Iona

 Monday after Trinity Sunday

Lectionary Texts:

1 Samuel 8

1 Corinthians 4:13-18

Psalm 138 (UMH 853)

Last week I talked about the geography of the Isle of Iona, one of those end of the world places and its history from the time of St. Colomba (543-597 AD through the Middle Ages.

When Henry VIII instituted the English Reformation in 1535 one of the things he did early on was to abolish all monasteries, often burning them, always taking their land. Scotland was independent of England at this time. That independence ended in 1603, when James VII of Scotland became James I of England, peacefully uniting the two countries. They have been united ever since. James continued the English policy regarding monasteries. The Iona Abbey and Nunnery would fall into ruins over the next centuries. Iona had only about 135 permanent residents, who did small farming. 

Enter George MacLeod (1895-1991). He was a member of the lower Scottish nobility, having the title Baron. His family had some generational wealth. He joined the British army and fought in World War I in Greece. He was horrified by the war and did not care for the post-war British triumphalism. He became a pacifist. He also became a Scottish Presbyterian minister.  He went through a depression during the depression. On Easter Sunday, 1932, he had an experience of God during a service in an Eastern Orthodox Church. By 1936 he had advanced to be elected moderator of the Scottish Presbyterian Synod. 

Then in 1938 McCleod did something that shocked the Scottish Presbyterian world. He had a family of distant relatives who at that time owned Iona. He bought it from them. His mission was, with entirely voluntary help, to rebuild the Iona Abbey, as well as build a couple of other buildings on the grounds and establish a Christian Community that would begin a revival of Celtic Christianity. He wanted the community to be entirely ecumenical. He resigned his position in the Scottish Presbyterian Church. The Abbey was rebuilt and a community built around it. The community has about 200 full time resident members and about 3,000 associate members. There are many, many retreats held there every year (except during Covid), six week programs for individuals, and week long seminars. There are services every day at 9 am and 9pm, and 11 on Sundays. I've attended one service, in 2018. It was beautiful. 

 

As Rome has become the center of Roman Catholicism, so Iona is the center of Celtic Christianity, even though Iona is not central to anything. It is for me the most mystical, most spiritual, most Christian place in the world. 

 

God of the Celts and of all other peoples,

We give you thanks for the life of George MacLeod, for his re-building and re-founding the Iona Abbey and Celtic Christianity. Grant to us some measure of the courage of St. Patrick, the skill of St. Brigid, the love of St. Columba, and the faith of George MacLeod.  Amen.

 

Faithfully,

Christian