89. SAINTS SIGBERT AND SEBBI, MONKS OF EAST ANGLIA
Our holy Father Sigbert succeeded to the throne of East Anglia after the death of his brother Earpwald. The Venerable Bede writes that he was «a good and religious man who had been baptized long previously in Gaul while he had been living in exile to escape the hostility of Redwald [first Christian king of East Anglia, who later apostasised]. When he returned home and became king, he wished to copy what he had seen well contrived in Gaul, and was quick to found a school for the education of boys in the study of letters. In this project he was assisted by Bishop Felix, who had come to him from Kent and provided him with teachers and masters according to the practice of Canterbury.
«King Sigbert became so ardent in his love for the Kingdom of heaven that he abandoned the affairs of his earthly kingdom, and entrusted them to his kinsman Egric, who had already governed part of the kingdom. He then entered a monastery that he had founded and, after receiving the tonsure, devoted his energies to winning an everlasting kingdom. A considerable while later, the Mercians led by King Penda attacked the East Angles who, finding themselves less experienced in warfare than their enemies, asked Sigbert to go into battle with them and foster the morale of the fighting men. When he refused, they dragged him out of his monastery regardless of his protests, and took him into battle with them in the hope that their men would be less likely to panic or think of flight if they were under the eye of one who had once been a gallant and distinguished commander. But, mindful of his monastic vows, Sigbert, surrounded by a well-armed host, refused to carry anything more than a stick, and when the heathen charged, both he and King Egric were killed and the army scattered.» This took place in about 635.
Some years later, the southern part of the kingdom (Essex, together with Hertfordshire and London) came under King Wulfere of Mercia, and after a plague King Sighere and many of the people apostasised from the faith. However, Sebbi his fellow-king remained faithful. Then, in 665, King Wulfere sent Bishop Jaruman, who brought back both king and people to the path of righteousness.
Then King Sebbi, according to the Venerable Bede, «devoted himself to religious exercises, frequent prayer, and acts of mercy, and he preferred a retired, monastic life to all the riches and honours of a kingdom. In fact, had not his wife absolutely refused to be separated from him, he would long before have abdicated and entered a monastery. For this reason many people thought and often said that a man of such disposition should have been a bishop rather than a king. When this soldier of the Heavenly Kingdom had ruled his earthly kingdom for thirty years [in 694], he was attacked by a serious disease that was to cause his death. He therefore urged his wife that, since they could no longer enjoy or serve the world, they should both devote themselves to the service of God. Having obtained her reluctant consent, the king went to Waldhere, bishop of London, successor to [Saint] Erkenwald, and with his blessing received the monastic habit that he had so long desired. He brought the bishop a considerable sum of money to be distributed among the poor, and kept nothing at all for himself, wishing to be poor in spirit for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
«As his malady gained ground and he felt the day of his death approaching, Sebbi, who was a man of kingly spirit, became apprehensive that the sufferings of a painful death might wring from him some word or gesture unbecoming to his dignity. He therefore summoned the bishop of London, in which city he was living, and asked that none but the bishop himself and two attendants might be present at his death. The bishop readily promised that, and not long afterwards this godly man saw in his sleep a comforting vision, which removed his anxiety on this score, and also revealed to him on what day he was to depart this life. As he subsequently related, he saw three men in bright robes come to him, one of whom sat down in front of his pallet while his companions remained standing and enquired about the condition of the sick man they had come to visit. The first man replied that his soul would leave his body without pain in a splendour of light, and that he would die in three days» time. Both of these things happened as he had learned in the vision; for on the third day, at the Ninth Hour, he seemed suddenly to fall into a light sleep and breathed out his spirit without any feeling of pain.
«A stone sarcophagus had been made ready for the burial; but when they came to lay his body in it, they found it a hand's breadth too long for the sarcophagus. So they chiselled out sufficient stone to add a further two fingers in length to it; but it still proved too short to receive the body. In this quandary, they wondered whether to look for another coffin, or whether, if possible, to shorten the body by bending the knees until it filled the sarcophagus. But an amazing thing happened, undoubtedly caused by Providence, that rendered both these alternatives unnecessary; for in the presence of the bishop and of Sighard, son of the monk-king – who succeeded him jointly with his brother Swefred – and a considerable number of men, the sarcophagus was suddenly found to be the correct length for the body, so much so that a pillow could be placed at the head, while the feet rested four fingers short of the end of the sarcophagus. Sebbi was buried in the church of the blessed Apostles of the Gentiles [St. Paul's in London], through whose teachings he had learned to aspire to heavenly things.»
Holy Fathers Sigbert and Sebbi, pray to God for us!
(Sources: The Venerable Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, III, 19, 30, IV, 11; David Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1978, p. 353)