ripon
and sent back to Melrose in 661 because they (and some other monks)
refused to follow the Roman calculation for the date of Pascha. The
Celtic Church, which followed a different, older reckoning, resisted
Roman practices for a long time. However, in 664 the Synod of Whitby
determined that the Roman customs were superior to those of the Celtic
Church, and should be adopted by all. St Bede discusses this question in
his HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND PEOPLE (Book III, 25).
St
Cuthbert was chosen to be abbot of Melrose after the death of St Boisil,
guiding the brethren by his words and by his example. He made journeys
throughout the surrounding area to encourage Christians and to preach
the Gospel to those who had never heard it. Sometimes he would be away
from the monastery for a month at a time, teaching and preaching. He
also worked many miracles, healing the sick and freeing those who were
possessed by demons.
In 664, Cuthbert went with St Eata to
Lindisfarne, and extended his territory to include the inhabitants of
Northumberland and Durham. Soon St Eata appointed Cuthbert as prior of
Lindisfarne (Holy Island). At that time both monasteries were under the
jurisdiction of St Eata. While at Lindisfarne, St Cuthbert continued his
habit of visiting the common people in order to inspire them to seek
the Kingdom of Heaven.
Though some of the monks prefered their
negligent way of life to the monastic rule, St Cuthbert gradually
brought them around to a better state of mind. At first he had to endure
many arguments and insults, but eventually he brought them to obedience
through his patience and gentle admonition. He had a great thirst for
righteousness, and so he did not hesitate to correct those who did
wrong. However, his gentleness made him quick to forgive those who
repented. When people confessed to him, he often wept in sympathy with
their weakness. He also showed them how to make up for their sins by
doing their penances himself.
St Cuthbert was a true father to
his monks, but his soul longed for complete solitude, so he went to live
on a small island (St Cuthbert’s Isle), a short distance from
Lindisfarne. After gaining victory over the demons through prayer and
fasting, the saint decided to move even farther away from his fellow
men. In 676, he retired to Inner Farne, an even more remote location. St
Cuthbert built a small cell which could not be seen from the mainland. A
few yards away, he built a guest house for visitors from Lindisfarne.
Here he remained for nearly nine years.
A synod at Twyford, with
the holy Archbishop Theodore (September 19) presiding, elected Cuthbert
Bishop of Hexham in 684. Letters and messengers were sent to inform him
of the synod’s decision, but he refused to leave his solitude. King
Ecgfrith and Bishop Trumwine (February 10) went to him in person,
entreating him in Christ’s name to accept. At last, St Cuthbert came
forth and went with them to the synod. With great reluctance, he
submitted to the will of the synod and accepted the office of bishop.
Almost immediately, he exchanged Sees with St Eata, and became Bishop of
Lindisfarne while St Eata went to Hexham.
Bishop Cuthbert
remained as humble as he had been before his consecration, avoiding
finery and dressing in simple clothing. He fulfilled his office with
dignity and graciousness, while continuing to live as a monk. His virtue
and holiness of life only served to enhance the authority of his
position.
His life as Bishop of Lindisfarne was quite similar to
what it had been when he was prior of that monastery. He devoted himself
to his flock, preaching and visiting people throughout his diocese,
casting out demons, and healing all manner of diseases. He served as a
bishop for only two years, however.
Once, St Cuthbert was invited
to Carlisle to ordain seven deacons to the holy priesthood. The holy
priest Hereberht was living in solitude on an island in that vicinity.
Hearing that his spiritual friend Cuthbert was staying at Carlisle, he
went to see him in order to discuss spiritual matters with him. St
Cuthbert told him that he should ask him whatever he needed to ask, for
they would not see one another in this life again. When he heard that St
Cuthbert would die soon, Hereberht fell at his feet and wept. By God’s
dispensation, the two men would die on the very same day.
Though
he was only in his early fifties, St Cuthbert felt the time of his death
was approaching. He laid aside his archpastoral duties, retiring to the
solitude of Inner Farne shortly after the Feast of the Lord’s Nativity
in 686 to prepare himself. He was able to receive visitors from
Lindisfarne at first, but gradually he weakened and was unable to walk
down to the landing stage to greet them.
His last illness came
upon him on February 27, 687. The pious priest Herefrith (later the
abbot of Lindisfarne) came to visit him that morning. When he was ready
to go back, he asked St Cuthbert for his blessing to return. The saint
replied, “Do as you intend. Get into your boat and return safely home.”
St
Cuthbert also gave Father Herefrith instructions for his burial. He
asked to be laid to rest east of the cross that he himself had set up.
He told him where to find a stone coffin hidden under the turf. “Put my
body in it,” he said, “and wrap it in the cloth you will find there.”
The cloth was a gift from Abbess Verca, but St Cuthbert thought it was
too fine for him to wear. Out of affection for her, he kept it to be
used as his winding sheet.
Father Herefrith wanted to send some of
the brethren to look after the dying bishop, but St Cuthbert would not
permit this. “Go now, and come back at the proper time.”
When Herefrith asked when that time might be, St Cuthbert replied, “When God wishes. He will show you.”
Herefrith
returned to Lindisfarne and told the brethren to pray for the ailing
Cuthbert. Storms prevented the brethren from returning to Inner Farne
for five days. When they did land there, they found the saint sitting on
the beach by the guest house. He told them he had come out so that when
they arrived to take care of him they would not have to go to his cell
to find him. He had been sitting there for five days and nights, eating
nothing but onions. He also revealed that during those five days he had
been more severely assailed by demons than ever before.
This
time, St Cuthbert consented to have some of the brethren attend him. One
of these was his personal servant, the priest Bede. He asked
particularly for the monk Walhstod to remain with him to help Bede take
care of him. Father Herefrith returned to Lindisfarne and informed the
brethren of Cuthbert’s wish to be buried on his island.
Herefrith
and the others, however, wanted to bury him in their church with proper
honor. Therefore, Herefrith went back to Cuthbert and asked for
permission to do this. St Cuthbert said that he wanted to be buried
there at the site of his spiritual struggles, and he pointed out that
the peace of the brethren would be disturbed by the number of pilgrims
who would come to Lindisfarne to venerate his tomb.
Herefrith
insisted that they would gladly endure the inconvenience out of love for
Cuthbert. Finally, the bishop agreed to be buried in the church on
Lindisfarne so the monks would always have him with them, and they would
also be able to decide which outsiders would be allowed to visit his
tomb.
St Cuthbert grew weaker and weaker, so the monks carried him
back into his cell. No one had ever been inside, so they paused at the
door and asked that at least one of them be permitted to see to his
needs. Cuthbert asked for Wahlstod to come in with him. Now Wahlstod had
suffered from dysentery for a long time. Even though he was sick, he
agreed to care for Cuthbert. As soon as he touched the holy bishop, his
illness left him. Although he was sick and dying, St Cuthbert healed
his servant Wahlstod. Remarkably, the holy man’s spiritual power was not
impaired by his bodily weakness. About three o’clock in the afternoon
Wahlstod came out and announced that the bishop wanted them to come
inside.
Father Herefrith asked Cuthbert if he had any final
instructions for the monks. He spoke of peace and harmony, warning them
to be on guard against those who fostered pride and discord. Although he
encouraged them to welcome visitors and offer them hospitality, he also
admonished them to have no dealings with heretics or with those who
lived evil lives. He told them to learn the teachings of the Fathers and
put them into practice, and to adhere to the monastic rule which he had
taught them.
After passing the evening in prayer, St Cuthbert sat
up and received Holy Communion from Father Herefrith. He surrendered
his holy soul to God on March 20, 687 at the time appointed for the night
office.
Eleven years later, St Cuthbert’s tomb was opened and his
relics were found to be incorrupt. In the ninth century, the relics were
moved to Norham, then back to Lindisfarne. Because of the threat of
Viking raids, St Cuthbert’s body was moved from place to place for seven
years so that it would not be destroyed by the invaders.
St
Cuthbert’s relics were moved to Chester-le-Street in 995. They were
moved again because of another Viking invasion, and then brought to
Durham for safekeeping. Around 1020 the relics of Sts Bede (May 27),
Aidan (August 31), Boisil (February 23), Aebbe (August 25), Eadberht
(May 6), Aethilwald (February 12), and other saints associated with St
Cuthbert were also brought to Durham.
The tomb was opened again
on August 24, 1104, and the incorrupt and fragrant relics were placed in
the newly-completed cathedral. Relics of the other saints mentioned
above were placed in various places around the church. The head of St
Oswald of Northumbria (August 5), however, was left in St Cuthbert’s
coffin.
In 1537 three commissioners of King Henry VIII came to
plunder the tomb and desecrate the relics. St Cuthbert’s body was still
incorrupt, and was later reburied. The tomb was opened again in 1827. A
pile of bones was found in the outer casket, probably the relics of the
various saints which had been collected seven centuries before, then
replaced after the Protestant commissioners had completed their work.
In
the inner casket was a skeleton wrapped in a linen shroud and five
robes. In the vestments a gold and garnet cross was found, probably St
Cuthbert’s pectoral cross. Also found were an ivory comb, a portable
wood and silver altar, a stole (epitrachilion), pieces of a carved
wooden coffin, and other items. These may be seen today in the Dean and
Chapter library of Durham Cathedral. The tomb was opened again in 1899,
and a scientific examination determined that the bones were those of a
man in his fifties, Cuthbert’s age when he died.
Today St
Cuthbert’s relics (and the head of St Oswald) lie beneath a simple stone
slab on the site of the original medieval shrine in the Chapel of the
Nine Altars, and St Bede’s relics rest at the other end of the
cathedral. The relics and the treasures in the Library make Durham an
appropriate place for pilgrims to visit.
TROPARION - T0NE 3
While still in your youth, you laid aside all worldly cares, / and took
up the sweet yoke of Christ, / and you were shown forth in truth to be
nobly radiant in the grace of the Holy Spirit. / Therefore, God
established you as a rule of faith and shepherd of His radiant flock, /
Godly-minded Cuthbert, converser with angels and intercessor for men.
KONTAKION - TONE 1
Having surpassed your brethren in prayers, fasting and vigils, / you
were found worthy to entertain an angel in the form of a pilgrim; / and
having shown forth with humility as a bright lamp set on high, / you
received the gift of working wonders. / And now as you dwell in the
Heavenly Kingdom, our righteous Father Cuthbert, / intercede with Christ
our God that our souls may be saved.
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2012(with 2011's link here also and further, 2010, 2009 and even 2008!):
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