大象传媒

Th脿inig aingeal Dh猫 a thadhal air Calum Cille. Chaochail an naomh seachdain an d猫idh sin, aig deireadh na S脿baid agus toiseach Latha an Tighearna. B鈥� e Latha na S脿baid an latha ro Dhid貌mhnaich anns an Eaglais Cheiltich.

Chaidh Calum Cille agus am fear-frithealaidh aige, Diarmad, a bheannachadh sabhal. 鈥楾ha mi airson r霉n-d矛omhair innse dhut,鈥� thuirt an naomh, 鈥榤a gheallas tu dhomh nach can thu c脿il mu dheidhinn ri duine eile fhad 始s as be貌 mi.鈥� Gheall Diarmad an r霉n-d矛omhair a chumail dha fh猫in.

鈥楢nn am meadhan na h-oidhche seo,鈥� thuirt Calum Cille, 鈥榝albhaidh mi, air cuireadh an Tighearna.鈥� Th貌isich am fear-frithealaidh air gul, agus chofhurtaich Calum Cille e.

Thill an naomh don mhanachainn. Letheach-slighe air an rathad, stad e airson fois a ghabhail. Th脿inig each b脿n thuige. Chuir an t-each a cheann air uchd Chaluim Chille. Sgr矛obh Adomnan anns a鈥� chunntas aige Vita Sancti Columbae, gun do dh鈥檌nns Dia don each gun robh b脿s a鈥� tighinn air an naomh. Th貌isich an t-each air caoineadh gu goirt.聽

Dh鈥檉heuch Diarmad ri iomain air falbh. Ach chuir Calum Cille stad air. Bheannaich e an t-each.

Chaidh an naomh gu mullach a鈥� chnuic os cionn na manachainn. Chuir e a l脿mhan an-脿irde agus bheannaich e a鈥� mhanachainn. 鈥楪ed as beag is suarach an t-脿ite seo,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥榞idheadh, bidh r矛ghrean is sluagh na h-Alba a鈥� toirt m貌r-urram dha.鈥�

Chaidh Calum Cille don bhothan aige. Bha e a鈥� d猫anamh t脿r-sgr矛obhadh air na sailm. Bha e ag obair air an deicheamh rann dhen cheathramh Salm air fhichead: Bidh easbhaidh air na le貌mhanaibh 貌ga, agus bidh acras orra; ach orrasan a dh鈥檌arras an Tighearna, cha bhi maith air bith a dh矛th.

鈥楢n seo,鈥� thuirt e, 鈥榝eumaidh mi sguir. Sgr矛obhadh Baith茅ne na leanas air.鈥� Bha e ag ainmeachadh an duine a leanadh air fh猫in mar Aba 脤.聽

Aig meadhan-oidhche, chaidh Calum Cille don eaglais. Lean Diarmad air. Aig astar, chunnaic Diarmad gun robh an eaglais l脿n solais. Ach, nuair a th脿inig e faisg air an doras, dh鈥檉halbh an solas. Bha Calum Cille na laighe air beulaibh na h-altair. Th脿inig na manaich, agus bheannaich an naomh iad le a l脿imh. Goirid an d猫idh sin, dh鈥檉h脿g anam a chorp.

An angel of God came to visit St Columba. The saint died a week later, at the end of the Sabbath and the beginning of the Lord鈥檚 Day. The Sabbath Day was the day before Sunday in the Celtic Church.

Columba and his servant, Diarmad, went to bless a barn. 鈥業 want to tell you a secret,鈥� said the saint, 鈥榠f you promise me that you won鈥檛 say anything about it to another person while I live.鈥� Diarmad promised to keep the secret to himself.

In the middle of the night tonight,鈥� said Columba, 鈥業鈥檒l leave by the invitation of the Lord.鈥� The servant started to cry, and Columba comforted him.

The saint returned to the monastery. Halfway, he stopped to take a rest. A white horse came to him. The horse put its head on Columba鈥檚 lap. Adomnan in his account Vita Sancti Columbae, wrote that God told the horse that the saint was going to die. The horse started to sob uncontrollably.

Diarmad tried to drive it away. But Columba stopped him. He blessed the horse.

The saint went to the summit of the hill above the monastery. He put his hands up and he blessed the monastery. 鈥楽mall and mean though it is,鈥� he said, 鈥榶et it shall be held in great honour by the kings and people of Scotland.鈥�

Columba went to his hut. He was transcribing the psalms. He was working on the tenth verse of the 34th psalm: the young lions do lack and they suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.

鈥楬ere,鈥� he said, 鈥業 must stop. Let Baith茅ne write what follows.鈥� He was naming the man who would follow himself as the Abbot of Iona.

At midnight, Columba went to the church. Diarmad followed him. At a distance, Diarmad saw that the church was full of light. But, when he came close to the door, the light disappeared. Columba was lying in front of the altar. The monks came, and the saint blessed the monks with his hand. Shortly after, his soul left his body.