Saint Columba, the founder of the island monastery of Iona in Scotland (†597), many times in his life saw the battle of the demons in the air for the souls of the newly departed. Saint Adamnan (†704) relates these in his Life of the Saint; here is one incident:Saint Columba called together his monks one day, telling them: "Now let us help by prayer the monks of the Abbot Comgell, drowning at this hour in the Lough of the Calf; for behold, at this moment they are warring in the air against hostile powers who try to snatch away the soul of a stranger who is drowning with them." Then, after prayer, he said: "Give thanks to Christ, for now the holy angels have met these holy souls, and have delivered that stranger and triumphantly rescued him from the warring demons."From Saint Adamnan's "The Life Of Saint Columba
" Part 3, Chapter 13, Page 207
I'd say this is more a defense of intercession then toll houses. Note the person who's soul is attacked is a "stranger". That could mean a non monastic or even a penitent. Note that the souls of the monks aren't under attack as they should be according to toll house theory. Whatever the case there is no mention of toll houses. You are free to believe in them but this isn't the best source to use to try to defend them.
ReplyDeleteToll Houses are an allegory for what its being explained here.
ReplyDeleteThat is more acceptable. The problem is that the theory is not held in that manner by a large number of its adherents.
DeleteStill it's odd that only the strangers soul is under attack and not the monks'.
Maybe the monks were saints and bypassed them, going straight to heaven?
ReplyDeletePossibly but I don't recall any saints coming from an event as described here. Of course with the sheer number of Celtic saints who knows. Still doesn't every soul, saint or sinner, have to pass through the toll houses? It seems rather elitist that one group of souls would be subject to such treatment and not others.
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