The Church today celebrates the feast of St. Bede, an English priest, monk, and scholar who is sometimes known as “the Venerable Bede” for his combination of personal holiness and intellectual brilliance. He was born during 673 and sent at a young age to study at a Benedictine monastery. The monastery’s extensive library may have sparked an early curiosity in Bede, who would grow up to be a voracious reader and prolific writer. Among his many written works, he translated the Gospel of St. John into the Anglo-Saxon language, finishing the last chapter shortly before his death.
As a monk, Bede gave absolute priority to prayer, fasting and charitable hospitality. He regarded all other works as valueless without the love of God and one’s neighbor. However, he also possessed astounding intellectual gifts, which he used to survey and master a wide range of subjects according to an all-encompassing vision of Christian scholarship. During his own lifetime, his spiritual and intellectual gifts garnered wide recognition. His writings on Scripture were considered so authoritative that a Church council ordered them to be publicly read in English churches. By his own admission, St. Bede spent a lifetime learning that love, rather than learning, was his life’s purpose. Isn’t the same true for each of us?
Let us pray. “Venerable Saint Bede, we thank you for being an example of holiness, goodness, and wisdom. We thank you for inspiring us to be lifelong learners who are always eager to learn more. Inspire us to read and hear the Word, which helps us to know Jesus and to follow His ways. Help us to love God entirely and to respect our neighbors. Guide us to use our words kindly and wisely so that we can be effective in spreading the Gospel. Help us to listen carefully and speak thoughtfully. Above all, give us courage to live like Jesus lived. In His Holy Name. Amen.”
