IN the company of the two angels, Fursey saw the devils’ lies spreading like wildfire on earth, until Christianity seemed so full of contradictions – now enticingly lax, now dispiritingly severe – that many hearts abandoned themselves to their worst passions without repentance.* That tragedy alone, said the angels, brought sadness into heaven.
So Fursey was sent back to teach men the truth about God’s infinite patience.* Before he left, two monks who had recently died gave him plenty of wise advice, above all that Scripture alone pricks the heart: the laws of church or state achieve very little where souls have not been healed by hearing it. Then Fursey climbed reluctantly back into his lifeless body, and found himself back in Ireland.
Fursey laboured many more years in Ireland, East Anglia and northern France, preaching hope and repentance with readings from Scripture, and healing the sick. “Let anyone read the little book of his life” Bede urged, “and I believe he will reap much spiritual profit.”
The strategy of the demons in Fursey’s vision is summed up by his contemporary, St John Climacus (579-649) of St Catherine’s monastery in Sinai: “Before our fall the demons say that God is merciful, but after it they say that he is inexorable.”
See 1 Timothy 2:3-4, where St Paul says that God our Saviour “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”.
Précis
After his vision of the afterlife and God’s merciful judgment, he was sent back to earth to convince Christians to be confident of forgiveness, yet always to repent since unrepentance alone disqualifies the soul from blessedness. Fursey’s visions made a great impression on his near-contemporary, St Bede, who recommended others to read the saint’s life. (55 / 60 words)
After his vision of the afterlife and God’s merciful judgment, he was sent back to earth to convince Christians to be confident of forgiveness, yet always to repent since unrepentance alone disqualifies the soul from blessedness. Fursey’s visions made a great impression on his near-contemporary, St Bede, who recommended others to read the saint’s life.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, despite, if, must, ought, until, whether.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Adversary. Life. Themselves.
2 Above. More. We.
3 Ignorant. Send. Unless.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
rss (11+1)
arises. arouses. arses. erases. irises. raises. reissue. rises. roses. rouses. ruses.
reuses.
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