From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

November 7th - Saint Willibrord of Echternach
Also known as
Clement of Echternach
Apostle of the Frisians
Willibrordus

(658-739)
In the sixth century Irish monks like St. Columban began to carry the
gospel to the pagan nations of Germany. A century later, Anglo-Saxon
monks from England, inspired by the Irish missionary tradition, began
to follow suit.

St. Willibrord, born to Anglo-Saxon parents in northern England,
became the first of the host of English missionaries. He had joined
the Benedictine monks at Ripon, England at an early age. It is
interesting to note that he was then sent to a monastery in Ireland
for his education.

Two years after his ordination to the priesthood in 688 AD, Willibrord
was commissioned by his abbot to go with eleven others to work among
the Germanic pagans in Frisia, now a part of Holland. When Willibrord
seemed to be failing in Friesland, he sought the aid of the Frankish
Christian leader Pepin of Heristal. Pepin sent him to Rome to ask the
pope for official authorization to labor in the Netherlands. On his
return to the Low Countries, he fared better, so on a second trip to
Rome in 695, Pope Sergius I consecrated him bishop of Utrecht, giving
him the Latin name =E2=80=9CClement.=E2=80=9D Clement/Willibrord now set up=
his seat
at Utrecht and began a series of missionary journeys. In 698 he
established a monastery at Echternach in the present Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg. He even moved up into Denmark, but there he had no
permanent success. Probably he was able to speak intelligibly to all
these peoples because the Anglo-Saxon tongue in those days was rather
close to that spoken in the Netherlands.

Willibrord was a bold apostle when he knew that boldness was called
for. Once he was driven by a storm to the island of Heligoland, which
the Danes and Frisians revered as a pagan sanctuary. Pagan law forbade
visitors to kill any living creature, eat any produce, or draw water
from the central spring without keeping absolute silence. To counter
this superstition, Willibrord killed some animals for his companions
to eat, and baptized those persons in the sacred fountain pronouncing
the words very loudly. When the pagans saw that the Christians did not
drop dead, they were, to say the least, puzzled. They asked their
pagan ruler Radbod. He said they should avenge their god by killing
one of Willibrord's companions. They obeyed. Also, when at Walchere=
n,
Willibrord toppled a pagan idol. The pagan priest of the shrine tried
to kill him, but Willibrord escaped and got back safe to Utrecht.

In 715 Radbod regained part of Frisia taken away by the Christian
Franks, and destroyed much of what Willibrord had accomplished there.
But when Radbod died in 719, the missionary took up again, with the
backing of Charles Martel. The Frankish monk-missionary worked with
Willibrord for a while before going to Germany proper to establish the
faith. Thus, Willibrord/Clement, a comely, cheerful, prayerful and
zealous monk, became the =E2=80=9CApostle of the Frisians.=E2=80=9D

Eventually, St; Willibrord retired to the monastery of Echternach.
After he died there at the age of 91, his tomb became (as it remains)
a center of pilgrimage.

Ever since at least 1553 AD, pilgrims to his shrine on each Thursday
after Pentecost, have taken part in a =E2=80=9Cdancing procession=E2=80=9D =
to the
monastery church. Participants (bishops and priests or religious as
well as lay persons) form a procession four or five abreast, with arms
joined or holding on to each other by handkerchiefs. They move in a
sort of dancing motion ' three steps forward and two steps back, to
the special music of a band. The ceremony ends with a Eucharistic
exposition and benediction at the shrine. However unusual, this
procession is dignified. It is now performed as a penitential exercise interceding for those suffering epilepsy and other nervous maladies.
Those who take part in the procession are called the Springende
Heiligen: the =E2=80=9CDancing Saints.=E2=80=9D

We usually think of prayer as an exercise just of the mind and heart.
But can we not pray with our bodies, too? Bowing the head, striking
the breast, blessing oneself, kneeling, prostrating, are all
acceptable forms of prayerful =E2=80=9Cbody language.=E2=80=9D The =E2=80= =9CSpringende
Heiligen=E2=80=9D of Echternach remind us that procession and dancing can a= lso
be made a prayer. Willibrord must enjoy it!!
'Father Robert


Reflection:
Humility is a grand, a stirring thing, the exalting paradox of
Christianity, and the sad want of it in our own time is, we believe,
what really makes us think life dull, like a cynic, instead of
marvellous, like a child.

Saint Quote:
Our Lord Jesus has given light to all men, but those who do not trust
in Him bring darkness upon themselves.
--St. Thalassios the Libyan


<><><><>
Qui manet in charitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo--Who abideth in
charity, abideth in God, and God in him.--1 John 4:16

6. A soul truly resigned to God has no affection for any created
thing, for it sees clearly that all its possessions, except God, are
vain and a nullity. So its single object and aim is to die to itself,
and to resign itself actually and always in all things.
--Bl. Henry Suso

St. Vincent de Paul excelled in this, for he lived quite apart from
all creatures, and even from himself, taking no care but to depend in everything upon the will of God and the disposal of His holy
providence.

The soul of the Venerable Mother Seraphina had arrived at this happy
state, as appears from an account she gave of herself to her director
in these terms: "The state in which I find my soul at present is that
I wish for nothing except what God wills. The will and pleasure of God
has so penetrated me, and has become so wrought into my own will and
pleasure, that it has made itself mine and I desire that alone which
God wills, and not only do I will it, but I am not able to will
otherwise, nor to have any pleasure or will but His. This is my sole
and complete will, nor have I need to produce or repeat acts of it,
for I have it deeply impressed upon my soul; I love and esteem it, and
rejoice in it supremely."

(Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints".=C2 November: Charity)
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* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)