BCL Newsletter Week 41

There is a raging conflict in the minds of men between the eternal and immediate values, between the spiritual and the material. True wisdom resides in seeing beyond the apparent to the reality, going beyond shadows to the substance, and investing on the most durable: the eternal values.

St. Francis de Sales underlines the attitude of the three Kings from the east, as a shining example of love of God. They found pleasure neither in the beauty of the city of Jerusalem, nor magnificence of Herod’s Palace, but their hearts were instead set on the little cave of Bethlehem and its little child. In the same manner, when Magdalen, that glorious lover, met the angels at the tomb, on that resurrection morning, she could not take joy in their gentle words, the splendour of their garments, the most celestial grace of their appearance or the lovely beauty of their faces, but was bent on searching for her crucified Lord. Those are in simple terms what it means to love God with all our hearts. Nothing, even angelic beings can compete with God in our hearts.

The heart is the seat of love and of true worship. Hence, the prophet warns against the contrary, “these people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me…” (Is 29:13). This is why Jesus insists that true worshippers must worship in spirit and truth. When the young man claimed he has kept all the commandments, Jesus gazed a piercing look at him, because, “the Lord looks into the heart” (1Sam.16:7), and saw that he was a righteous idol worshipper. The rich young man’s god was mammon. He did not “know the commandments”. The young man who claims to have kept all the commandments in fact was guilty of its entirety. Far from serving the true God, he paid unrivalled allegiance to mammon, the god of wealth. “No one can serve two masters at a time, you can not serve both God and mammon” (Mat 16:13).

By his preference of wealth over God, he broke the very first commandment: You shall have no other gods beside me (Ex. 20:3). Again, by his inner disposition, which smacks of covetousness, he was guilty of the last commandment: Thou shall not covet…. (Ex 20:17). He was indeed guilty of all since the love of money is the root of all evil (1Tim 6:10). The great lesson is to beware of hidden idols in life. Until these idols are discovered and uprooted, our religious practices will only be superficial and unrewarding. Such idols can be in the guise of power, (as recorded in the first reading) riches and ego. They can also be in form of persons in our lives.

Cathedral Draw beginning

Wednesday evening 29th September

for twelve monthly draws.

Tickets available - €10 per month:

Dooley’s Garage, Georges Tree,

John McGrath, News and Chews,

Ms. Sheila Walshe and Sr. Mary Freeman

As you are aware, the St. Mary’s Cathedral Restoration Fund Draw has for the past number of years been a most welcome support of the Cathedral and a great aid in works undertaken therein. As I have noted before, I am taken by its beauty each time I come to celebrate Mass in your fine Cathedral. I want to thank the generosity of all of you in the parishes who do so much each year to support and encourage the draw. This draw in these past six years raised nearly €600,000. If you are in a position to support the draw this year beginning with the first of twelve draws on Wednesday 29^th September 2021. Your support, as always, is much appreciated.

Bishop Denis Nulty, Apostolic Administrator, Ossory.