St. Columcille

Summary

Summary of "St. Columcille" Episode from Catholic Saints Podcast

Released on June 9, 2025 by Augustine Institute

The latest episode of the Catholic Saints podcast, produced by the Augustine Institute, delves into the life and legacy of St. Columcille (also known as St. Columba), a pivotal figure in the Christianization of Scotland. Hosted by Taylor Kemp, Director of Formed, and featuring expert insights from Dr. Elizabeth Klein, the discussion offers a comprehensive exploration of St. Columcille’s contributions, miracles, and enduring influence.

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Introduction to St. Columcille

The episode opens with Taylor Kemp expressing her enthusiasm for discussing St. Columcille, acknowledging the challenges in pronouncing his name and opting to use the more familiar St. Columba (00:13). Dr. Elizabeth Klein clarifies his identity as an Irish-Scottish saint, emphasizing his title as the Apostle of Scotland and his significant role in converting the Picts, a group in Scotland (00:23).

Historical Context and the Abbey of Iona

Dr. Klein provides a detailed historical backdrop, positioning St. Columcille in the 6th century (521–597) and highlighting his establishment of the Abbey of Iona. She describes Iona as a crucial center for Celtic Christianity and the evangelization of the British Isles, likening its isolation to monastic retreats in other traditions, such as the Egyptian monks’ desert hermitages (01:56). The Abbey of Iona is credited with producing the renowned Book of Kells and serving as the epicenter for missionaries spreading Christianity into northern England (01:56).

Life and Sources

Taylor Kemp suggests listeners familiarize themselves with related saints like St. Bede and St. Cuthbert to grasp the interconnectedness of these figures (01:56). Dr. Klein recounts her research experience, noting discrepancies between historical accounts and hagiographical texts. She explains that the most prominent biography, "The Life of St. Columba" by Adomnán, was written approximately a century after Columba’s death and focuses predominantly on his miracles and prophecies rather than a chronological biography (04:19). This approach presents challenges in discerning factual history from legendary narratives.

Miracles and Prophetic Gifts

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the miraculous aspects of St. Columcille’s life. Dr. Klein notes that Columba’s biography is filled with accounts of prophecies, miracles, and visions of angels, rather than detailed personal history (05:02). She highlights specific miracles, such as:

• Turning Water into Wine: Similar to Jesus’s first miracle, Columba performed this as a deacon when wine was unavailable for the Eucharist (13:32).

• Calming Storms: Demonstrating divine control over nature, Columba stills storms to protect sailors in distress (13:32).

• Raising the Dead: In a poignant narrative, Columba resurrects a young boy from a pagan family, showcasing his divine authority (13:32).

Dr. Klein emphasizes that Columba’s prophetic abilities were used to encourage prayer and repentance rather than to manipulate events, maintaining the integrity of divine providence (10:19).

Interactions with Paganism

The conversation explores the tension between Celtic Christianity and paganism, particularly in the context of Columba’s missionary work. Dr. Klein discusses how Columba’s miracles served to demonstrate the supremacy of the Christian God over pagan deities, using miraculous signs to convert and inspire faith without asserting a domineering presence (07:50). The episode reflects on how these supernatural interventions were necessary to effect the conversion of a nation deeply entrenched in traditional beliefs (08:48).

Theological Reflections

Taylor Kemp and Dr. Klein delve into the theological implications of saints’ lives, particularly how saints like Columba embody and reflect Christ’s presence. Dr. Klein references Pope Francis’ metaphor of saints acting as prisms that refract the pure light of Christ, allowing believers to see different dimensions of His nature through their lives (21:30). This perspective reinforces the idea that saints are not merely historical figures but active participants in the mystical body of Christ, offering timeless lessons and inspirations (15:43).

Cultural Impact: Loch Ness Monster

An intriguing highlight of the episode is the mention of the first reference to the Loch Ness Monster found in "The Life of St. Columba". Dr. Klein recounts a story where Columba rescues a disciple from a lake monster at Loch Ness by rebuking the creature with the sign of the cross, demonstrating his spiritual authority over mythical creatures (19:43). This tale not only adds a legendary dimension to Columba’s legacy but also ties him to one of Scotland’s most enduring myths (19:42).

Conclusion and Recommendations

In concluding the episode, Dr. Klein encourages listeners to engage with saints' lives, appreciating both their historical significance and their spiritual messages, despite the extraordinary nature of the miracles described (13:11). Taylor Kemp echoes this sentiment, reflecting on the modern disconnect from nature and the grandeur of creation, suggesting that retreats to places like the Abbey of Iona can rekindle a sense of awe and spiritual connection (22:33).

Dr. Klein recommends acquiring "The Life of St. Columba" in its accessible Penguin Classics version for those interested in exploring his story further (22:09).

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Notable Quotes

• Dr. Elizabeth Klein (05:03): "It's like, basically 100 pages of miracles. So there are three sections of the book. One is his prophecies, his miracles, and his visions of angels."

• Dr. Elizabeth Klein (10:19): "This seems to be primarily what he was known for. So that's striking. But on the other hand, often what he does with that providential knowledge is like prayer or try to cause sinners to repent."

• Dr. Elizabeth Klein (21:30): "There's an image. I think Pope Francis has used it, but also others of the saints as a prism that reflects the light of Christ. You have this one pure white light that sometimes is too bright, or we can't see all of its beauty, but when it's refracted in the lives of the saints, we're able to see all these dimensions of Christ."

• Dr. Elizabeth Klein (19:48): "The first reference to the Loch Ness Monster is in the Life of Columba. So I thought we should probably mention that."

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Final Thoughts

The episode effectively intertwines historical analysis with theological reflection, presenting St. Columcille as a multifaceted saint whose life encompasses profound spirituality, miraculous acts, and cultural significance. Through the engaging dialogue between Taylor Kemp and Dr. Elizabeth Klein, listeners gain a deeper appreciation for how saints like Columba continue to illuminate the Christian faith and inspire believers today.

For those interested in further exploring St. Columcille's life and legacy, accessing "The Life of St. Columba" is highly recommended, offering a blend of historical narrative and hagiographical wonder that captures the essence of this revered saint.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

You're listening to a podcast on Catholic Saints. This podcast is produced by the Augustan Institute, an apostolate helping Catholics understand, live, and share their faith.

[Taylor Kemp]

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Catholic Saints. I am Taylor Kemp, the director of Formed, and with me today is Dr. Elizabeth Klein. Dr. Klein, Taylor, it is a pleasure to have you.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Thanks for having me.

[Taylor Kemp]

It's always great to talk with you about the saint. So today we are taking. Talking about St. Colm Kill. I have had some trouble pronouncing that name just to be upfront about that.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Right, so St. Colmkill is an Irish Scottish saint and who also goes by Saint Columba.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's easier to say.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

You can say that.

[Taylor Kemp]

If that's easier to say, I'm gonna stick with it. Colmcil.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

But if you've ever heard of anyone named Culm, like Culm Wilkinson, like the famous Jean Valjean of Les Mis, that's this name.

[Taylor Kemp]

So he. Okay, so we got some namesakes. Colm Kill. All right, so we are talking about St. Colm Kill. What? Who is St. Columkill?

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So St. Columkill lived in the 6th century, so from 521 to 597 are his approximate dates. And he is famous as the Apostle of Scotland, particularly of Caledonia, or a group in Scotland known as the Picts, because there were some Scottish people converted before him. So that's what he's famous for. He founded an abbey, the Abbey of Iona, which is one of the most significant abbeys of this period. It's incredibly important for the evangelization of the British Isles. So we have done a bunch of kind of like, Celtic British saints before, like Cuthbert and Bede, and all of these people were directly affected by the founding of Iona because a lot of the missionaries came from there into the north of England, and this was, like, the center of the culture of Celtic Christianity. So if you've ever heard of the Book of Kells, a famous illuminating manuscript was almost certainly produced at iona. So for 300 years, this is like the hub of Christianity in the British Isles. So he founded that abbey.

[Taylor Kemp]

So it'd be good to listen to this episode. And if you haven't listened to Saint Bede or Saint Cuthbert, go check them out, because they were, in a sense.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah, they're all connected. And sat and St. Patrick just before this as well. So this is a very famous abbey, like the other. Some of the other monasteries we've talked about in this period, like Lindisfarne, if you're familiar with it, or Skellig Michael, made famous by Star wars, these abbeys were founded on islands like Iona. And so this is kind of like the British version of going into the desert. So, you know, the Egyptian monks, they go out to mountains in the middle of the sand while they go out into the sea. And you have these kind of harsh conditions and inaccessibility due to the water and these kinds of things. So Iona, like those ones, is founded on an island. And so from the foundation of this monastery, then Scotland is evangelized. But so I had a. I, like, kind of felt like I bit off too much more than I could chew with the saint, because I read all this kind of historical stuff about him. And then I went and read one of the earliest lives of Columba, Columb Hill, and they didn't really, like, match up. Okay, so the biographical details that I read, although they're kind of debated, we're not really sure, is that he was in Ireland at first, born in Ireland, became a monk there, actually was taught by some of the most famous kind of churchmen of the time in Ireland. And then when he was around 40, he left for Scotland. And the reasons for his leaving Ireland are unclear. It seems that maybe he started a battle over a Psalter book.

[Taylor Kemp]

Okay.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

He had an argument, an intellectual battle, a physical battle. A physical battle. So it seems that he had a disagreement about a Psalter book that he had copied that he wanted to keep, but the abbot of his monastery thought that it belonged to the monastery, and somehow this may have led to a battle. He might have been excommunicated because of this, but maybe not. Okay, so it's not really clear. He had family in Scotland. So he leaves Ireland around this time. Some sources say he did it out of penance for this battle. Other sources say, oh, no, he just left because his family lived there. He's like, he has noble connections. And he moved to Scotland, he went back to Ireland. At other times, he wasn't, like, exiled. So the life. But then again, the life covers that. So the life does not cover that. So this is what I found confusing.

[Taylor Kemp]

And when we say, sorry, can you. What is the life that we.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Right, sorry. So the life of St. Columba, the most famous life of him, was written about 100 years later by a later abbot of Iona named Admonan, another hard name to pronounce. And when I do these saints stories, I usually like to try to stick to stuff that's close to the saint's life, that's not as legendary, that's within living Memory stuff. I just find it very interesting.

[Taylor Kemp]

We try to give you the facts.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Try to give you the facts, people. And this life is written within living memory, uses earlier sources, but it's not like other lives I've read in that. It doesn't tell anything about his biography. It doesn't tell about, like.

[Taylor Kemp]

That is interesting, really.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

It's not chronological. Doesn't talk about kind of when he was born or, like, a spiritual biography. It's just miracles.

[Taylor Kemp]

Oh, okay.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

It's like, basically 100 pages of miracles. So there are three sections of the book. One is his prophecies, his miracles, and his visions of angels.

[Taylor Kemp]

If you're following a guy around who's doing a lot of miracles, you are probably gonna be like, I don't care as much about where he's from and how.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So the Life only mentions this whole, like, excommunication, moving to Scotland thing once, and it says he was excommunicated for some pardonable and very trifling reasons and unjustly.

[Taylor Kemp]

That could be a Psalter book disagreement.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. All right, so it says that. And the Life says that the excommunication was lifted when one of the other bishops saw that he was attended by angels.

[Taylor Kemp]

That would do it. All right, so what we know is that at 40. Around 40, he left Ireland to go to Scotland. The reasons are somewhat unsure. It may have had something to do with the Psalter Book.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

But the upshot is he founded an incredibly famous monastery in evangelized Scotland, which is the.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's a very good upshot. Okay, so he goes to Scotland and does. He immediately found the monastery.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah, so he. Well, not immediately. I think he settles somewhere else first, but then moves further west and founds Iona, which is also referred to in sources as high. Okay, but there's a kind of an interesting connection. Iona is Jonah in Hebrew. Jonah in Hebrew means dove. And then the other name he comes to be known by, Columba, also means dove. So there's some kind of connection between the monastery and his name. And so I found the life very interesting because it wasn't even kind of just about St. Columkill, but it almost read like a family photo album of Iona, because this is written by a later Abbott about their founder. And he's collecting stories from people who knew him from earlier sources. And there's lots of other places and people nearby who are named in the story and like, oh, yeah. And this happened to so and so who lives in such and such a place. And this happened to the line of such and such. And so the kind of like back to back miracle thing is kind of explained by that.

[Taylor Kemp]

Okay.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

But I thought there was lots of interesting things in the life. Even though for me, like, I'm not a skeptic when it comes to saints lives, but there are like some pretty crazy miracles that were a little hard to believe. But I felt like you got this sense of the kinds of miracles he was doing and with the number of miracles that are associated with him in such a short time, I mean, has to be miracles like that just seems like obvious. And so one thing I was thinking about with the miraculous and maybe for others who go to read saints lives from this period and they're kind of surprised by it. I was really thinking about a lot with this in particular, the kind of encounter of Celtic Christianity with paganism. Because, you know, there's like Roman paganism and there's like Celtic paganism.

[Taylor Kemp]

Meaning what?

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

It's kind of like paganism to the max.

[Taylor Kemp]

It's not a couple levels.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

It's notched up a couple levels. You know, it's pretty intense. And a lot of the encounters of bishops with pagan druids and things, these are very intense encounters. And of course, we do have examples of sort of God's power being manifested over and against these other gods through the miraculous. You have this in the Old Testament, you're calling down fire on the altar. But you know, that's not really the whole story. Right. Because Christianity is going to teach a very different message than paganism. Right. It's not going to say, honor the local gods for earthly benefits. That's not the message of Christianity. It's, you know, take up your cross and follow me and that you're going to worship this God for eternal benefits. And so I was thinking about the way in which the miraculous sort of manifests God's power in Columba's life in a powerful way. But without implying sort of God is just gonna. This God is gonna give you what you want and he's better than those other gods who are giving you what you want.

[Taylor Kemp]

Yeah. Or like manifest himself in such a way that it almost demands faith. Kind of like by just over. Yeah, like overpowering. It's like that's just not how Christ works.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. It shows him as more powerful than the druids or the pagan gods without kind of compromising what the power of God actually looks like in people's lives. Because the power of God in people's lives often, you know, doesn't really look like God calling down fire upon your enemies occasionally, but it can happen. Yeah, usually not. And so the number one miracle that Columbus associated with is prophecy. So there's a whole book basically just back to back stories of him foretelling things that are gonna happen. And I thought this was a really interesting way of like manifesting power precisely without impeding on God's providen. It was just like, I clearly am powerful because I can tell you everything that's gonna happen to you, but I'm not causing those things to happen. I'm not changing events. I'm not sort of performing these wondrous signs that are better than the Druid signs. But I'm telling you that my God controls the whole universe and that I'm able to see ahead of time kind of what's gonna happen. So there's lots of stories about him foretelling specific events in particular people's lives in world events and battles and all these kinds of things. And so it's like a pretty wild power. I mean, I don't know how many saints are associated with being able to tell the future consistently about people's individual lives.

[Taylor Kemp]

Neither do I. Yeah, you'll hear like, snippets here and there, but as kind of a regular thing.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So this seems to be primarily what he was known for. So that's striking. But on the other hand, often what he does with that providential knowledge is like prayer.

[Taylor Kemp]

Hmm.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So, or, or try to cause sinners to repent.

[Taylor Kemp]

Yeah.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And so, you know, which is a.

[Taylor Kemp]

Fruit of like authentic, you know, like the fact that he's being given these prophetic gifts and he's. That, that's leading him into prayer and it's calling people to repentance. You're like, oh, that lines up.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Right. And so it simultaneously is powerful. Like, we would be very surprised if somebody were able to tell us the future of our life. So it's a powerful sign from God, but it's also the kind of sign that can be put to sort of the use of the saint in a very spiritual way. So he, oh, I've just realized that my kinsman back in Ireland is about to die in childbirth. So we need to go pray, you know, and so they go pray. And he's like, oh, she's good now. So these kinds of things happen. Or he'll say, like, tomorrow a sinner is going to arrive at Iona and he's like, his sin is so great, don't let him approach the island. Like, I am going to tell him that he needs to do penance for 12 years before, you know, so he has these like, you know.

[Taylor Kemp]

Yeah.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Kind of prophetic knowledge. But that prophetic knowledge is used to drive him to prayer and to drive people to repentance.

[Taylor Kemp]

Yeah.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And so it's a kind of an interesting. On the one hand, something we wouldn't necessarily expect to find in the saint's life, but on the other hand, it seemed to me fitting and like, kind of. I don't know, it kind of gives you like this flavor. Like, when you read this Life, you do get this flavor of, like, battle with demons and stuff that people felt in the ancient world very palpably, especially when we're talking about the conversion of a whole nation of people who worship different gods. And so it gives you that feeling of, like, evangelization in a particular time and place and what it needed. I think that this also helps us with miracles. Like, we think, like, why don't these miracles happen today? And first of all, I think there's more miracles that happen today than maybe we're aware of. But I think also there is something about a particular time and place and what people are able to receive and understand that manifest certain miracles. And so, you know, Jesus, when he goes to Nazareth, says he can produce no signs there because of their little faith. And so when people are like, open to the working of the supernatural in a different way, I think it can be manifested powerfully. So I thought that was one thing, one cool thing. I always get something wonderful from saints lives. I highly recommend reading any kind of saints lives. Even if they're wild, you always get something very beautiful from them. And they always have awesome stories. Even when you're like, really?

[Taylor Kemp]

Yeah.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Is that. I don't know.

[Taylor Kemp]

But then you're like.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

You're like, I don't know.

[Taylor Kemp]

God can do what he wants.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

It's true. So that's one thing I noticed about his life. Another thing about his life that's. That's similar with other saints is that he does. He's purported to do, like, miracles similar to Christ.

[Taylor Kemp]

Okay.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Like, really similar to Christ. Like the same miracles.

[Taylor Kemp]

Okay.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So he says his first miracle was turning water into wine when he was a deacon. Apparently they couldn't find any wine for the Eucharist, so he just got some water and turned into wine. And they consecrated.

[Taylor Kemp]

They have no wine.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

They have no wine. So he turned water into wine. There's another miracle reported where a boy touches the hem of his cloak and then Columkill blesses him. And kind of. I guess he was kind of like an obnoxious kid at the monastery. It was kind of. Nobody liked him. So he blesses him and said he'll be, like, eloquent of speech and everyone will like him now. So not quite a flow of blood, but very similar miracle. He stills a storm when the sailors are crying out, we are perishing, like, really similar. And then above all, he raises a picked boy from the dead in the story. So this story is. I mean, it's very moving. So it's the story of a poor picked family that decides to convert and be baptized. Shortly after their baptism, the boy falls ill, so. And dies. And so the druids are mocking this family for having abandoned their traditional faith and saying that this God has not protected them. And so Columkill goes into the room kind of alone, like in the raising of Jairus daughter, and tells the boy to arise.

[Taylor Kemp]

These are very similar.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Very similar.

[Taylor Kemp]

But from a theological perspective, it's very fitting because what we believe about the saints is that they have been transformed by the grace of God to be conformed to Christ, the head as part of his body. And that all of us, as St. Paul says that it's that. Oh, my gosh, Galatians 2:20, that it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And so it's very fitting that through his saints, Christ is continuing to live out his life. So it makes sense that these things would kind of repeat.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. I mean, I was thinking about it, like, the impulse behind it. Whether or not these are, like, exaggerated or conformed to Christ's miracles may be more than what they actually happened. If anything like this happened, it's pretty amazing.

[Taylor Kemp]

It is.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And if you think about, like, I don't know, I kind of thought of it as, like, the good and proper version of, like, the Mormon impulse, where, like, Jesus comes to America, you know, hallows America or something, and it's like, well, Jesus did go to Scotland.

[Taylor Kemp]

He did. That's right.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

You know, and that's. And that's how the people feel about this saint and about the founding of this monastery and about the conversion of a nation. None of us have experienced, maybe we will. None of us have experienced the conversion of an entire people to Christianity. And when you have experienced something as life changing as that and have experienced the kind of miracles that are attributed to the saint, you say, like, Christ has visited his people. And so in the life, it will often say things like, they venerated Christ in his saints.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's right. Yeah.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And that's just a very beautiful thing to think about. With the saints in our own lives. And when we think about the power of the saints in our own lives, or maybe we're worried about veneration of saints or have to explain it to other people or something like that. If we really believe that the saints are the mystical body of Christ, that they actually are him and all of us are Christ in a very real way, it's a very powerful thing to experience the holiness of another person and say, this is Christ speaking to me. And we have always. We've all experienced that. Not in ways of like people being raised from the dead, probably, but we've all experienced the power of a holy preacher, for example.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's right.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And we say, this is Christ. He is speaking to me right now. No, this isn't a man. This isn't about the merits of this particular person. This isn't about the fact that they're a good preacher, though I'm glad that they are. But this is Christ. God is speaking to me. And so for them to see this conversion of their country and the fruits of this monastery 100 years after Columba, to say, like, we really realize that Christ has been here, that Christ has walked on this earth, that Christ and the life is very attentive to the locations that the miracles take place. Like this happened in this field over in this place, or this happened over in that town over there. And if you think about their real sense of Christ having visited them in the saint, that makes perfect sense, right? Like, if you go to the Holy Land, it's like, well, this is where Christ. Right here is where Christ died, and right here. And so if they think about, like, right here is where the saint raised this boy, and right here is where this saint founded the monastery. That seems like a very palpable way of people experiencing the presence of Christ at the end of the world as they would see it, Right. Like, the British Isles are considered by everyone to be, like, there's nowhere further than. They don't know about the new world yet. Like, this is the end of the world as far as anyone's concerned. And you get that feeling in these lives where they're like, we're out here all by ourselves. We're out here in the island, in the ocean. You look out there, there's nothing. There's nothing but the sea, you know? And they have a very keen sense of, like, the majesty of God, which you would. Right. If you spend all the time by the ocean.

[Taylor Kemp]

Exactly.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And you have to deal with the.

[Taylor Kemp]

Ocean, you see the power of the Waves and the storms. Yep.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And so one other thing in that vein I want to mention is there are a couple hymns that we think can be incredibly attributed to Columba column Kill. And they really, like, bring out this sort of power of God and the fear of God. So I'll just read one little stanza. He says, oh, Father, hear our earnest plea that we may not be unsettled May not unsettled be loud thunders, threats Let us not fear no lightning's fire when it comes near. We fear you, God, the dreadful one. Besides you other gods are none. As angels raise their voice in praise, we sing with them throughout all our days. Let heaven praise you from the heights and roaming lightning brilliant lights O loving Jesus, King of kings, your righteousness creation sings. And so, yeah, this idea of the power and awe of God, which the saint clearly brought to the people, but also which they felt and was needed for kind of the evangelization of a people living near the ocean, fearing the weather and fearing sort of the powers of the world. Right. We don't know what it's like to be kind of at the mercy of the weather.

[Taylor Kemp]

We don't. No. That's the thing.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And so, yeah, it's just you get a sense of how Christ visited those people through this life in a very cool way. And one last thing.

[Taylor Kemp]

I'm ready.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

The first reference to the Loch Ness Monster is in the Life of Columba. So I thought we should probably mention that.

[Taylor Kemp]

Please mention that.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Speaking of the sea and the might and the power of the sea, there are a couple stories of him rebuking sea monsters, but particularly at Loch Ness, at this lake, this monster has gobbled up a local.

[Taylor Kemp]

Is St. Columkill the origin of the Loch Ness Monster?

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

I don't know if it's the origin. It's just the first known reference to a monster.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's what it's called. 6th century. He's the origin.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

He's the man. And so one of his disciples. Disciples is swimming in the lake, and the monsters come in to get him. And so Colin Kill rebukes him. With the sign of the cross, he flees.

[Taylor Kemp]

Wow. So, yeah, I feel like some of the takeaways as you were going through. Thanks for walking us through his life in the book, the Life, but just the saints are. Every saint reveals something of Christ. That's like, as the body, the mystical body that is participating in Christ. Every saint reveals something. And I was just thinking, particularly how you pointed out prophecy, that we know that Christ is priest, prophet and king, and that Correct me if I'm wrong, but to be a prophet, in the most technical sense, it's to be a mouthpiece for God, if I remember correctly, and that he. It's just. He was kind of showing God's power through his miracles, but also that it's by proclaiming things that are true, as he was given this gift of kind of also, like, foretelling what was to come, but that he's just manifesting just the power of God. And how. You made a comment that every. Every saint points us to God, like, not to himself. And so it's just a. You know, the saints. It is through looking at the saints that we see the greatness of God in a sense.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Right. There's an image. I think Pope Francis has used it, but also others of the saints as a. As a prism that reflects the light of Christ. You have this one pure white light that sometimes is too bright, or we can't. We can't see all of its beauty, but when it's refracted in the lives of the saints, we're able to see all these dimensions of Christ.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's a really great image, sort of.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

In our own time and place.

[Taylor Kemp]

Yep. That's awesome. All right. Well, wonderful. So, Saint Columbkill, do you have any parting take homes parting comments?

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

No, just that I did not know a lot about this saint, and it turns out he's a pretty important saint and has some pretty awesome memories. And you can buy this life. The Life of Edmond actually has a Penguin Classics version.

[Taylor Kemp]

Wow.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So if you want to check it out for yourself, send me an email. Tell me what you tell me if you liked it.

[Taylor Kemp]

That's pretty cool. And the Loch Ness, we can't forget that. But I also am inspired. I think there is something that is lost. I feel that this is lost. Being as modern man lives in homes and stuff, that we're just so disconnected from the outside world. I'm like, I would love to be overwhelmed by the grandeur of creation, but I'm in my house too much.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Well, you can. You can. There is actually still a medieval abbey that stands on Iona.

[Taylor Kemp]

I'm probably not gonna make it, so.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

You can go and take a retreat.

[Taylor Kemp]

I don't know if the girls.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

When your kids are all grown up and you're old and want to have more fear of God in the final judgment, you can go do it live on the Abbey of Iona for a bit.

[Taylor Kemp]

Go to Skellig. Michael. Yeah. Wonderful. Dr. Klein, thank you. Thanks for joining us for St. Columkill. So everyone thank you out there. We hope you learned today some wonderful things that are edifying and informative about St. Colum Kill. This is Catholic Saints. We will see you next time.

[Podcast Host]

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