Fr. Michael Murtagh

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds that are already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

The first reading from Jeremiah tells the story of the linen loincloth. This is a symbolic vision with a clear meaning. Israel whom God has fastened closely to himself like a loincloth round his waist has now broken away and indulged in idolatry and assimilation. The Prophets like to use symbolic images a little like parables or what we now call performance art. The Prophet is told to buy a Linen loincloth and put it around his waist. Linen was an important material from which the robes of the priests were fashioned.

Jeremiah is told not to put the linen cloth in water, symbolising a refusal to be purified or corrected. Jeremiah is then told to take the loincloth and put it round his waist and then to hide it at a rock near the river. The loincloth ends up being spoiled and good for nothing. This prompts the message from the mouth of the prophet that the arrogance of the people who refuse to listen to God's Word and who follow the dictates of their own hearts and who follow foreign gods will become like the loin cloth - good for nothing.

In the Gospel parables, a contrast is drawn between the smallness of the origin and the greatness of the result. The implication is that in ministry, small, silent, unobtrusive actions and gestures can lead to great or surprising ends.

Gospel
Matthew 13:31-35

Jesus put a parable before the crowds: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.
He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.
In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:
I will speak to you in parables
and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.

Whatever’s for you won’t go past you. This inanity was one of his father’s many sayings. He wound up many an otherwise intelligent discussion, drawing a line under it with his poor imitation of Socrates. Well, the father was gone now, and Gerry had all the decisions and the wise-saws to himself. The new natural gas line must not have been, ‘for him’ for it was apparently going past him.

All the talk was of the route the pipeline was taking and the compensation that the neighbours were getting from the company for allowing it across their farms. The Irish Farmers Association was fighting the corner with An Bord Gais and a good price per metre of land had apparently been negotiated. Gerry got on to the top men on, ‘dial before you dig’ to explain that there was an easier route across his meadows but they didn’t sound convinced. The planning process had been completed and the route was fixed.

To compound Gerry’s disappointment, the line was to run right past his gate but on the other side of the road. History had dealt him a bad hand. The division of small farms that was part of past patterns left him with land in three small parcels on either side of the line that marked the prospective dig. It was like a jigsaw, and his piece was missing. His recently deceased father had done well out of a similar circumstance some time ago. The council wanted to take out a bad bend on the road and that time he held the trump card. He got the price of a small farm for giving up the corner of a rushy field to the council and got a fine new rust-proof fence along the field into the bargain.

It all moved fairly quickly and he heard the earth movers before he saw them. The hard-hats had moved in and out and now the real, physical, sticky clay work started. An army of bearded archaeologists was on standby in case there was an opportunity for further digging. Gerry decided to move in when the opportunity presented itself.

He watched and waited for a day or two until he got the pattern. His father might have called it reconnaissance, even if he couldn’t spell it or was it reconnoitre. ‘Time spent studying is seldom wasted’, as he used to say.

When he was sure that the hard-hats and the suits were gone and the digger-drivers were on a tae-break, he moved in. These were men he could talk face-to-face to, not like the smarmy, ‘dial before you dig’ operatives as they called themselves. Gerry talked turkey for a short while, figuring out which of them was the natural leader in the group and where the weakest link was. He needed to move faster than his usual pace because the opportunity would very soon be past him, figuratively and otherwise. Eventually he picked his man, isolated him from the others and went to work on Operation Shortcut. It was all word of mouth, no forensics.

He explained that an opening was there for both of them that had to be grabbed immediately and that was simple and foolproof. A few grand for the digger-man in return for the running of a pipeline under the sheugh and up the low garden into his house. He explained that he had a friend on the scheme that would look after the ‘plumbing’ and that he would prepare the trench, out of sight, running down the disused, ‘guttery lane’ that linked his street with the public road. The prospect of free gas was worth the move. ‘Every man has his price,’ as the father used to say. Gerry figured that he had built on his inherited wisdom and in his own mind, he reckoned he was the cutest chancer in South Armagh if not in the whole country. A ‘gas man’.

The devil is in the detail, but he was written out of it reasonably quickly with cash on the nail and the provision of adequate camouflage measures around the house and garden to cover up recent earth disturbance, however minimal.

There were the usual teething problems like the sarcastic foreman and the bargaining over the deposit, but his Fair Green bargaining acumen stood to him. Bribes or what we used to call, ‘luck pennies’ were eventually agreed along with the conventional slapping of spit-splattered palms.

A couple of engineer ‘techies’ had to be paid off too as the driver explained and that upped the ante financially, but Gerry convinced himself that it was a good, future-proof investment. A few hours work in the dark and he had his deal completed and his energy problems solved for life. The caravan of Bord Gais workers moved on over the horizon and out of the parish. Out of sight, out of mind.

The evenings were drawing in at this stage and Gerry was feeling the cold outside and the warmth of the new system inside was something he just wasn’t used to. He had to retrain himself to stop turning it off in case the bills went too high. One morning he woke up earlier than his usual dawn start and felt the radiator. It drained the warmth from his clammy hand. He wondered if he had the time right and climbed back under the covers. As the morning opened out, he realised that he had no heat. He checked all the possibilities and drew a zero. There was nothing to do but trace the system back to source. Having got through the usual ‘turns’ of a small-farm winter morning, he decided to check the valve at the end of the guttery lane, the main artery. Making sure, once again, that soil disruption was kept to a minimum, he hoked down with a spade to uncover the main connection.

To his surprise, he soon hit metal and lots of it. He threw caution to the wind and began to dig frantically and with increasing anxiety. The spade was now slipping along the surface of at least one long cylindrical object. The truth and the bitter truth slowly sank in. He had been duped by an unscrupulous digger-man, a team of smart townies and two industrial-sized gas cylinders. There was no connection to the main gas pipe, and there was nothing he could do about it. They were the dearest tanks of gas he had ever bought. It was the crookedest deal he had ever suffered.
What wasn’t for him had now gone past him.

Sabbath Reflection. Week 17 Matthew 13 44-52

We have a story about an Irish Saint called Mochua who lived a hermit's life but he had three 'treasures' as he called them. They were: a rooster who woke him up to do his vigils and prayer, a mouse who nibbled his ear if he fell asleep while praying, and a fly that stopped at the word Mochua stopped on when reading his prayers.There was a plague and the three treasures died. Mochua wrote to his mentor, St Colmcille lamenting the death of his treasures and expected much sympathy.Columcille replied telling Mochua that, 'only where there are possessions is there sorrow'.

The story and the scripture readings invite us to reflect on what we really value or treasure and to re-assess our priorities.

Jesus has been teaching his listeners about the kingdom over the past few weeks. It’s an image they would have been familiar with if not an image we, in this end of the world are comfortable with. People lived in kingdoms with kings like David or his son Solomon of the first reading in charge. Solomon is known for his wisdom, for his ‘heart wise and shrewd’ and for his gift of leadership and an understanding heart. As in so many stories, if we were given the opportunity of the fairy-gift of ‘three wishes,’ our replies would reveal to us a lot about our inner life. There is an Irish language proverb that says, ‘your feet will bring you where your heart Is - An áit a bhfuil do chroí, is ann a thabharfas do chosa thú.’

The images Jesus uses to describe the kingdom and the judgement that comes with it are all familiar ones. He speaks of a farmer sowing seeds, of a tiny seed that grows into something great and mighty, giving shelter to others. He speaks of a woman baking bread, of a man buying a field, of a merchant making a good deal and of fishermen sorting out their catch.

This kingdom of God that he speaks of is an upside-down kingdom. In the kingdom of the Father things are not organised as they are on earth. It is the little ones like the children and the afflicted who are first in God’s kingdom, rather than the powerful, the great or the famous. We depend on their prayers and it is on their shirt-tails, so to speak, that we one day may be considered worthy of a place in the kingdom. It is a way of life, a kingship or reign that is marked by justice for all, peace between all, faithfulness to God and to each other, and forgiveness in abundance for all.

Solomon, in our first reading, is praised because he did not ask for the things that most people seek after. He admitted his shortcomings and acknowledged his responsibilities and asked God for an appropriate gift. His treasure, his pearl of great price was discernment between good and evil, true service of God and God’s chosen people, the wisdom that leads to the kingdom of God.

Solomon got the equivalent of our ‘three wishes’. He did not seek for health and life as we might. Health and life, even when they are restored to us, always fail in the end. He did not ask for proud victory over his enemies, for personal triumph. He was not glory-seeking. He did not ask for material benefits. These crumble and fade and perish. Only God’s word and God’s ways and God’s will remain for ever. Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you…

Our hope is that one day, having prayed for the coming of the kingdom, having built up a kingdom of justice and peace within and among us, having sought the values and virtues of the kingdom and having believed in its promise, we will, in the great sorting out of the harvest, of the catch; in the judgement that comes with the in-breaking kingdom, we may be called to inherit that kingdom that has been prepared for us since the foundation of the world.

"An áit a bhfuil do chroí, is ann a thabharfas do chosa thú,"
Where your heart is, your feet will take you.

"At first the Mochua story sounds amusing. But Colmcille's reply cuts deeply. We grieve not only for people but for whatever becomes our treasure. Which raises the question Jesus asks us today: What is our pearl of great price?" Jesus never defines the kingdom. He paints it. Sometimes it is a seed. Sometimes yeast hidden in dough. Sometimes a treasure buried in a field or a pearl beyond price. Ordinary images that reveal an extraordinary truth: God's kingdom begins quietly but is worth everything.

Feast Day of Saint James the greater.
In August 1963 some boundary wall adjustment work was taking place at Ardee near to the site of a monastery that had fallen foul of the ‘dissolution’ in the post-Reformation period. About three feet below the ground, nine skeletons were found. Eight of these were of adults. One of the these had his skull laid on his chest. He, ‘had his head handed to him,’ as is said. The remains were given a decent re-burial in nearby Stickillen graveyard. It was said that among the items found with them was a scallop shell indicating a link with the famous pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela.

There were similar finds in Drogheda and elsewhere over the years testifying to the tradition of pilgrimage to Galicia in Northern Spain and to the shrine of Saint James. Saint James’ Gate in Dublin, now famous for its Guinness connection, was once an embarkation point. The Cooley area has its associations too with the pilgrimage and with the saint in its Church of Saint James and Saint James’ Well.

Today is the Feast-Day of Saint James. The three great medieval pilgrimage centres of the Christian world were Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago De Compostela. The journey or the ‘Camino’ meaning the way or path to Santiago was long and strenuous and was often protected by knights or Templars, hence the connection with Cooley and Temple-town.

James the Great died AD 44 was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles to die (after Judas Iscariot), and the first to be martyred. Saint James is the patron saint of Spain and, according to tradition, his remains are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
He is also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob or Santiago.
James was the son of Zebedee and Salome. Salome was a sister of Mary (mother of Jesus) which made James the Great a cousin of Jesus. James is styled "the Greater" to distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less," with "greater" meaning older or taller, rather than more important. James the Great was the brother of John the Apostle.
James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him.
James, along with his brother John, and Peter, formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry, the raising of Jairus' daughter, transfiguration of Jesus and agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. James and John (or, in another tradition, their mother asked Jesus to grant them seats on his right and left in his glory). Jesus rebuked them, asking if they were ready to drink from the cup he was going to drink from and saying the honour was not even for him to grant. The other apostles were annoyed with them. James and his brother wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town but were rebuked by Jesus.
If you visit Galicia you will see countless people walking towards Santiago, often with backpacks and hikers attire. Many of these travellers also carry a long staff with a shell attached to the handle and look some what dishevelled. These people are holy pilgrims making the centuries old pilgrimage known as “el Camino de Santiago” (the way of St. James). It is the route, or routes, that they follow that are known as “El Camino” and the oldest one starts in France some 900km (650 miles) from its ultimate destination. The serious pilgrims, who walk the entire route, can expect a journey of approximately one months duration, with the added bonus of very sore feet. Many do however claim to have a revelation on achieving their goal. There is also a book you can sign as proof of your journey’s completion at Santiago de Compostela’s pilgrims office near the Cathedral.

This route or routes have been walked since Middle Ages but pilgrim´s costume and accessories have changed a lot.

In the middle ages no less than 4 Popes proscribed the pilgrim’s dress – a long cloak, broad hat, a staff and gourd, a pouch to hold alms and a scrip or satchel. The broad hats to protect them from the sun, the cloak to counter cold and rain, the satchel for food, the gourd for water and the staff for defence and support over rough ground. The scallop shell, which the pilgrims wore soon, became the symbol of the Jacobean pilgrimage. This was to identify them as pilgrims and not vagabonds. The less material belongings they carried the more severe their hardships.

Our first reading from Jeremiah is known as the Temple sermon. This is a hard hitting prophetic critique worship habits of the people. The prophet warns the people that just by having the temple their safety is not guaranteed. Their lives have to be marked by the practise of social justice. Idolatry and moral corruption are condemned. The common spiritual trap of relying on religious ritual and symbol and charm while failing to live a life of genuine faith and charity is highlighted.
The people believed that because God dwelt in the temple that the city was invincible. This presumption can be carried over into many areas of life. Jeremiah warns against deceptive words. He highlights the link between worship and the morals or behaviour of the people, individually and all together The necessity of internal conversion is stressed.
The people brazenly commit terrible sins which are listed and then stand in the temple to worship, treating the sacred space as a shield. Jeremiah asked if the house of God had become a den of robbers. This was famously quoted by Jesus when he cleansed the Temple.

In the Gospel parable the farmer is interested above all in saving the grain. He does not agree with his servants initiative because he wishes to give the grain every possible chance. Life is seldom straightforward, divided into clear categories. Good and evil are found together, not just outside but within each of us. The reality of Original Sin teaches us that each has the potential within us for both greatness and badness. Because of this ambiguity within us, judgement must not be forced. The harvest will separate the w**ds from the wheat.

Gospel
Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and w**d it out?” But he said, “No, because when you w**d out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

The reading from Jeremiah has the promise that God will raise up shepherds after his own heart. (Pastores dabo vobis) The call to return and repentance is laid out along with a prayer for forgiveness and a recall of the promises of the Sacred Scriptures. The disloyalty and stubbornness of the human heart is highlighted.
The Gospel continues the parable of the sower with an explanation. Parables usually do not have explanations in the scriptures. They are generally used to provoke thought and reflection and a personal response.

Gospel
Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’

Ag Críost an Síol


Ag Críost an síol, ag Críost an fómhar;
in iothlainn Dé go dtugtar sinn.
Ag Críost an mhuir, ag Críost an t-iasc;
líonta Dé go gcastar sinn.

Ó fhás go haois, ó aois go bás,
do dhá láimh, a Chríost, anall tharainn.

Ó bhás go críoch nach críoch ach athfhás,
i bParthas na ngrás go rabhaimid.

To Christ the seed, to Christ the crop,
in the barn of Christ may we be brought.
To Christ the sea, to Christ the fish,
in the nets of Christ may we be caught.

From growth to age, from age to death,
Thy two arms here, O Christ, about us.

Jesus of Nazareth could have chosen simply to express Himself in moral precepts; but like a great poet He chose the form of the parable, wonderful short stories that entertained and clothed the moral precept in an eternal form. It is not sufficient to catch man's mind, you must also catch the imaginative faculties of his mind.

Jeremiah continues his prophetic challenge to the people using intimate imagery of bridal days, the affection of youth and the love that they invoke. God's great care for and covenantal faithfulness is recalled as is the accusation of defilement and detestable practice. The people have forgotten to search for God and lost all knowledge of the divine in following false gods and idols. The heavens are aghast says the prophet and the people are accused, in a memorable image, of creating leaky cisterns that hold no water and ignoring the divine fountain of living water.

Parables are not meant to be explained but they do raise questions. The observation of Jesus of the abundance of seed that the sower needed, or the generous way nature sows its seeds, is an insight that is true to life. Many or most seeds fall into unwelcoming, infertile circumstances.
The word of God, similarly sown, falls on deaf ears more often than it falls into the heart of a hearing audience. The insights of scripture or of creation are hidden to those who are the most blind because they do not wish to see all that is being taught to them in nature and creation and in God’s Word.

Some seeds break into life through the concrete or the tarmacadam; some take root in unexpected places especially where we least expect it and, of course, some seed falls into a fertile soil and go on to bear much fruit. There is hope, especially when we remove the obstacles, when we clear the way and prepare the ground. When we open the eyes, unstop the ears and prepare the heart.

Gospel
Matthew 13:10-17

The disciples went up to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:
You will listen and listen again, but not understand,
see and see again, but not perceive.
For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted
and be healed by me.
‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’