Celtic Daily Light
Extracts from Ray Simpson's Book
Readings for Friday 7th February 2025
Vigils
The Spirit led Jesus to go into the desert, where he stayed for forty days, being tested by Satan.
Mark 1:12
Even the busiest Celtic Christians made time to get away for prayer vigils, especially during the weeks before Easter. Samson used to keep Lent by taking just three small loaves and withdrawing to a remote spot for the forty days. Sometimes Samson would eat nothing for six days, but refresh himself with food on Sundays, the day that celebrates Jesus’s resurrection. Sometimes he would stand throughout the night in prayer, with his staff which had dropped from his hands.
What do ordinary mortals do on a vigil? Some of us may emulate these aspirations of an unknown Celtic hermit:
- A remote, hidden little cabin for forgiveness of my sins
- A conscience upright and spotless before Heaven.
- Making good the body with good habits
- Treading it boldly down
- Feeble tearful eyes for forgiveness of my passions.
- Eager wailings to cloudy Heaven
- Sincere and truly devout confession
- Fervent showers of tears ...
- Dry bread weighed out, well we bow the head
- Water of the fair coloured hillside
- That is the draught I would drink.
- Stepping along the paths of the Gospel
- Singing psalms every hour
- An end of talking and long stories
- Constant bending of the knee.
Sorry Lord -
- For the shabbiness of my living
- For the shoddiness of my working
- For the shallowness of my praying
- For the selfishness of my giving
- For the fickleness of my feeling
- For the faithlessness of my speaking
- For the dullness of my hearing
- For the grudgingness of my sharing
- For the slothfulness of my thinking
- For the slowness of my serving
- For the coldness of my loving.