It is incredible to stand in the nave of an Abbey that is open to the sky with a floor that is covered in grass. Standing in such places I couldn't help but begin to pray -- praying for the people of St. Clement's, for my family and friends, giving thanks for God's creation.
In every Abbey ruin we walked through my imagination brought me back to the time when the Abbey was full of monks praying the hours and living a rather harsh life. The beauty of the surrounding countryside was not lost on me, and I'm sure wasn't lost on them. Scotland was amazing!
As we walked through the Abbey ruins, my mind also was filled with thoughts of visitors in the past to these beautiful, holy places. One Abbey we stopped at -- Glenluce -- is a 12th Century Cistercian Abbey founded in 1190 by Roland, Earl of Galloway. The remains include a handsome Chapter house and occupies a site of great natural beauty. It was visited by Robert the Bruce and James IV. Mary Queen of Scots stayed here during a royal progress. You read things like this and have to wonder to yourself, "did they stand where I'm standing?" "Did they pray here too?"
I'll post more pictures and reflections during the weeks to come. It was an amazing trip, and I feel blessed to have made it!
Often I am stuck by the history of a place - "What happened here? Who stood here? What were their thoughts?" When I'm alone in the church at St. Clement's I have those same feelings as I clean the altar rail: Who knelt at this rail for comfort, filled with joy, beaten down by anguish? Who knelt to celebrate a marriage, or the passing of a loved one? It is truly awe-inspiring.
ReplyDelete