Advent 2024 Week Three
St. Cuthbert and the Otters
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St. Cuthbert and the Otters
Cuthbert was in the habit of rising in the dead of night, while everyone else was sleeping, to go out and pray, returning just in time for morning prayers. One night, one of the monks watched him creep out and followed him stealthily to see where he was going and what he was about. Down he went towards the beach beneath the monastery and out into the sea until he was up to his arms and neck in deep water. The splash of the waves accompanied his vigil throughout the dark hours of the night. At daybreak, he came out, knelt down on the sand, and prayed. Then, two otters bounded out of the water, stretched themselves out before him, warmed his feet with their breath, and tried to dry him with their fur. They finished, received his blessing, and slipped back to their watery home.
Story source: Bede’s Life of St. Cuthbert
“St Cuthbert (634 AD – 687 AD) was a Saint who loved Animals. ‘He was a Scottish shepherd boy until he was fifteen, when he became a monk in Melrose Abbey. Later, he became a hermit, living on Farne Island in a small cell. There he made friends with the birds, giving them his protection from hunters and sharing meals with them. He is the patron saint of otters, and after standing waist-deep in the North Sea during his nightly prayer vigils, two otters would come and warm his feet.”
Rejoice: The third Sunday of Advent is often called Gaudete Sunday, Gaudete being Latin for rejoice. The candle on this week’s Advent wreath is dedicated to Mary, who greatly rejoiced in the birth of her son.
The medieval song "The Seven Joys of Mary" is often sung this week. It is a traditional carol inspired by the trope of the Seven Joys of the Virgin in the devotional literature and art of Medieval Europe. ~ Source Wikipedia
I chose this week's story of St. Cuthbert and the Otters because otters embody joy. See for yourself in this video I made at the zoo a few years ago.
Otters sometimes visit the pond on our property. They always come in family groups. They whistle to each other, swim, play, and eat with gusto, and then they are gone. To observe them is to know they rejoice in their life.
There are other messages in St. Cuthbert’s story besides embodying joy. Cuthbert has a spiritual practice, one that takes place in the “dead of night.” We might understand this as a practice deep within his soul. It is a solitary practice, carried out alone and not spoken of to others. His nightly pilgrimage into the cold dark waters of the sea may, at first glance, seem to be the kind of asceticism we associate with medieval monks. Still, we can also see this as coded language for plumbing the deeps of the unconscious realms through silent prayer and meditation.
When he emerges from the sea, otters who recognize his goodness and godliness offer their breath and fur to revive St. Cuthbert from his holy exertions. Somewhere in there is a clue to nature's healing and helping power, specifically animals, in our spiritual development.
May the blessings of the Otters be upon you during this third week of Advent.
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There’s a documentary on Hulu called “Billy & Molly” about a Scottish man who takes care of (and falls in love with) a young otter who lost her mother. He essentially raises her until she can fend for herself, and in the process brings warmth and light into his life. It’s a very touching and joyful story, and the story of St. Cuthbert and The Otters reminded me of it.
Otters have often visited me in my dreams, and to me, they are a reminder to be present to the joy and beauty of life - to be playful, loving, and not so serious. They also represent an aspect of the feminine to me and sisterhood.
Thank you for sharing this story and the wisdom behind it! It has inspired me to reflect more about otter wisdom.
I read your story this morning, then took a walk on the beach - and what did I see there but an otter! I'm not sure what I'm being told, but it's surely something!