Prayer of the Day

Prayer

From the moment Satan enters Judas and as he leaves the table,  the Lord embarks on a long discourse to his disciples.  It is,  in effect,  his farewell address,  assuring them that he would be with them when anxieties came their way. All four Gospels are united in their testimony to the fact that the men chosen by Jesus were constantly missing the point and misinterpreting what he said.  In today’s passage of Scripture,  they can perhaps be forgiven for having difficulty in understanding the message which Jesus was expressing in rather mysterious terms.  What does Jesus mean when he said; “You will grieve,  but your grief will become joy?”  Jesus wants us to understand that all suffering in life has a purpose and a meaning.  Faith will help us to understand that the acceptance of grief and pain can be turned into joy,  a joy so great that we will forget the pain. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Carthage  who hailed from a rich family in Kerry.  As he loved chanting the Psalms,  the local king arranged for him to become a priest.  He founded his own monastery at Rahan,  which welcomed numerous monks.  His last foundation was at Lismore where he died in 638.