Like many British people this summer we decided we’d take our holiday in this country. We had a week in the Yorkshire Dales, followed by a week in Northumbria. We’d not visited Northumbria before and found it to be very beautiful. We were staying on the coast near to the mighty castles of Alnwick (where some of the Harry Potter movies are filmed) and Bamburgh. And also Lindisfarne – Holy Island.
Lindisfarne was home to a monastery founded by St Aidan in 635 and the monastery flourished until 763 when it was destroyed by the Vikings. It was subsequently re-established after the Norman Conquest by Benedictines. And there was a monastery on the island until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.
I can see why for centuries the island has been popular with pilgrims. It is remote and is accessed via a causeway which can only be crossed at certain times to coincide with the tides. And to this day there are retreat houses on the island where people can go and escape from the world and try and get closer to God.
I was really looking forward to visiting a place that has been so important to the Christian faith of this country. But I felt a little bit disappointed. Although very beautiful, I did not experience the sense of spirituality I had hoped for on Lindisfarne. So although I enjoyed our day out, it was not what I expected.
Walking back to the car we came across a small Catholic church / study centre. It was relatively new. And on the wall outside was a sign saying “quo fas vocat” written in a lovely Celtic like script. I am sure you all know what this means don’t you? No, neither did I! Thankfully it was translated into English and it means “Go wherever divine providence calls.” And that sign actually made my visit to Lindisfarne special.
I believe that all of us are called by God in some way to follow him. It is up to us whether we choose to follow that call and believe in God. But if we do respond then the key is to listen to what God is calling us to do. Then to have the courage and obedience to obey his call and then to “Go wherever divine providence calls.”
