On Not Giving Up
On the wall to the right of the entrance of our church is a carving that depicts a tale, told by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, of the monk Gregory coming across two Anglo-Saxon slave boys for sale in Rome. They had ‘fair complexions, handsome faces and lovely hair.’ He learns their identity, and according to Bede, makes a series of puns including the famous ‘Not Angles, but Angels.’ This inspired Gregory when he was Pope, to send an Italian monk (Augustine, from the Abbey of St Andrew) to head a group of monks on a mission to bring the Gospel to these isles once again.
We keep the feast of St Augustine, Apostle, this coming Tuesday. What I like about the story of St Augustine, and the companions journeying to Britain, is that when they’d got halfway through France they wanted to abandon the project and return to Rome. Pope Gregory firmly told them to trust in God; he was not swayed. He knew the people of England to be receptive to the Christian message, and that some of the local leaders including King Ethelbert, were willing to embrace Christianity.
Instead of granting permission to return, Pope Gregory encouraged Augustine to continue, and sent him back with letters for his companions. These letters provided guidance on how to proceed with the mission, including instructions how to repurpose pagan temples for Christian worship, and how to navigate the local populations with a gentle and persuasive approach.
Pope Gregory’s decision highlights his unwavering faith and determination to spread the Gospel, even in the face of challenges. Saint Augustine and his companions, inspired by the Pope’s encouragement, returned to England and began their mission — thus contributing to the conversion, ultimately, of England to Christianity.
The hesitation on the part of the monks facing the unknown, their fear of failure, reminds me of the first reading this Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles.
Judas and Silas were chosen to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch to reassure the community: We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements. In the Gospel we are told that the Helper, the Holy Spirit ‘whom the Father will send in my name, ….will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.’
We are two weeks away from Pentecost Sunday, the 8th June, when our Archbishop John Wilson is coming to celebrating Mass with us at 11am. We will be marking 150 years since our church of St Thomas of Canterbury was built. Let us in these next two weeks prepare for this by asking the Holy Spirit to fill us with courage and energy, so that we may continue to share the Good News of Jesus Christ as St Augustine did. Let us not be discouraged or be tempted to give up.
