Bread from Heaven
Cuthbert trusted that keeping his promised fast would not do him any harm.
665
Anglo-Saxon Britain 410-1066
Cuthbert trusted that keeping his promised fast would not do him any harm.
665
Anglo-Saxon Britain 410-1066
This post is number 4 in the series Miracles of St Cuthbert
A shieling is a temporary stone hut, built for the summer months when sheep or cattle are taken to higher ground. Bede tells us that a near-contemporary, the seventh-century saint Cuthbert, once had a remarkable experience in one of these huts, as he was journeying across the empty moorland of Northumbria.
AT ten o’clock one morning, Cuthbert stopped off in a village, hoping to find something for his horse to eat; as it was a Friday and Cuthbert liked to fast until three, he declined all offers of food himself, though he had no idea when he might eat again.
He returned to the road until night fell around four (it was the beginning of winter). A derelict shieling out on the moors provided some shelter,* and his horse at once started tugging away at the remaining thatch. Cuthbert contented himself with psalms.
Presently, he noticed something tumble down with the straw: a little cloth bundle. Inside, he found half a loaf of bread, still hot, and some slices of meat. Cuthbert gave half the bread to his horse, and ate the rest himself.
It put him in mind, he later told Ingwald at the monastery in Monkwearmouth, of Elijah, who was fed by ravens;* and Ingwald told Bede, who recorded it all for posterity.
Next in series: The Man Who Left No Footprints
A shieling (see picture) is a traditional hut in remote parts of Scotland and northern England, built by shepherds and cowherds for the summer months and then abandoned. The word may also be used for the pasture land where the sheep or cattle live.
See 1 Kings 17:2-6. At the time when the miracle took place, Cuthbert had decided to become a monk but had not actually joined a monastery.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Why did Cuthbert decline the offer of food that Friday morning?
Because he was fasting until three o’clock.
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
A woman offered Cuthbert breakfast. He said no, thank you. His fast ended at three.