"IN the year of our Lord 449, Martian being made emperor with Valentinian, and the fortysixth from Augustus, ruled the empire seven years. Then the nation of the Angles, or Saxons, being invited by the aforesaid king, arrived in Britain with three long ships, and had a place assigned them to reside in by the same king, in the eastern part of the island, that they might thus appear to be fighting for their country, whilst their real intentions were to enslave it. Accordingly they engaged with the enemy, who were come from the north to give battle, and obtained the victory; which, being known at home in their own country, as also the fertility of the country, and the cowardice of the Britons, a more considerable fleet was quickly sent over, bringing a still greater number of men, which, being added to the former, made up an invincible army. The newcomers received of the Britons a place to inhabit, upon condition that they should wage war against their enemies for the peace and security of the country, whilst the Britons agreed to furnish them with pay. Those who came over were of the three most powerful nations of Germany Saxons, Angles, and Jutes. From the Jutes are descended the people of Kent, and of the Isle of Wight, and those also in the province of the West Saxons who are to this day called Jutes, seated opposite to the Isle of Wight. From the Saxons, that is, the country which is now called Old Saxony, came the East Saxons, the South Saxons, and the West Saxons. From the Angles, that is, the country which is called Anglia, and which is said, from that time, to remain desert to this day, between the provinces of the Jutes and the Saxons, are descended the East Angles, the Midland Angles, Mercians, all the race of the Northumbrians, that is, of those nations that dwell on the north side of the river Humber, and the other nations of the English. The two first commanders are said to have been Hengist and Horsa. Of whom Horsa, being afterwards slain in battle by the Britons, was buried in the eastern parts of Kent, where a monument, bearing his name, is still in existence. They were the sons of Victgilsus, whose father was Vecta, son of Woden; from whose stock the royal race of many provinces deduce their original. In a short time, swarms of the aforesaid nations came over into the island, and they began to increase so much, that they became terrible to the natives themselves who had invited them. Then, having on a sudden entered into league with the Picts, whom they had by this time repelled by the force of their arms, they began to turn their weapons against their confederates. At first, they obliged them to furnish a greater quantity of provisions; and, seeking an occasion to quarrel, protested, that unless more plentiful supplies were brought them, they would break the confederacy, and ravage all the island; nor were they backward in putting their threats in execution. In short, the fire kindled by the hands of these pagans proved God's just revenge for the crimes of the people; not unlike that which, being once lighted by the Chaldeans, consumed the walls and city of Jerusalem. For the barbarous conquerors acting here in the same manner, or rather the just Judge ordaining that they should so act, they plundered all the neighbouring cities and country, spread the conflagration from the eastern to the western sea, without any opposition, and covered almost every part of the devoted island. Public as well as private structures were overturned; the priests were everywhere slain before the altars; the prelates and the people, without any respect of persons, were destroyed with fire and sword; nor was there any to bury those who had been thus cruelly slaughtered. Some of the miserable remainder, being taken in the mountains, were butchered in heaps; others, spent with hunger, came forth and submitted themselves to the enemy for food, being destined to undergo perpetual servitude, if they were not killed even upon the spot some, with sorrowful hearts, fled beyond the seas. Others, continuing in their own country, led a miserable life among the woods, rocks, and mountains, with scarcely enough food to support life, and expecting every moment to be their last. " -Bede, Ecclesiastical History of England
God Bless,

According to the Church of England (Anglican), Bede is a Saint. However, according to the Church of Rome (Roman Catholic), Beda or Bede is Venerabilis or Venerable - he is not a canonised Saint!

However, having said this, up to 1962 in the old Kalendarium Romanum Bede is named as a Confessor and Doctor of the Church. This raises him to the level of the likes of Teresa de Avila and Augustine of Hippo.

This coupled with his importance to the English monastic Church and to English people as an historian, theologian, and propagator of the faith, makes Bede the Venerable one of the most important Englishmen in British history. This is the reason for really celebrating his life and works.

(Speaking as an Englishman, of course!)

MAY 25, 2011
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI

SEPARATED FROM CHRIST
May 25, 2011
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Father Patrick Langan, LC

John 15: 1-8
Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is
the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear
fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit
on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless
you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me
you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown
out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them
into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for
you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and
become my disciples."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for granting me the
opportunity to be with you. There are things in life, Lord, that
attract me, but you attract me more. I hope in you, and I love you.
Maybe I don't really understand what it means to love, and maybe I
don't love the way I should, but I do love you.
Petition: Lord, help me to grow in my interior life so I can remain
united to you.
1. Forgetfulness of God: Lord, it is so easy to forget you when
life gets busy. It is easy to forget you when things go well. Almost
without realizing it, I begin to separate myself from the vine. My
prayer time is a good thermometer: When I am separating myself from
the vine, it becomes shorter and shorter until it almost fades. I go
my own way. I forget to pray. However, it isn't necessarily a
question of eliminating activities but of doing all of these tasks
for God and in union with him.
2. Barrenness: If I separate myself from Christ, the vine, and
invest my energies in something else, I know what is going to happen.
I will produce no fruit. This is my experience; it has already
happened. Eventually I will wither and be thrown out like a dry
branch. Lastly, these withered, old, dried-up branches will be
gathered and thrown into a fire, and they will be burned. There is no
way I can bear fruit if I am separated from the vine.
3. Abundant Fruit: I want to produce abundant fruit. I want to help
bring about a change in this world. That is attractive to me. That
means a lot to me. I have tried different ways, and I know that only
united to the vine can I bear lasting fruits for Christ's Kingdom.
This is the way I will glorify the Father. In this meditation, I
already sense the sap running back into my soul. My life will produce
fruit for others. Lord, help me to cling to the vine. Help me to
strengthen that bond of unity. Help my faith and love for you grow,
for you are my all.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, it is easy to trust what I can see,
feel and touch. It is wiser, infinitely wiser to trust you, even if
you are hidden from me for now.
Resolution: At least three times today I will lift up my thoughts
to offer one of my activities to God.
meditation.regnumchristi.org