Thought for the Day – 31 August – The Memorial of St Aidan of Lindisfarne (died 651)
Aidan was gentle. Aidan was personal. Aidan was humble. Aidan was compassionate. Aidan listened well. Aidan prayed constantly. Aidan cared for people’s lives, body, mind and spirit. Aidan set people free from slavery. He revealed a deep, quiet, almost easily overlooked way of evangelism and missionary life. There is not much fanfare or miraculous flashy stuff in Aidan’s way of life and faith. But where Aidan’s predecessor, Corman failed to reach into the hard hearts of the Anglo-Saxon people of Northumbria due to his harshness and austerity, the people loved Aidan and were deeply transformed by his brief 17 years among them, mainly because they were met face to face, heart to heart by a prayerful, gentle, holy man who brought the light of Christ through his actions and way of living. The name Aidan means “fire, aflame”. Aidan was aflame with Christ’s love.
The life of St Aidan of Lindisfarne, reminds us of the living Word of God in our lives. St Aidan, following the teachings of Christ, was literally ready to expend every second of his life for Christ and his neighbour, with love, much as Christ did. Today, how might we bring the Word of God to life—in our lives and in the lives of those we encounter? It is this one word, “love”.
AnaStpaul 