Rector's Column

This month we will remember a soldier, a queen and a fisherman. In the early 4th century, just as Constantine was building his capital at Constantinople and Christianity became the legal religion of the empire, Martin was born in Eastern Europe (probably in what is now Hungary). He chose to be baptised aged 10 against his parents wishes, became a cavalry officer in the Roman Army by the age of twenty, but eventually found that being a soldier and a Christian was incompatible. Legend tells us that one day, on seeing a naked beggar, he tore his cloak in half to give a part to the beggar; and had a vision of Christ wearing the half-cloak. This persuaded him of his future; fired with Christian missionary zeal he left the army and went to build a monastery at Liguge; the first to be established in Gaul. He built a second at Marmoutier, and it was there that Ninian, on his return from being consecrated as a Bishop in Rome to Scotland spent some time in training under Martin. That experience helped Ninian when he established his own community at Whithorn - the first in Scotland. Martin became Bishop of Tours in 371AD, and died aged about 80 on 11th November 397AD. His religious foundations eventually adopted the Rule of St Benedict about a hundred years later.Margaret of Scotland, the daughter of an English king ? Edward the Exile ? was probably also born in what is now Hungary. Her mother had brought the family back to England, but when Edward the Confessor died, neither Margaret, as a Princess, nor her brother Edgar, who had been born on foreign soil, could claim the throne and they had to flee from the advancing Edward the Conqueror. Their boat was taken northwards by the weather and they landed on the coast of Fife, at what is now called St Margaret?s Hope near Dunfermline. King Malcolm eventually persuaded her to marry him and she became Queen, but still holding to her ordered life of prayer and work "laborare est orare" taught by St. Benedict and well summed up by St. Teresa, "To give our Lord perfect service, Martha and Mary must combine." She brought some Benedictine monks from France to Scotland and had a strong influence on the religious life of this country. She died on 16th November 1093.Andrew, an ordinary fisherman from Galilee, was one of the first disciples of Jesus. Not much is known about his life although it is attested that he was a missionary in Asia Minor and Greece. He was crucified on an X-shaped cross towards the end of the 1st century and his body buried in Patras. In the 4th century, (during the time of Martin?s life) Regulus (or Rule) a local abbot from Patras, had a vision that he should take St Andrew?s remains to the farthest parts of the earth, to prevent them being taken to the new city of Constantinople. On crossing the North Sea, he was shipwrecked on the Fife coast and there St Regulus built a chapel to house the relics of St Andrew. Legend has it that he was welcomed by the Pictish king Hungus, or Angus ? though the more likely history is King Hungus lived in the 800?s and declared the Cross of St Andrew to be the symbol for Scotland since he had had received a vision of St Andrew telling him he would be victiorious in battle and it would be marked by a sign in the sky shaped like his cross. St Andrew?s feast day is 30th November ? the first day of the Christian Year as he was the first disciple. Advent Sunday is the nearest Sunday to his feast.Three saints from very different backgrounds but who have influenced religious life and faith here in Scotland. Let the prayers of the saints influence your prayers this month

The Rector's Column from this month's edition of The Messenger