When you hear the words monastic, or ascetic,
what images come to mind? Perhaps you imagine dry winds blowing sharply
across the desert sands of Sinai and Palestine, where hermits cling to the rocks and caves
searching for spiritual waters, just as arid plants and flowers hold out in silent hope
for rain; or, perhaps, you think of the evergreen forests deep within Russia and the taiga of
Siberia, where solitude and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit is equally sought by those
men and women who yearn for God’s wisdom and peace. Far removed from these lands is another, filled
with green valleys, slate quarries, and snowcapped peaks. This country sits very close to the sea, so
close in fact, that our story begins in the country of Cymru, as it is known in Welsh,
or what today we know as Wales.In the late 5th century, there was a young nun, who eventually
would be known as Saint Non. She lived in a convent near Ty Gwyn in Pembrokeshire,
and there she kept to a life of prayerful activity and quiet penitence. According to tradition, her peace was shattered
one day, when the King of Ceredigion was passing through the village near her convent. He spied her working alone in a field and
seized her, taking away her vow of chastity by force. This devastated her, but she kept her faith
in God and continued to pray for His mercy. Soon, she realized that she was pregnant. With tears in her eyes she dedicated the child
to God, and this gave her great comfort. One day, as she attended the Liturgy at a
nearby parish, the priest found himself suddenly unable to continue preaching in the presence
of her unborn child. This was taken as a great sign that the child
himself would one day become a renowned preacher of the Gospel. Non, the mother of the baby, kept these things
in her heart, wondering what God had in store for her child.According to tradition, during
the course of her pregnancy, a local pagan ruler learned of this and took it as a bad
omen. Fearing the power that this child might one
day hold, he plotted to be present when the baby was born in order to kill it. However, on the day when Non’s labour began,
a fierce thunderstorm arose where she lived and made it dangerous for anyone to travel
outdoors, dashing the plans of the impious murderer. The place where she found herself, near the
cliffs west of Caerfai Bay, was bathed in a radiant holy light. It was here that Saint Non gave birth to one
of Wale’s most beloved and well-known saints. It is said, that the pain of her labour was
of such intensity, that she grasped a large rock, and the stone itself was split asunder
in sympathy with her. Saint David, or Dewi Sant, was born at the
turn of the 6th century. Little is known about his early life save
for a few scant references from Rhygyfarch’s “Life of Saint David”, written about 500
years later, sourced, nevertheless, from collections of earlier writings. As far as we know, David’s mother raised
him in the village of Henfeynyw near Aberaeron and he was baptized in Porthclais by Saint
Elvis of Munster. Tradition has it, that during the sacrament,
a blind monk named Movi was holding the infant David, who accidentally splashed some of the
holy water from the baptismal font into the old man’s eyes – instantly healing his
lack of vision!As David grew older, he was educated at Whitland monastery near Carmarthenshire,
under the guidance of Saint Paulinus of Wales, who was also blind. It is said that David cured his tutor of blindness
simply by making the sign of the Cross over his eyes. Realizing immediately that David was blessed,
Paulinus sent him off as a missionary to convert the pagan people of Britain.Saint David performed
many miracles during his missionary efforts. At this time in history, it was not uncommon
for waves of intruding pagan Irish chieftains to overrun Wales, claim lands, and establish
fortified settlements. According to local tradition, a chieftain
called Boia heard that in the valley below his homestead, David himself had staked a
claim to a portion of the land with a company of monks. Upon hearing this, Boia sent his warriors
to drive David and his companions away. But, as the soldiers approached, David made
the sign of the Cross and offered a prayer of petition to God, causing all of Boia’s
men and cattle to fall down as if they were dead. The chieftain was mightily impressed by David’s
powers and converted to Christianity shortly thereafter. However, Boia’s wife was still extremely
opposed to David being in the area, and in an effort to drive him out, she sent her maidservants
to bathe naked in the local river to tempt David and his monks. When this ploy failed, she devised another
plan to defile the valley and drive the monks away. She set up a pagan worship ritual, lured her
own Christian stepdaughter into the valley and cut off her head in the ritual. But instead of defiling the valley, this blessed
it with the blood of the Christian martyr. A miraculous healing spring emerged from that
very spot! This sealed the fate of paganism in the area
as Boia’s wife went mad and fled into the hills. Later, Boia himself turned against David and
his monastics, as well. Soon after that, he was defeated in battle
by a group of invaders. He was captured and beheaded. According to local tradition, after these
events took place, fire fell from the heavens and destroyed every trace of the Irish chieftain’s
settlement. The monks, led by saint David, were again
free to practice their monastic life. During Saint David’s time as a missionary,
he traveled throughout Wales and Britain and converted many pagans. But his deepest desire was to visit the place
where Christ lived and died. So, he set off for the journey. It was during this pilgrimage to Jerusalem
that he was consecrated bishop. Upon his return, now as a bishop, David continued
his tireless missionary work, establishing twelve monasteries throughout Wales and England,
including Glastonbury and his main monastic community at Mynyw, the modern-day village
of Saint David. Saint David became also well known for his
excellent preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His reputation among the people, and even
among his peers, increased tremendously, especially when an amazing miracle took place while he
was speaking at the Synod of Brefi in 545 AD. The synod was held in the Kingdom of Ceredigion
(near modern day Llanddewi Brefi). As he spoke, explaining the Holy Scriptures,
it is said that the earth beneath his feet slowly rose up to create a small hill, so
that he could be seen by the others and that his words may be better heard by all who had
gathered there. It was at this very synod that David was elevated
to the rank of Archbishop.After the synod of Brefi, Saint David returned to his home
town to establish his final monastery in 550 AD. This quickly became known as a center for
learning, but also for the simple and pure way of life of its monks. His monastery would have been built in the
Celtic tradition of small stone ‘beehive’ shaped huts called “clochán”, and not
as the grand abbeys of later centuries.Saint David’s monastic routine, and that of the
monks in his charge, was one of great simplicity and self-denial. Taking efforts to model his monastery on the
well-known practices of the 4th century desert father, Saint Anthony the Great. Their days were centered on prayer, reading
of the Holy Scriptures, and working in the fields. In fact, David insisted that the monks would
not use cattle or oxen to drive the plough in their fields, but that the men themselves
would pull the plough as a form of ascesis! Not only did the monks have to keep themselves
fed, but they had to provide food and lodging for travelers, as well. They also had to care for the poor. They ate only one meal each day consisting
of bread, herbs and vegetables, and drank only water. In fact, Saint David himself lived only on
bread and water, modeling this ascetic practice after that of his own mother, Saint Non, thus
gaining the nickname “Dewi dyfrwr”, which means “one who drinks only water”,
(as opposed to the far more common barley beer, which most people used to drink). Another one of his frequent ascetic practices
was that he would walk down the mist-covered cliffs to the beach below his monastery and
stand up to his neck in the cold sea, reciting the psalms as a form of penance. The tradition has preserved for us one more
miracle, which took place at David’s own monastery. There was an Irish monk who came to live there
called Modomnoc. He was the beekeeper. He helped to make honey and beeswax, which
the monks would then sell to the local village markets to support the monastery. One day, the beekeeper received an urgent
message that he had to return to Ireland. He complied, with the blessing of his elder. But, every time he walked down to the shore
to seek passage across the Irish Sea, all the bees would follow after him, leaving the
monastery without beeswax and honey. This happened three times, until saint David
blessed the bees and allowed Modomnoc to take some of them with him. In accordance to this story, he is credited
as the one who helped introduce honeybees to Ireland! As far as saint David was concerned,
the miracles he performed throughout his life were quite simple and a gift for his humility
and penitence. He viewed himself as a vessel for God’s
grace; that his miracles were the work of God through him - a humble and faithful servant
of the Lord. Little is known about saint David’s later
life. It is believed that he lived to be over 100
years old and he reposed in the Lord on March 1st, 589 AD. His last words to his followers were, “Be
joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things you have seen me do.” In modern-day Wales, this has been shortened
to the colloquial phrase, still used today: “Do the little things…”He is credited
with being the patron Saint of Wales and he is commemorated on March 1st . His mother,
Saint Non, is remembered on March 2nd each year. He was buried in his own monastery. The early shrine erected there to hold his
relics was destroyed by fire in 645 AD, and the small town of Saint David itself was repeatedly
raided to near ruin by the Vikings, beginning around the 11th century, but has always been
rebuilt. The medieval shrine located within saint David’s
Cathedral was restored in 2012 and attracts thousands of pilgrims annually. It is said that over its history, two visits
to Saint David’s shrine were considered by the Welsh to be of equal value as one journey
to Rome. Three visits to the shrine would be equal
to one pilgrimage to Jerusalem itself. Whether feeding the poor, preaching the Gospel to
his Welsh countrymen, or using miracles as a means of sharing God’s grace with those
around him, saint David helped to establish Wales as a country with a long and rich Christian
heritage and devotion to God. We must remind ourselves, however, that not
everyone needs to be blessed with the power to do great miracles. Sometimes, it is more important to “do the
little things” each day, to shine the light of Christ into our world’s darkness
so that others might see our good works and give glory to God our Heavenly Father. May all of us find the life of this Saint
to be a powerful testimony of the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. Saint David of Wales,
pray to Christ for us. Amen.
