Aidan: My Role Model

Over thirteen hundred years ago an Irish missionary bish-
op named Aidan walked on Holy Island/Lindisfarne, the is-
land in the northeast tip of England that I have been living
on since early June. His impact was so great that he has
been referred to as the apostle to the English. Last week
Christians from Holy Island, Northumbria (the surround-
ing area) and all over England celebrated St. Aidan's Week.
Numerous events throughout the week bore witness to a
great man of God who loved Jesus and walked in the pow-
er of the Holy Spirit, sharing God's love with whomever he
encountered along the way.

In 635 Aidan was sent out from Iona to found a monastery
and school in this region. He came at the request of his dear
friend Oswald, King of Northumbria, who wanted to share
the Christian faith with the people of his realm. Corman,
the previous missionary who had been sent by Iona, was
stern and hard on the people. His mission failed. Aidan pro-
posed a gentler way of evangelizing, and was sent to re-
place Corman. King Oswald gave him the island of Lindis-
farne as a base for sharing the Christian faith with the
Saxon peoples. The people loved Aidan. They experi-
enced his gentleness, humility, wisdom, compassion, purity,
and concern for the poor and sick. He is especially remem-
bered as a prayer warrior who walked everywhere he went
so he could talk with people along the way. He died August
31, 651.

I am usually at the local parish church most days of the
week for either Morning Prayer or worship. Each time I
pass by the the statue of Aidan that looks upon the ruins
of the medieval abbey. And each day I pray that God
would make me more like Aidan, that my life would be
characterized by a missionary spirit, gentleness, humility,
wisdom, compassion, purity, concern for the poor and the
sick, and a love for people I meet along the way. Lord, make
it come true.

Peace and blessings to you and yours,