Parish of Lismore and Ballysaggart news update
May Day, Workers Day, The Feast of St Joseph the Worker has significance for all who care and bring a level of discipleship faith to their work.
It’s time that the EU woke up to the plight of many millions who work for slave wages. With modern means of communication all goods that come on the market can easily be traced back to its source unless it is on the black market and or the ‘ Dark Web. Work balance is a nice phrase but for so many the modern addiction is to work. This condition can affect all professions and none, including clergy. This addiction is the only one we are not sent to addiction counsellors for it has an air of respectability.
However, the poorest are those who have nothing to do all day. Sitting on a stone watching the traffic passing is scarcely work. May the Lord bless the work you do, may it give you a sense of vocation and contentment. May it give meaning to your life. If you are in work that you are tired of, take courage and make the necessary change. Some say ‘We go to the doctor when we get tired of complaining about our pair’.
It is truly prayer in action when we come across people who take pride in their work, no matter who ordinary it may be. Our true work gives us energy and blessing.
May is also the month of Mary. True devotion to Mary brings us into the presence of Jesus, the word of God. As a stepping stone to coming to know Mary our Mother try giving real attention to the qualities of your own great biological or real mother as the teenagers once pointed out to me. So many heavenly blessings are brought to us through our prayer to Mary. We have a beautiful outdoor shrine to Mary ‘conceived without sin’ as we climb Gallows Hill. Ask her blessing on the parish as you pass by or think of all those who pass without seeing. There is something very calming to stop a moment when walking by. Compliments to those who tend the grotto.
There is also a very fine grotto outside St. Mary’s Church in Ballysaggart. When I stop at that grotto my mind wanders to the quartz stone used in the construction. I wonder where did they get it, as they say that there is gold where there is that rock formation. A bit of a gold rush might not come to much, but who can say?
We cannot do justice to a person who has lived many years in a short eulogy. With Mary, our mother we cannot sum up her qualities but we can mention a few. The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadfastness at moments of crisis and her devotion to her relatives. These are just a few of the qualities that come to mind as I put these thoughts together. We all need good mentors in life, who will have a positive influence on our spiritualty. Bad spirituality destroys us little by little. Our spirit needs feeding all the time.