lived: 600 to 651
When king Oslo sent for help to evangelize his Kingdom in 635 AD, Aidan answered the call. He traveled across Britain and set up a community on the holy island of Lindisfarne. Aidan loved the Northumbrian people, walking all over northern England, preaching the gospel, and healing the sick. As the venerable Bede wrote, he took pains never to neglect anything that he had learned from the writings of the Apostles, Prophets, and he set himself to carry them out with all his powers.
Aidan was helped by Oswald, who often travelled with the little monk, interpreting for his people. Aidan and Oswald built churches throughout Northumbria. Aidan “cultivated peace and love, purity and humility”, wrote Bede.
He was a significantly a prophetic man. One Easter, Oswald and Aidan were sitting down to feast in Oswald’s castle. A servant came to Oswald and told him there were several poor people sitting hungry outside the wall. Oswald ordered the food to be taken to the poor, and a silver dish broken into pieces to give them spending money. Why should these fast while I am feasting? Oswald said. God loves all alike, and not less the poor, but rather more. Aidan was so touched by Oswald’s act that he grabbed the king’s hand and said may this hand never perish! 300 years later, when Oswald’s body was moved from its original burial site, monks found his hand was still perfect.
On another occasion, a man named Utta asked him for a blessing for his boat trip to Denmark. Aidan prophesied that a storm would strike his ship and gave him a bottle of holy oil to keep them safe. Sure enough, when the storm was at its worst, Utta poured the oil into the sea. Even as the sailors screamed lost! Lost! Lost! We’ll die, the oil hit the sea and the storm stopped.
He said-the Love of Christ- that wins and conquers all.