From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

February 11th - St. Caedmon
(7th Century)

All that we know about this ancient English saint comes from the great
English scholar of the eighth century, St. Bede the Venerable. Bede,
who lived in a neighboring monastery, testified to St. Caedmon's sk=
ill
at religious verse, and the good influence his songs had on others.

Caedmon was a layman, a native of northern England. His employment was
the care of horses =E2=80=94 probably for the monastery of Whitby. Well on =
in
years, he had not received much education, and had no talent whatever
for poetry or music. As a matter of fact, he was embarrassed whenever
asked to sing. (Oftentimes his lay friends, feasting together, would
pass the harp around for each to take his turn at composing a song.
When it came Caedmon's turn, he would invariably get up, and leave =
the
party.)

One night, however, after he had run out on the feast, he had a dream.
He dreamt that a man stood by him and said, =E2=80=9CCaedmon, sing me a son= g!=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI don't know how to sing!=E2=80=9D the stableman replied. = =E2=80=9CThat is why I left
the feast and came here.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CBut you shall sing to me!=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWhat should I sing about?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CSing about the creation of all things.=E2=80=9D

So Caedmon started to sing. The song ran like this:

=E2=80=9CPraise we the Fashioner now of Heaven's fabric,
The majesty of His might and His mind's wisdom,
Work of the world-warden, worker of all wonders,
How He the Lord of glory everlasting,
Wrought first for the race of men Heaven as a rooftree,
Then made He Middle-Earth to be their mansion.=E2=80=9D

When Caedmon awoke, he remembered not only the dream, but words and
melody of the song. He added some more lines to finish the theme. Then
he went to tell his foreman about the gift he had suddenly received.
The foreman took him to St. Hilda, abbess of the monastery of Whitby.
The abbess and her learned consultants, having heard of the dream and
listened to the song, decided that it was definitely a divine gift =E2=80=
=94 a
genuine grace.

Hilda, therefore, urged Caedmon to forsake the secular life and join
the monastery as a lay monk. After he had been received into the
community, she saw to it that he was given full instruction on the
whole story of man's creation and redemption. He would meditate all
this and then pour out one beautiful song after another: on the story
of Israel, on the Incarnation and Redemption, the coming of the Holy
Spirit and the teachings of the Apostles, on the last judgement and
eternal life. The value of his songs was that they could communicate
the story of salvation more understandably to simple countrymen who
had difficulty in comprehending sermons. Unfortunately, only the poem
quoted above has come down to us. It was Caedmon, therefore, who
established the great tradition of vernacular Anglo-Saxon. And since Anglo-Saxon became English, he can be called the pioneer of English
religious poetry and hymnody.

Caedmon meanwhile became a model monk. He fulfilled to the letter the
monastic rule, and expected all of his brother monks to do the same.
When death drew near, he had a premonition of its arrival. Though he
appeared well, he asked to receive Holy Communion as Viaticum. Having
then assured his brethren that he was at peace with them, and having
asked and received their assurance that they were at peace with him,
the old monk blessed himself and fell asleep in the Lord.

Thus, as Bede says, St. Caedmon =E2=80=9Cended his life in quietness.=E2=80= =9D But in
his living days few men since King David had so captivated hearts with melodious praise of God.

God is somebody to sing about!


Saint Quote:
The stench of impurity before God and the angels is so great, that no
stench in the world can equal it.
--St. Philip Neri

Bible Quote:
19 Jesus answered them, =E2=80=9CDestroy this temple, and in three days I w= ill
raise it up.=E2=80=9D 20 The Jews then said, =E2=80=9CIt has taken forty-si=
x years to
build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?=E2=80=9D 21 But =
he
spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from
the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they
believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. [John
2:19-22] RSVCE


<><><><>
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's son,
Heart of my heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
=E2=80=93 Saint Dallan Forgaill
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)