After two gut-wrenchingly close battles involving saints named Thomas, the week's final match-up features an evangelical 18th century Anglican and a man closely linked to Ireland and Scotland.
Thomas the Apostle and Enmegahbowh faced off in an epic see-saw battle that wasn't decided until the wee hours (or early hours depending on your global location). In the end Enmegabowh prevailed 52% to 48% and will head to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen.
One note on our least favorite topic here at Lent Madness: Voter Fraud. Those who closely monitored the vote totals late yesterday will have noted the disappearance of some votes for both saints. This was not due to Lenten hackers but the keen eyes of the Supreme Executive Committee who noticed some irregularities and quickly acted to remedy the situation. It turns out someone from Overland Park, Kansas, voted 100 times for Thomas. Then someone else voted 50 times for Enmegabowh (equal opportunity cheating!). Scott deleted the repeat votes and banished the rogues into the outer darkness of Lent without Lent Madness. We are completely confident that the end result is fair and reflects the will of the non-cheaters. We will remain ever-vigilant and are even considering hiring Jimmy Carter on retainer as an election monitor.
We'll all need the weekend off to recover and prepare for Monday's oedipal match-up between Augustine of Hippo and his mother Monnica! But in the meantime, enjoy today's election and let's keep up the spirit and goodwill of keeping a holy Lent Madness.
William Law (1686-1761) was an 18th century theologian and evangelical writer. He was widely known for his book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, which was a best-selling handbook on pious living and is still available today. Charles Wesley once said that William Law taught him all he knew about religion.
Educated at Cambridge University with plans to become a clergyman, Law would not take the oath of allegiance to George I, so he served as a private tutor to the children of Edward Gibbon (yes, ‘The Rise and Fall…’ Gibbon). Unable to use the pulpit or lecture hall, he preached through his books. This is when he penned, A Serious Call. It was Gibbon who said, "If Mr. Law finds a spark of piety in a reader's mind, he will soon kindle it into a flame."
Both peasant and preacher found inspiration in William Law’s writings. Not only Charles Wesley, but William Wilberforce, and George Whitefield described reading Law was a major turning point in their lives.
Law eventually retired to his hometown of King’s Cliffe where he lived frugally, gave generously to the poor, helped to open homes and schools for the needy, and spent generous portions of his days in prayer. This is where Law wrote his second-most popular book, An Humble, Earnest, and Affectionate Address to the Clergy, which is still available today under the title, The Power of the Spirit. He died just a few days after this work went to the printer.
Collect for William Law: O God, by whose grace your servant William Law, kindled with the fire of your love, became a burning and shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and may ever walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
-- Chris Yaw
Columba (521-597), was an Irish monk and founder of monasteries in the rough and tumble dark ages. He was born to royal lineage in the Clan O’Donnell in County Donegal. He entered the monastery at a young age where he distinguished himself as a serious student and devout Christian.
Columba is best known as a founder of three monasteries in Derry and Durrow, Ireland and Iona, Scotland. It was 563 when Columba traveled to the isle of Iona, with 12 companions, which, quickly became home base for the conversion of the natives, the Picts and Scots. Columba spent 32 years there, serving as abbot, and preaching the Christian faith to the local inhabitants of Northern Scotland. He would come to baptize both the king of the Picts and the king of the Scots.
The Venerable Bede says Columba’s example of, “preaching and example,” led many people to Christ. He was admired for his discipline and ascetic lifestyle, including sleeping on a stone pillow. It is said that Columba never spent an hour without study, prayer, or similar occupation. He is credited with writing 300 books.
On the eve of his death Columba was said to be home working on a transcription. Then, at the midnight service, Columba entered the church without assistance, sank before the altar, and, surrounded by his disciples, breathed his last.
Columba’s memory lives on in both Scotland and Ireland. While the buildings were desecrated during the Reformation, Iona still flourishes today as an ecumenical religious community.
Collect for Columba: O God, by the preaching of your blessed servant Columba you caused the light of the Gospel to shine in Scotland: Grant, we pray, that, having his life and labors in remembrance, we may show our thankfulness to you by following the example of his zeal and patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- Chris Yaw
Vote!
[poll id="14"]
109 comments on “William Law vs. Columba”
I appreciate and am in full agreement with everything that has been said about the importance of Iona on Christianity in Scotland and with all the testimonies of those who have spent time in Iona(as I have, also). No doubt about the power of the place and the ministry of Columba. But there is more than little information about Columba's early history, killing an opponent in Ireland and leaving Ireland for Iona as part of an "plea bargain" to avoid prosecution for murder. So, effective as he was, pure lilly-white he was not. John Law seems to have been who he said he was. And his writing was enormously effective. That's one vote for John Law.
Re multiple voting:
It occurs to me that those 100 votes just might have come from a group using a parish or other institutional computer, rather that from a single cheater. Scott tells me that I once cast 17 votes, but I don't think I could have had the patience to do 100 all by myself even if I had figured out the secret before I agreed to mend my ways!
Bill, one of the offenders yesterday cast over 50 votes in about two minutes. That is clearly the result of a script, run from a residential computer. It wasn't a parish, as the voting took place after 1:00 a.m. Local time.
There is multiple voting, and there is multiple voting. We've seen everything from 10+ votes coming from a house to one person who voted 502 times. Until yesterday, when we adjusted the vote count, none of this activity has affected outcomes.
It's also true that I inadvertently shut down a parish and a seminary because they looked like residences. But out of all the blocking we have done, we have gotten more than 15 correct and made two errors.
Anyway, please note that we are keeping an eye on things to ensure that the votes are fair. Next year, we clearly need to think about a more complex voting system. Lent Madness must go on, free, fair, and fun.
Com'on folks, let's not mar such a great opportunity and all the hard work by being tacky, tacky, tacky, really is this what Jesus would do?? One person, one vote let's set the example.
Well, fortunately Jesus just calls . . . no committees, no commissions, no voting! One benefit of the comments in Lent Madness is to show just how fickle people can be when it comes to voting for or against even a saint.
Scott,
Thanks for the clarification, but I'm glad to hear that my suggestion was not totally far-fetched.
As impressed as I truly am by Law, recollections of childhood of hearing the poem about St. Columba's cat always endear me to St. Columba.
Melissa, PLEASE tell me where I can find that poem!
I went with Law.....but after reading all of your posts, I want to visit Iona.
I carry at all times in my pocket a small stone I picked up on St. Columba's beach where he landed in 563. At night it even glows in the dark (only kidding!) But Iona is truly a 'thin' place. This vote was a slam-dunk!
This may be the biggest upset yet if William Law fans don't get themselves together to vote......once (per person).
Melissa, are you referring to the cat poem written by a monk from Leinster, Ireland, written in the 9th century and found in the Scriptorium of the monastery in St. Gall, Switzerland. If it is a different poem, please share. Here is the one I found:
I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
"Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
"Gainst the wall he sets his eye,
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
"Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Ban my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mne and he has his.
Pangor Ban, what a great name for a cat. I wonder what it means in Gaelic.
(I found this on the web site stcolumbasandiego.com) and thought you guys would like it.
I think Pangur is the cat's name, and ban is just the Gaelic word for white but it kind of got attached to the cat's name (I guess they liked epithets). I loved this poem when we read it in my Celtic Studies class, but I'd completely forgotten about it!
If Bede was a fan, then our family supports him too. Go Columba! Also please note that my sister, Hope, has spotted another golden halo.
I found this on the web site mudcat.org
Subject: RE: Pangur Ban - meaning ?
From: GUEST,Robbie ó Daimhín
Date: 17 Nov 01 - 12:17 PM
. . . love Columba and Iona, but had to vote for William Law today!
Pangur is an old irish word which means white. Bán also means white. The poet is trying to convey that the cat was pure white or bright white.
Only one vote here for Law.
It would be nice to know the one who wins the Golden Halo was not manipulated into that position by stuffing the ballot box in a cleverly designed and delightful contest of the saints who have gone before us. Perhaps posting the names of the offender(s), if possible, would act as a deterrent and encourage adhering to the spirit of the race. I had suggested burning at the stake earlier, but.....
[...] to LentMadness commenter Barbara A. Cadwell who posted it for us in the comments on today’s voting. Rate this: Share this:TwitterRedditStumbleUponEmailLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
My vote to the guy who converted my "let's paint ourselves blue and run around the the spruce trees" ancestors!
I can not believe someone would take the time to vote 100 times and another person 50 times. Or were there multiple cheaters. Get a life. I still support St. Thomas, even if he did not win. Call me a sore loser,
Columba's conversion of the Picts & the Scots was HUGE. Those were some of the wildest, uncivilized in the world at that time. Also, from the storehouse of books & by the scholarly Christians of Iona, Europe was re-Christianized . We could use a little more Iona in the world today. (Ionization?)
Thank you Sister Mary Winifred
It is too late to vote now, but I would vote for Law . If he's good enough for Wesley and Wilberforce, he's good enough for me!