Eata was one of the original twelve boys trained by Aidan and was sent to Melrose to be its first abbot. After the Synod of Whitby in 664, he became Abbot of Lindisfarne, and subsequently Bishop. He and Cuthbert then swapped appointments, without consulting anyone else, to keep Cuthbert closer to his hermitage on Inner Farne; Eata thus became Bishop of Hexham.
Father God, Your training gives me a firm foundation for my life, no matter what I may meet. Help me to keep firmly guided by it and to follow the avenues of service You open to me, with kindness, selflessness and integrity; in the name of Christ. Amen.