St. Mellitus of Canterbury |
But first, we need a
little background on Saint Mellitus. Despite being little-known today, he
was in fact a very consequential Saint. Mellitus first arrived in Britain in
the year A.D. 601, bringing with him books and other things considered necessary
for Christian instruction and worship. St. Augustine consecrated him
Bishop of London, which at that time was the capital of the East Saxon kingdom.
Somewhere around the years 616-618 the Christian East Saxon king died,
after which Mellitus was driven from his episcopal see in London; shortly
thereafter the Christian king of Kent died as well, and Mellitus was forced to
flee from Britain all together, although he was able to return a few years
later after Laurence, Augustine's successor as Archbishop of Canterbury, had
converted the new Kentish king. Mellitus never returned to London, which
would not see a Bishop again until 654, thirty years after the Saint's death.
St. Mellitus himself became Archbishop of Canterbury at the Death of Laurence
in 619, and occupied the see until his own passing five years later. He
is credited with miraculously saving his church from a fire shortly before his
death.
St. Mellitus played an
important part in the conversion of the English ; in this capacity he received
instructions in the form of a letter from the Pope, called the Epistola ad Mellitum. In
this letter St. Gregory urges Mellitus and Augustine to rely on persuasion in
converting the pagan English, destroying idols but consecrating the temples
that housed the idols for use as churches, and adapting pagan practices to
Christian uses so that the English nation might "set aside error from her
heart, and, acknowledging and adoring the True God, might assemble more
familiarly at the places which she was was accustomed (to use)."
This letter is a particularly explicit statement of an approach that has
been more or less the rule (albeit with some notable exceptions) for most of
the history of the Church (which I explain in more detail in my Halloweeen
post, "Christ Is King Of All . . . Even The
Holidays"). And it fits well with the way our Lord
works: God breathed life into the mud of the earth to create Adam, and through
baptism he makes former non-believers into his adopted sons and daughters; why
can't his Church "baptize " what is good in pagan societies and
consecrate it for use in His service?
I think the story of St.
Mellitus and his "honeyed" approach has a lesson for us today as we
go about our own missions of evangelization. I know how frustrated I can
become when someone just can't, or won't, listen; I find myself brimming over
with vinegar, as it were. I've found that if I stay calm, listen
patiently, and try to focus on the love of Jesus (in other words, spread a little
honey), I'm more likely to have a fruitful exchange. St. Mellitus, pray
for us, that we might avoid the bitterness of our own pride, and to speak with
the sweetness of Divine Love. Amen.
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