St. Bede took delight in learning, teaching, and writing

St. Bede the Venerable was born in the northeast of England in the seventh century. His popularity rests especially on his Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

At the end of the book, St. Bede wrote the following notice of himself: “Bede, the servant of God, and priest of the monastery of the blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, which is at Weremouth and Jarrow; who being born in the territory of that same monastery, was given, at seven years of age, to be educated by the most reverend Abbot Benedict, and afterwards by Ceolfrid and spending all the remaining time of my life in that monastery, I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture, and amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching, and writing.”

According to Pope Benedict XVI, in his way of creating theology, St. Bede interweaved the Bible, history and liturgy.

The Pope said, “Sacred Scripture was the constant source of Bede’s theological reflection. After a critical study of the text, he comments on the Bible, interpreting it in a Christological key, that is, combining two things: on the one hand he listens to exactly what the text says, he really seeks to hear and understand the text itself; on the other, he is convinced that the key to understanding Sacred Scripture as the one word of God is Christ, and with Christ, in his light, one understands the Old and New Testaments as ‘one’ Sacred Scripture.”

St. Bede has a great love for the study of Church’s history. Benedict XVI said, “Another of Bede’s favourite topics is the history of the Church. After studying the period described in the Acts of the Apostles, he reviews the history of the Fathers and the Councils, convinced that the work of the Holy Spirit continues in history.”

According to Father Augustine Kalberer OSB, the Ecclesiastical History is a masterpiece “cherished by those who love unspoiled tales of saintliness and self-sacrifice. A deep piety, that never appears strained or put on, is the author’s most characteristic trait”.

Benedict XVI said, “Bede was also an eminent teacher of liturgical theology. In his Homilies on the Gospels for Sundays and feast days he achieves a true mystagogy, teaching the faithful to celebrate the mysteries of the faith joyfully and to reproduce them coherently in life, while awaiting their full manifestation with the return of Christ, when, with our glorified bodies, we shall be admitted to the offertory procession in the eternal liturgy of God in Heaven.”

On the Solemnity of All Saints, St. Bede preached: “A great multitude of dear ones is there expecting us: a vast and mighty crowd of parents, brothers, and children, secure now of their own safety, anxious yet for our salvation, longs that we may come to their sight and embrace – to that joy which will be common to us and to them – to that pleasure expected by our celestial fellow-servants, as well as ourselves – to that full and perpetual felicity.… If it be a pleasure to go to them, let us eagerly and covetously hasten on our way, that we may soon be with them, and soon be with Christ; that we may have Him as our Guide in this journey, Who is the Author of Salvation, the Prince of Life, the Giver of Gladness, and Who lives and reigns with God the Father Almighty, and with the Holy Spirit.”

St. Bede worked and prayed up to his last hour on May 26, 737. Alban Butler, author of The Lives of the Saints, wrote, “To see him pray, says an ancient writer, one would have thought he left himself no time to study; and when we look at his books we admire he could have found time to do any thing else but write.”

Click here to send us a letter to the editor about this or any other article.

聖伯達樂於學習，教導和著作

可敬聖伯達在672年或673年生於英國東北。他因著他的著作《英國人的教會歷史》而著名。

在這書的後部，聖伯達寫以下有關自己的記載：『伯達，天主的僕人，在韋爾茅斯和賈羅的使徒聖伯鐸和聖保祿修院的神父；出生在同一修道院的境內，七歲時學習於最被尊敬的本篤院長，其後時學習於思奧爾，我把餘下的一生都花在這修道院中，把自己全部投入於聖經的研究，其間遵守修院紀律，和每日教堂頌唱的護理，我時常樂於學習，教導和著作。』

據教宗本篤十六世，在他創造神學的方法，真福比得把聖經，歷史和禮儀編織一起來。

教宗說：『聖經是伯達宗教學問思想的恆隱資源。在嚴謹閱讀文字後，他給予評論，在基督學的要點作闡釋，就是，把兩件事結合起來：一方面他準確聆聽每句文字所言，他真實的尋求聽到和明白文字意思；另一方面，他確信理解聖經作為天主的一句話主要關鍵是基督，與基督一起，在祂的光輝下，我們明白舊約和新約是「一本」聖經。』

聖伯達很愛是研究教會歷史。本篤十六世說：『比得另一最愛話題是教會的歷史。在研究了宗徒大事錄所提及的時段後，回顧了教父們和大公會議的歷史，他深信聖神的化工繼續於歷史上。』

據Augustine Kalberer神父，《教會史》是一部傑作，『被那些熱愛未受破壞的聖潔和自我犧牲故事的人所珍視。 一種從不顯得緊張或裝模作樣的虔誠，是作者最典型的特徵』。

本篤十六世說：『伯達也是位卓越的禮儀神學教師。在他主日和瞻禮日的講道中，他得臻真正的釋奧，教導信徒們愉快地去慶祝信德的奧跡，並在生命中把它們重現，同時等待它們隨著基督的再來作完全宣示，以我們榮耀的肉體，我們將在天堂上的天主永恆的禮儀中被接納參加奉 獻禮的遊行。』

在諸聖瞻禮，聖伯達講道說：『許許多多親愛的人在那裡等待著我們：一大群父母、兄弟和孩子們，保障了自己的安全，仍渴望著我們的救恩，期望著我們來到他們視線內並擁抱他們  –  為那我們和他們共同的喜樂  –  為那天堂同伴  –  僕人的歡愉，跟同我們一樣  –  為那充裕和永恆的幸福… 如果追尋它是一份樂趣，讓我們急切而貪婪地趕上我們的路，我們不久便會跟它們一起，也不久便跟基督一起；這樣我們可以有祂作我們旅程的嚮導，祂是救恩的鼻祖，生命的王子，喜樂的施與者，祂與全能天父和聖神永生永王!』

真福比得工作和祈禱到他生命的最後一個小時(737年5月26日)。Alban Butler寫道：『一位古代作家說，看到他祈禱，人們會認為他沒有時間學習；當我們看他的書時，我們欽佩他除了寫作外，本可以抽出時間做其他事情。』

Click here to send us a letter to the editor about this or any other article.