Born in North Africa, St. Adrian was initially an abbot in Italy where he twice declined a papal request to become the archbishop of Canterbury in England.
Instead, he recommended his friend, St. Theodore, who accepted the task and who, in turn, appointed him abbot of Saints Peter and Paul Monastery in Canterbury.
Under the direction of this scholarly man, well-versed in the Bible, Greek, and Latin, this monastery became renowned as a primary center of English learning.
At the same time, Adrian assisted the archbishop in his work of unifying customs and practices of the Anglo-Saxon Church and the Church of Rome.
He also established numerous other schools in other parts of England — all which produced countless bishops, scholars, missionaries, and even saints, who rekindled the waning light of faith and learning in France and Germany in the next century.
He remained an abbot for 39 more years until his death.
During a reconstruction of the monastery hundreds of years later, Adrian’s body was found to be incorrupt and his tomb soon became famous for its miracles.
Reflecting upon his life, I’m reminded of just how short-sighted we are when it comes to God’s plans for us.
I think it’s only at the Final Judgment that we’ll know just how far God took the YES we give Him.
As a humble man, St. Adrian declined a papal appointment to become archbishop twice because he deemed himself unworthy.
But God had none of it!
Even without the title, God still used Adrian powerfully to not only bless the people around him, but even generations after and even beyond geographical borders!
May we, as God’s children, always open ourselves to His prompting, and willingly give our YES to be His instrument in this life.
REFLECTION QUESTION:
We sometimes make the mistake of thinking we comprehend the consequences of the decisions we make when we offer our services to God. How truly open have I been in giving my YES and just letting the Holy Spirit lead me where God wants me to be?
CALL TO ACTION:
The next time you make a life-changing decision, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you where He wants you to go instead of where you think you ought to go.
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