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"You have made us for yourself, O Lord ...
and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee!" - Saint Augustine

here is a divine restlessness in all who lead thoughtful lives - the longing that this world can never satisfy. But for some, the inner restlessness is echoed by a pilgrim life, enacting physically the soul's search. In the same spirit of later knightly quests, holy men in the early centuries journeyed far in search of the ultimate Truth, the perfect Beauty, the long-sought Good, the complete self-abandonment to the will of God.

In the early centuries of Celtic Christianity, three deep-seated stirrings of the human heart met in the seafaring saints and holy people of Ireland, Scotland and Wales - a missionary zeal to bring the good news to those in darkness, a seeking of holiness and perfection, and an all-consuming desire to abandon themselves to the leadings of the Creator and to His care for their needs.

Our consciences should burn when we hear about these men - our clinging to security, habit and acceptance of the common life contrast painfully with their courage and ability to focus unconditionally on the "one thing needful", as Our Lord names it.

There were many who, as "peregrini", took to the small coracles of the time and set sail, with or without a destination, with or without companions, sometimes even without food or oars, leaving the final outcome of their voyages to Providence. They travelled to Iceland, the Faroes, Brittany and Europe and elsewhere. There were also those whose desire for a solitary life of prayer drew them to some of the many small islands off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. In tiny primitive round huts they battled against "the world, the flesh and the devil", beating down the obstacles in the road to the heavenly city. They lived listening to the cries of the seagulls and the crashing of the waves as the background of their prayers. Some sailed back to the mainland with their new insight, some lived out their lives on these island boats in the ocean, unknown to history. So, for every Brendan or Aidan or Columba, there were many others who have no day to mark their place in the Church Triumphant.

O Thou who pervadest the heights,
Imprint on us Thy gracious blessing,
Carry us over the surface of the sea,
Carry us safely to a haven of peace,
Bless our boatmen and our boat,
Bless our anchors and our oars,
Each stay and halyard and traveller.

I myself will sit down at the helm,
It is God's own Son who will give me guidance,
As He gave to Columba the mild
What time he set stay to sails.

Sources and Credits