| Iona Pilgriamge |
| Saturday, 22 October 2011 18:56 |
 'BEING THERE' I am writing this just a few days after returning from our Parish pilgrimage to Iona, where we were warmly welcomed to Bishop's House. Those who went (22 in all) found it a time of encouragement, fellowship and spiritual refreshment. For some of us it was the first time. Others had been before. One or two were wondering if it would be their last visit. But for all of us the atmosphere of that 'thin place' played its part in making it an unforgettable experience. To read about a place, to see pictures of it, to listen to the stories of others is not the same as actually experiencing for yourself. You can even go on the internet and get a virtual tour. But only by physically being there can its full meaning be appreciated. On the Sunday we attended the Service of Holy Communion at the Abbey. It was packed with people of all ages including many members of the Iona community. The words of the liturgy were different to those we are used to, but that was no bad thing; it made us think. The sermon was about trusting God alone, and the speaker, himself a member of the Iona community, explained the ‘Rule of Life’ which the members follow. I looked it up later. Each member commits to: 1. Daily Prayer and Bible-reading 2. Sharing and accounting for the use of their money 3. Planning and accounting for the use of their time 4. Action for Justice and Peace in society 5. Meeting with and accounting to one another. The Iona Community is an example of 'New Monasticism' or 'Dispersed Monasticism'. Iona has, of course, been the home of monastic communities for well over a thousand years. When Saint Columba arrived on the island of Iona in 563 AD he set about building a monastery from where he began the evangelization of the Picts in what is now Scotland. This was not like we imagine a monastery to be, rather it consisted of a collection of beehive huts. Much later a Benedictine monastery was built - this would have looked much more like the popular image of a monastery - indeed not that different to the present abbey. The Benedictine monks followed their ‘Rule’ of Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience. Unlike Columba's monks, and the members of the current Iona community, the Benedictines remained almost exculsively behind the walls; they were an enclosed community. The modern Iona Community is a ‘Monastery without Walls’, living, working, witnessing and ministering in many parts of the world and in various walks of life. So what lessons can we learn from our pilgrimage? Each will have their own thoughts but my own reflections lead me to ponder on the importance of 'being there'. I mean this in two senses. Firstly, just as being actually on the island is hugely different to just reading about it, so the Christian life itself must be wholeheartedly entered into for it to reveal its full beauty. We have to ‘be there’. And Christianity is never meant to be a spectator sport. Few of us are called to participate at the level of the members of the Iona community, with their Rule of Life but most of us are called to take our everyday Christian pilgrimage more conscientiously than we do. We could even think about a simple rule of life of our own. How about pausing to pray at 5.00 pm every day, even if it's no more than an arrow prayer as we get tea ready? Secondly, the modern Iona community is a Christian Community without walls. Does this have anything to say to us? Iona is a beautiful place, a place of spiritual refreshment but also a place of challenge. Like Christianity! |
