Parish of Lismore and Ballysaggart news
Many lives and many families are blessed by the work of fellowship groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Every Friday in our week day Mass we pray the Lord’s blessing on the leaders and on both the long term members and the new members.
It is a courageous moment when a person willingly joins such a fellowship group in order to find freedom and life again, having battled with the enslaving addiction. There is hope for each one of us who may struggle with any addiction.
The only hope for an addict is to become truthful. Lies have blighted their lives. Now they will fearlessly face the truth. Telling lies is accepted as common currency in human and social relations today. Of course these lies flow from all sorts of justifications. Lying is the unforgiving sin for it leaves a person who can see truth as lies and lies as truth. Pope Francis makes a great issue about lying.
I used that introduction to our piece today as next Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent. But recall that Sunday was Temperance Sunday. This is the Sunday prior to Ash Wednesday. It would be too narrow an understanding of Temperance simply to see it as a virtue dealing with alcohol consumption. It is a virtue about moderation and touches on every facet of human life.
Right now we see how moderation in language being used by all sides in the EU and Britain over the special clause that was temporarily invoked by EU re coronavirus vaccines. It is a real shock that such high powered and experienced politicians could have made this political blunder. Keep them in your prayers as we don’t need a regression in the art of politics. Politicians are either contributing to social regeneration or social degeneration. There is no middle ground.
Temperance is one of the four great virtues, the others being Justice, Fortitude, Prudence. They are all at the service of loving. We will have our Lenten journey to revisit the addictions in our lives. It is by the grace of God that we can grow. For the sake of all in the fellowship groups, they speak of a power greater than themselves to which they call upon.
Trócaire boxes for Lent will arrive in our churches. You were so generous even during lockdown last year. You contributed €2,870 last year. It was transferred directly to Trócaire to cut down on bank charges. It is one good thing about banks.
You can join in our celebration of Mass from Lismore on the Parish Radio 103.9FM and on Sundays on Facebook, type in St Mary’s Ballysaggart - Sunday Mass at 9.30am. Many thanks to musicians, readers and sacristans’ who serve the Faith community.
- Fr Cullinan