St Columba of Iona. Repentance that SAVES.

[@patrickhewitt6593]

I am becoming Orthodox and being baptized next month. But I‘m having trouble with some sins and its bugging me alot and I am in need of repentance. Thank you very much for your videos Father Seraphim. Love from germany 🙏🏻

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Patrick, may Christ bless you and guide you to His Light. Don't be afraid of your own sinfulness - Christ isn't. Don't let your sinfulness separate you from Christ - Christ doesn't allow it to separate Him from you. He became incarnate when the world was sunk in darkness, precisely because the world needed Him. When sin torments you, don't run and hide from Christ, as did Adam. Instead, that is when you need to run TO Him, because His only wish, His only hope, His only joy is to take your sin on His shoulders, to cleanse you and to offer you a new beginning. Just do your best to make the most of that new beginning. May we all be blessed, dear one.

[@helenedragone2532]

Hélène D. "When repentance is not reduced to a dull feeling of regret or shame, but becomes the engine of one's entire life, it transforms that person, and allows God to step in and use everything in his life - including his past sin - to bless and save his soul." It is a grace and an essential event, which gives limitless hope and expands the desire of God ! A big thank you for what you give, what you transmit, in truth and life experience ! We need living witnesses ! I thank God that you are one ! May the Lord keep you ! You are in my prayers ...

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Helene, we all thank you for your prayers. No one can walk alone on this path to salvation, even hermits need the support of the Divine Liturgy and the prayers of those far away. We carry each other, we help each other in prayer - we walk together, we are saved together. In Christ, fr seraphim

[@inesyalacki3405]

Wow! That's about the most profound comment I ever heard

[@Michael_Binkley]

From the Amra (Eulogy) of St. Columba God, God-I pray before I come into your presence. You are my chariot in battle. God of heaven, do not leave me to the demons who shout through the great smoke of hell. Great God, be my protection from the fires of hell and all its sorrows. Righteous God, truly you are always near. My flesh and my heart cry out to you in heaven. The Amra of St. Columba, date unknown, after 597 The Irish Liber Hymnorum, p. 60-61 Paraphrased translation for Prayers from the Ancient Celtic Church Blessed Feast Father🙏

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Michael, thank you so much for this. That last line is SO beautiful and so deep - 'my FLESH cries out to You in heaven'. I shall use this tonight, thank you so much. Be blessed today, dear one.

[@vicnababa]

Thank you Father. I was waiting for your talk on Saint Columba today. Pray for me. I too will pray for you It's wonderful hearing about the Celtic Saints.

[@mullmonastery]

I so wanted to be on Iona and film there, dear one. In previous years, we all went to his monastery and celebrated the Divine Liturgy in St Oran's Chapel, which is the only building left from the first millennium. This year, we celebrated in our little Chapel, but our hears were still on Iona, with St Columba and all the Saints. Happy Feast, dear one.

[@fr.davidwooten1650]

Blessed feast! We celebrated liturgy today and commemorated him.

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Fr David, your blessing. We celebrated this morning, too. In previous years, we would celebrate in St Oran's Chapel on Iona, bu this year we stayed in our little Chapel on Mull. But - by the grace of God - we shall be back on Iona soon. Please keep me and the Monastery in your prayers.

[@Clodaghbob]

'To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy' was the judgment made by the chieftain, Diarmaid MacCerbhaill, in relation to the psalter. Therefore, the copy of the psalter made by St Colmcille (St Columba) was deemed to be owned by St Finnian. That led to a dispute between the supporters of both sides culminating in the battle of Cúl Dreimhne. St Colmcille's side won but it was a hollow victory and he took himself off to the Isle of Iona out of shame at all the deaths caused by his original dispute. The psalter is in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.

[@FearNoGrave]

Thank you Father, for the illuminating insight into the life of St. Columba, and the lessons from his life! I read/listened to his life via a reading of the Synaxarion this morning, during my reading and prayer time. It's not often that Western Saints are talked about, let alone Celtic Saints. I appreciate hearing and learning the breadth of our Faith!

[@mullmonastery]

Thank you for your kind comment, dear one. There is a very good website, as well - celticsaints.org (I think) - which lists many of these saints in the form of a daily calendar, with brief information about their lives. I hope you will find it useful.

[@tonyfarrell5164]

Amen

[@patriciah3235]

God bless you Father! You bless us with the still living Celtic saints and holy places we may never see. I have thought about this since you posted yesterday, about the depth of repentance we need to approach God. I .will pray to St. Columba for this. My prayers.

[@mullmonastery]

This is part of the reason I started these videos, dear Patricia. I wanted to share with you all these wonderful places. In my idiotic human hopes, by now I should have taken you to Iona, St Brendan's isle, St Kenneth's Isle, the Outer Hebrides, the Small Isles etc... But - by the grace of God - we shall get there at the right time. Do mention me and the Monastery in your prayers to St Columba.

[@leostmark]

Thank you for your preaching. It is so important to preach on repentance. Many preachers try to shy away from the subject but it is foundational to the gospel. Christ Himself and His forerunner John the Baptist both preached a lot on repentance. It is fundamental to a life of holiness centred on Christ.

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Leo, I cannot imagine Christianity without repentance. It is, as you say, the first thing St John the Baptist taught, and the first thing Christ tells us to do. But we should also make sure that we do not reduce repentance to an emotional state of feeling ashamed or regretful - repentance is an active event in the heart of a man, when he decides to leave behind a certain behaviour and change. Repentance is change, a re-orientation of the heart towards Christ. Thank you for your comment - I appreciate it.

[@adelebailie4418]

Thank you for your videos, Father Seraphim. They give me great peace and inspire me. Sometimes this terrible situation provides me with expériences which I would have taken for granted too much in the past. Yesterday I visited and prayed at Saint Cooey's ( Cowey of Portaferry) Wells… a wonderful, beautiful, wild place looking out across the sea towards Scotland. Tomorrow I will go to pray in the ruins of Movilla Abbey, if I can. It was founded by Saint Finnian in 540 A.D.. How blessed I am that I live close to both sites! Bangor Abbey, a few miles away, will be next, then Nendrum and Downpatrick. I have been to Iona, many years ago. I am praying that soon I will be able to come to Mull soon. God bless you and your Community, Father Seraphim.

[@mullmonastery]

Please come and visit, dear Adele. Yes, it is strange how we often forget the treasures that are close to our homes. It happens all. the time. This is why I am so thankful for our pilgrims - every summer I get to experience the isles again, anew, through their eyes. This is their gift to me.

[@mollieduval8142]

Thank you for sharing such an inspiring story! I love learning about the Celtic saints.

[@mullmonastery]

May the Saints of these Isles bless us beyond our hopes, dear Mollie. May we all be saved through their prayers.

[@vickykentrota9031]

So interesting to know all these Saints.Thank you so much Fr.Seraphim,blessed feast.🙏🙏🎀🎀

[@mullmonastery]

Apart from the salvation of our souls, dear Vicky, raising awareness about these amazing Saints is the main mission of the Monastery. May they pray for all of us.

[@OmicronVolk]

What a beautiful message, father. Saint Columba, pray for us!

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Owen, Christ's message is called 'the Good News', although it started with repentance and ends with the Cross (here, in this world). But it is the only Good News, because it is finalised in the Resurrection. May we all partake of that Joy, dear one.

[@OmicronVolk]

@@mullmonastery Amen.

[@blackbutterflyrose6064]

A helpful overview of this Saint's life; and insight on how repentance can be fuel to fire one's passion for God.

[@mullmonastery]

Dear one, we tend to be afraid of repentance. We perceive it as the sign of a fall, because it always follows a fall, BUT it is in fact the sign of the beginning of healing, the first sign that we shall get up from our fall and start anew. Repentance is not shame or regret - it is the determination to try one's best to change, to not repeat the fall. Its presence in our heart is already a sign that God has forgiven us and is helping us move forward.

[@cathy3130]

So much to see and hear about! Thank you Fr. Seraphim. God bless you.

[@judith5128]

Thank you father Seraphim- I have been saving screen shots of the beautiful scenery in your posts to paint from. Your presence, even over the cell phone , is very calming and inspiring to me (Hope your new eyeglasses are perfect for you!)

[@ninasaabiyeh926]

Inspiring.

[@MrResearcher122]

My grandfather's ancestor, born to UI O'Neil and on our clan's land near Letterkenny ('land of the O'Cannon's)- and so many Donegal people live in West Of Scotland today.

[@miriam4091]

Blessings to you Fr Seraphim from Canada on St Columba! I just ordered 2 of your booklets from the website; looking forward to receiving them....God bless; take care & keep safe.

[@mullmonastery]

Thank you very much, dear Margaret. These are very difficult times for everyone, including the Monastery, so every order helps us a bit. We shall be fine, we shall all be fine, by the grace of God. But we have to stay together and help each other through it all. May we all be blessed, dear one.

[@RTUvideoproductions]

Thank you again Father.please keep this up.

[@mullmonastery]

Thank you for your encouragement, dear Peter. I shall try. It is tiring, to tell you the truth. But everything worth doing is tiring. May Christ bless us all, dear one.

[@RTUvideoproductions]

@@mullmonastery Father, if I can be of any help, I can edit videos.

[@octoberiris4815]

I find it very interesting that 12 people made the decision to go with him. He was on a journey of his repentance and 12 people thought, I am going with him. No matter what the trial or what the danger, not really knowing where they were going.

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Iris, I'm often in awe at their faith, too. This is actually a 'mild' example, compared to St Brendan. When St Brendan left, he went straight into the ocean, sailing West, which - in their understanding at the time - was sailing into Nothingness. St Brendan and his companions (they were almost always 12 plus one, following Christ and His Apostles) sailed for three years with no maps, no idea which way they were going, hoping to arrive to a place called 'The Isle of the Blessed', of which they only knew from another old monk who told them about it. Their faith was of a different kind, and I am amazed and humbled just to think about it. Be blessed, dear one.

[@octoberiris4815]

Wow that certainly is another kind of faith! It makes one feel ashamed of our feeble attempts. God have mercy on us.

[@2oleaves843]

Hello Father Seraphim. Did Saint Columba battle the loch ness monster? I read he saved a man from being attacked by the creature. My wife and I really appreciate your consistent videos; she was a listener of your "Through a monk's eyes" , but was waiting for more content. She's really happy with these long youtube videos. Many blessings to you Father for all that you do. - Paisios & Philothea

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Paisios and dear Philothea, I feel so guilty about the series of podcasts - I have stopped a few months ago and I struggle to go back to record them. I should, I know I should... As for the monster, there is a story in St Adomnan's life of St Columba about that - St Adomnan does not 'name' the monster if I remember correctly, but local tradition holds it that the event took place at Loch Ness.

[@Matthew-pm8fg]

Please pray for me. I am ever in anticipation. I would like to be, without the sorrow which desires the next step, and the next step, and the next, before I have done anything and before I have learned anything, and before I see God in the breeze, that is, feel the intimacy of reality, prior to walking into the future.

[@cathy3130]

May our Lord Jesus Christ let you know where he is within you in your life. Amen.

[@vidatas1552]

Dear Farther, your today subject is a sign I was looking for, I'm so grateful He gave me an answer through you & that I have found your channel, God bless you and all of us!

[@mullmonastery]

May Christ continue to bless you, dear Vida. We all are blessed through one another, we grown together and we are saved together.

[@anneenglish9201]

I have one of the stones from columba bay on my mantelpiece...I love iona

[@richardsz9099]

This video and the other one of yours "who am I? The struggle to be one self" is touching the heart . Thank you. Really true repentance is the only way

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Richard, this is one of the main thoughts that feed my prayer. To stand before God and to be aware that even the prayer you bring in that moment may, in fact, not be yours, because one is so removed from who He created us to be - that awareness feeds humility and humility feeds prayer. Be blessed, dear one.

[@jeffreyhoward6319]

It has been my understanding that in the 6th century there was also a migration of Irish people to Scotland

[@Maine-Life]

What is the history of the iconography that is shown here? It's a style that I've never seen before.

[@mihaimarinescu88]

It seems to me that true repentance is a gift of God as anything else and nothing we do can create such a change of heart within us. Radical actions or decisions on our part can be just temporary zeql without discernment, while most of the time we follow some sort of inertia that leads through a cycle of repeated falls. What are the conditions for true repentence?

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Marian, if you allow me to speak openly, one of the first conditions is to forget oneself in one's repentance. That implies that nothing begins with 'it seems to me' anymore, because that structure indicates that one places one's own brain and experience above the experience of the Church and Her Saints. The Church has countless examples of people who 'forced' themselves, and Christ Himself teaches that the Kingdom is 'taken by force'. Repentance implies humility, there can be no other way; and humility implies letting go of one's thoughts - we no longer guide ourselves when we are repentant, we obey to Christ, Who guides us through our confessor or spiritual father. May we all be blessed, dear one. Keep me and the Monastery in your prayers.

[@tranquilenvironments]

Father, it's so good to see your smile! I have a question, could you talk more about the saying of St. Silouan, "Keep thy mind in hell but despair not"? (And also St. Sophrony's version of it.) Thank you so much!!

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Lisa, that is such a kind comment, thank you so much. I shall try, but I confess that I am afraid, because they are both VITAL for my own spiritual life. This means that my understanding of their word is based on my personal experience and may seem strange (or extreme, or useless) to others. But I shall pray about it because you have asked me. Have a beautiful Feast, dear one.

[@tranquilenvironments]

@@mullmonastery Father, thank you so much. I understand because I believe that those words by the venerable elders are vital for my spiritual life as well.