Monday, June 25, 2007

The Isle Of Man

Pictures of the parade are on the website under the pictures section (www.fumcfireandwater.com). But this is about something completely different. Something I read and had to write, it was just great.

I am slowly working through a lot of old Irish folktales and came upon the story of Mac Cuill, one of the Children of Danu, or a god of years gone by. Being a god, his soul was immortal and would be reborn in people. His last rebirth was as one of a thief, a great thief who did so well at stealing it caught the king's attention and it took the king to capture him. Showing no remorse for his actions, but also being a Child of Danu, the king came up with this punishment. He put Mac Cuill in handcuffs and flung the key into the sea. He then put Mac Cuill in a boat saying "he will have the judgement of the sea."

So Mac Cuill floats for a few days and ends up on an island where he meets two wise men, Conindri and Romuil. Now here's where I was floored. The two wise men had "heard the words of the Son of God, and preached the new religion of love and forgiveness." Should sound familiar...

So these two guys take in Mac Cuill but cannot release him from his bonds. Instead, though, they tell him about the Creator, His Son, and the religion of love and brotherhood. But Mac Cuill thinks it is a waste. They tell how the poor in spirit are blessed, but Mac Cuill has no wish to be poor. They tell how if someone strikes one cheek, to turn the other and how if someone steals your cloak, to offer your coat also (all teachings of Jesus if you aren't following). So Mac Cuill decides to stay thinking that he can make a killing from these people, since if he steals from them, they'll do nothing to stop him.

But this fails on his first attempt. He meets Blaanid who offers him jewels and fine stones. Mac Cuill is disappointed, he doesn't want people to give him things, he wants to steal them. So he gets upset realizing that he can never truly steal again. That is when Blaanid takes him down to the depths of the ocean, where he sees other Children of Danu that hate this new religion and want to live as thieves too. They live at the ocean's depths, stealing from ships that sink. It is then and there Mac Cuill sees that this is the future of his life as a thief, and it is then and there he decides to become a member of the new religion of the Son of God. He goes back to Conindri and Romuil to learn more "about your God and His Son." It is there they catch a fish to eat for dinner and in the belly of the fish, Mac Cuill finds the keys to his chains and he is set free.

The very next day, Mac Cuill dedicates his life to telling everyone about this new religion, a loving God and His Son. He taught this to everyone, even the Druids. But this angers one of the old gods since they believe that once you stop believing in a god, he cease to exist. Yet Mac Cuill explains how this new philosophy "is the destiny of the world" and he cannot stop, so he makes a deal with this old god, the god of the sea. Mac Cuill will still teach the new thinking, but he will rename their home after this god so he will be remembered. The land was renamed the Island of Manannan Mac Lir, or for short, the Isle of Man.

Sorry, it was really long, but it was too great of a story. Everybody says that God changes lives, but so few people today seem to act like it, and here, in the old Irish history and folklore, is a story about God doing just that to such a degree that the island is renamed and it still holds Mac Cuill as the patron saint except under a new Christian name St. Maughold. Did God change your life? Does anyone know about it? Mac Cuill's was changed and it will be forever remembered...

T

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

good start