• February 13th - St. Modomnoc O'Neil, Bishop

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Wed Feb 12 08:08:44 2020
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    February 13th - St. Modomnoc O'Neil, Bishop
    =C2 (Also known as Domnoc, Dominic, Modomnock)

    Died c. 550. Modomnoc, descended of the Irish royal line of O'Neil,
    had to leave Ireland to train for the priesthood, since he was a
    student before the creation of the great Irish monasteries. He crossed
    the English Channel to be educated under the great Saint David at
    Mynyw (Menevia, now Saint David's) Monastery in Wales. All those who
    resided in the community were expected to share in the manual work as
    well as the study and worship, and there is a story which tells how
    one day Modomnoc was working with another monk making a road, when he
    had occasion to rebuke him for some matter. The other monk was seized
    with anger and took up a crowbar, but before he could bring it down on Modomnoc, Saint David, who was witness to the incident, stayed his arm
    by his spiritual powers and it remained paralysed.

    Modomnoc was given charge of the bees and he loved it. And so did
    everyone else--they all loved honey, but few like taking charge of the
    hives. Modomnoc liked the bees almost more than he liked their honey.
    He cared for them tenderly, keeping them in straw skeps in a special
    sheltered corner of the garden, where he planted the kinds of flowers
    best loved by the bees. Every time they swarmed, he captured the swarm
    very gently and lovingly and set up yet another hive. He talked to the
    bees as he worked among them and they buzzed around his head in clouds
    as if they were responding. And, of course, they never stung him.

    At the end of summer, they gave him much honey, so much that Modomnoc
    needed help carrying it all inside. The monks never ran out of honey
    for their meals or making mead to drink. The good Modomnoc thanked God
    for this, and he also thanked the bees. He would walk among the skeps
    in the evening and talk to them, and the bees, for their part, would
    crowd out to meet him. All the other monks carefully avoided that
    corner of the monastery garden because they were afraid of being
    stung.

    As well as thanking the bees, Modomnoc did everything he could to care
    for them in cold and storm. Soon his years of study ended, and
    Modomnoc had to return to Ireland to begin his priestly ministry.
    While he was glad to be returning home, he knew he would be lonely for
    his bees. On the day of his departure, he said good-bye to the Abbot,
    the monks, and his fellow students. Then he went down to the garden to
    bid farewell to his bees. They came out in the hundreds of thousands
    in answer to his voice and never was there such a buzzing and
    excitement among the rows and rows of hives. The monks stood at a
    distance watching the commotion in wonder, "You'd think the bees
    knew," they said. "You'd think they knew that Modomnoc was going
    away."

    Modomnoc resolutely turned and went down to the shore and embarked the
    ship. When they were about three miles from the shore, Modomnoc saw
    what looked like a little black cloud in the sky in the direction of
    the Welsh coast. He watched it curiously and as it approached nearer,
    he saw to his amazement that it was a swarm of bees that came nearer
    and nearer until finally it settled on the edge of the boat near him.
    It was a gigantic swarm--all the bees from all the hives, in fact. The
    bees had followed him!

    This time Modomnoc did not praise his friends. "How foolish of you,"
    he scolded them, "you do not belong to me but to the monastery! How do
    you suppose the monks can do without honey, or mead? Go back at once,
    you foolish creatures!" But if the bees understood what he said, they
    did not obey him. They settled down on the boat with a sleepy kind of
    murmur, and there they stayed. The sailors did not like it one bit and
    asked Modomnoc what he intended to do.

    He told them to turn the boat back for Wales. It was already too far
    for the bees to fly back, even if they wanted to obey him. He could
    not allow his little friends to suffer for their foolishness. But the
    wind was blowing the boat to Ireland and when they turned back, the
    sail was useless. The sailors had to furl it and row back to the Welsh
    coast. They did it with very bad grace, but they were too much afraid
    of the bees to do anything else.

    Saint David and the monks were very surprised to see Modomnoc coming
    back and looking rather ashamed. He told them what had happened. The
    moment the boat had touched land again, the bees had made straight for
    their hives and settled down contentedly again. "Wait until tomorrow,"
    advised the abbot, "but don't say farewell to the bees again. They
    will be over the parting by then."

    Next morning, the boat was again in readiness for Modomnoc and this
    time he left hurriedly without any fuss of farewell. But when they
    were about three miles from the shore, he was dismayed to see again
    the little black cloud rising up over the Welsh coast. Everyone
    recognised the situation and the sailors turned back to shore
    immediately. Once more the shamefaced Modomnoc had to seek out David
    and tell his story. "What am I to do?" he pleaded. "I must go home.
    The bees won't let me go without them. I can't deprive you of them.
    They are so useful to the monastery."

    David said, "Modomnoc, I give you the bees. Take them with my
    blessing. I am sure they would not thrive without you. Take them.
    We'll get other bees later on for the monastery."

    The abbot went down to the boat and told the sailors the same story.
    "If the bees follow Modomnoc for the third time, take them to Ireland
    with him and my blessing." But it took a long time and a great deal of
    talking to get the sailors to agree to this. They did not care who had
    the bees as long as they weren't in their boat. The abbot assured the
    sailors that the bees would give no trouble as long as Modomnoc was
    onboard. The sailors asked, if that were so, why the bees did not obey Modomnoc's command to return to the monastery. After much back and
    forth, the sailors were finally persuaded into starting out again.

    For the third time the boat set sail, Modomnoc praying hard that the
    bees would have the sense to stay in their pleasant garden rather than
    risking their lives at sea. For the third time he saw the little black
    cloud rising up in the distance, approaching nearer and nearer until
    he saw it was the same swarm of bees again. It settled on the boat
    once more. This time it did not turn back. Modomnoc coaxed his
    faithful friends into a sheltered corner of the boat, where they
    remained quietly throughout the journey, much to the sailors' relief.

    When he landed in Ireland, he set up a church at a place called
    Bremore, near Balbriggan, in County Dublin, and here he established
    the bees in a happy garden just like the one they had in Wales. The
    place is known to this day as "the Church of the Beekeeper." He became
    a hermit at Tibberaghny in County Kilkenny and some say he was later consecrated Bishop of Ossory(Benedictines, Curtayne).


    Troparion of St. Modomnock tone 4

    Pomp and splendour held no attraction for thee, O Father Modomnock./
    By leaving the glitter of the world,
    thou didst freely embrace thy poverty with the Waterman,/
    praying for the salvation of all faithful souls.


    Saint Quote:
    The Lord has arrayed Joseph, like with a sun, in all which the saints
    possess together in regard to light and splendor.
    --St. Gregory of Nazianzus

    Bible Quote:
    Let your speech be, "Yes, yes"; "No, no"; and whatever is beyond these
    comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37)

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