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Saint Brendan - 16 The Voyage of Saint Brendan
Identifier
015606
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
The Voyages of Saint Brendan – A Journey to the Promised Land translated from the Latin by John J O’Meara
THE ISLAND OF PAUL THE HERMIT
….. when he said this he requested Saint Brendan to order all the brothers to come from the boat. As they embraced him and sat down he called each of them by his own name. When the brothers heard this, they greatly wondered not only at his power of divining, but also at his dress.
For he was entirely covered by his hair from his head and beard and other hair down to his feet, and all the hair was white as snow on account of his great age. They could see only his face and eyes. He had no other clothing on him except the hair that grew from his body.
When Saint Brendan saw this he was discouraged within himself and said:
'Alas for me who wears a monk’s habit and have many owing allegiance to me by virtue of being monks : Here I see sitting before me a man already in the angelic state, untouched by the vices of the body, although he is still in human flesh’