When one of Anskar's followers suggested to him that he could work miracles he replied, " Were I worthy of such a favour from my God, I would ask that He would grant to me this one miracle, that by His grace He would make of me a good man." No one can read the "Life" written by Rimbert his disciple and successor which, after being lost for five hundred years, was fortunately rediscovered, without feeling moved to thank God for the accomplishment of the miracle for which Anskar had prayed. He was a good man in the best and truest sense of the term. In the character presented to us by his biographer we have a singularly attractive combination of transparent humility, unflinching courage, complete self devotion, and unwavering belief in a loving and overruling providence. The claim to the title Apostle of the North, which was early made on his behalf, rests not upon the immediate outcome of his labours, but upon the inspiring example which he bequeathed to those who were moved to follow in his steps. For whilst the Missions which lie planted in Denmark and Sweden during the thirty-three years of his episcopate were interrupted after his death by the desolating raids of the Northmen, those by whom the work was restarted gratefully recognised him as their pioneer.
Anskar was born in 801 and died in 865.
Readings:
Psalm 96:1-7 or 98:1-4
Acts 1:1-9
Mark 6:7-13
PRAYER:
Almighty and everlasting God, who sent your servant Anskar as an apostle to the people of Scandinavia, and enabled him to lay a firm foundation for their conversion, though he did not see the results of his labors: Keep your Church from discouragement in the day of small things, knowing that when you have begun a good work you will bring it to a faithful conclusion; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A very special Happy St. Anskar Feast Day to Göran Koch-Swahne, our friend from Sweden.
Biographical information from Medieval Sourcebook, from a biography by Rimbert, Anskar's friend and successor.
Image from Satucket.
Thank you most heartily, dear Grand'mère!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you, thank you, on behalf of those of us with Swedish blood everywhere.
ReplyDeletePaul! I should have thought of you! Happy St. Anskar Feast Day to you, too, from my heart.
ReplyDeleteI have been a very bad Swede today, doing nothing (but responding to this post from work). In years past I have often brought in treats to work to share with others. I refuse to pretend to be Irish on St Patrick's day because no one pretends to be Scandinavian today. So there.
ReplyDeleteBut I think Mimi should be an honorary Scandinavian today. What say you, Göran?
I think I shall have some quality fudge for dessert in Anskar's honor. I may have a post myself of a different sort later.
Oh, and thank you, Mimi, you are a love.
ReplyDeleteMimi qualifies for honourary anything, Paul!
ReplyDeleteActually Renz, it's skÅl! not skol.
The meaning is a bit awkward, namely the skulls of slain enemies used for ceremonial drinking in Ancient times. I had a teacher (jurist) once, who positively refused the word (nor the act)...
Also, nowadays we pronounce and write Ansgar. Don't know which would be correct.
Anyway, a monk at Corvey, at the tender age of 26 he was sent to mission Scandinavia by Emperor Louis the Pious (the Neo Platonist ,=) Reaching first Denmark and then Sweden.
This was high Politics above all!
Pirates took the ship he was travelling with in Calmar Sund (strait), so he had to walk the rest of the way via Vimmerby to Birka, which was a Royal market-place on an island in the Mälaren, to meet with King Björn (= Bear).
"The Church" as such was already there when he arrived... in the persons of foreign merchants (so was Islam, BTW).
One of his first congregants was a Lady Ingeborg and her maid servant (the good women were from Helgoland or some such by the North Sea).
Göran, thanks for the further information on the saint. Unfortunately, church is often high politics.
ReplyDeletePaul, did you enjoy your fudge?
Could this be a symptom of writers' block? "Now what the heck am I going to post now?"
ReplyDeleteThe thing about the Vita Ansgari is that it was written by Rimbert in a move for Hamburg-Bremen to become a new Patriarchate, besides the one based in Rome (the West), which would includ all the North.
ReplyDeletethe Wiki entrance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansgar
ReplyDeleteLapin, come on. It's not the first time I've done a feast day post. Plus, I pleased two of my blog friends.
ReplyDeleteGöran, I should have let you write a guest post for the feast day.
I know. It was just that every time I checked back to see if there was a new post, Anskar was still there, looking down his nose at me.
ReplyDeleteLapin, I have a shred of a life left offline, and it called, especially today. One word: Grandchildren.
ReplyDelete