St Brigid of the Gael - Faughart Shrine

First of February - Feast of St. Brigid in Ireland.
Monday of week 4 of the year, Gospel Mark 5: 1-20.

The Gadarene Swine For the Community Mass this morning has a long Gospel. It is easily remembered by the ‘Gadarene Swine’ drama. The words have become idiomatic in the language. Among journalists and politicians they bandy the abuse on opposition parties as the “Gadarene swine on the Gadarene slide”. The best Catechesis on the text Mark 5: 1-20 is found from Pope Benedict xvi in one of his Audiences. He says that, “the existence of the power of evil . . . is an undeniable fact”. See below . . . """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""". Every thing is connected.Today, the 1st February, is the popular Saint, Brigid of the Gaels. In many homes, the St. Brigid RUSH-CROSS is kept prominent in the house and in the places of animals. In the late Fr. Felim’s room, the Rush-Cross still hangs. The tradition continues in so many homes as the visual memorial of St. Brigid, and a kind of sacramental of exorcism of evil in the home, protection for the family. [St. Brigid Faughart near Dundalk. In 2005 I had the happy occasion at the Retreat of the Order of St. Clare - Poor Clares at the birthplace of St. Bridgid at the neardy shrine of Faughart. On the Webside, www.poorclaresireland.org/ we learn more of the history and the vocation. According to tradition, Brigid was born at Faughart near Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Faughart is a town in County Louth, Ireland, situated between Forkill and Dundalk. It was the birthplace of St. Brigid (450 A.D.), and Edward Bruce is buried in the graveyard on the hill above the town. Bruce, who had taken the title King of Ireland, was defeated and killed at the Battle of Faughart in 1318. Landmarks include St. Bridget's stone and pillar, her shrine and well, and modern religious sites devoted to the saint that attract pilgrims and tourists]. Celtic Tradition St. Brigid (c. 451-525), the foundress of women’s religious life in Ireland, was born in Faughart, a mile down the road from our monastery. Brigid’s form of life was Celtic monasticism. Her contemporary, St. Moninna (432-518), continued this tradition and established the first women’s monastic settlement on Faughart Hill, in the foothills of the Cooley Mountains. The ruins of this monastery overlook our own monastery. “””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””” Pope Benedict XVI General Audience of 03/12/08 Mark 5:1-20."Unclean spirit, come out of the man!" Thus, the existence of the power of evil in the human heart and in human history is an undeniable fact. The question is: how can this evil be explained?... Faith tells us: there exist two mysteries, one of light and one of night, that is, however, enveloped by the mysteries of light. The first mystery of light is this: faith tells us that there are not two principles, one good and one evil, but there is only one single principle, God the Creator, and this principle is good, only good, without a shadow of evil. And therefore, being too is not a mixture of good and evil; being as such is good and therefore it is good to be, it is good to live. This is the good news of the faith: only one good source exists, the Creator... Then follows a mystery of darkness, or night. Evil does not come from the source of being itself, it is not equally primal. Evil comes from a freedom created, from a freedom abused. How was it possible, how did it happen? This remains obscure. Evil is not logical. Only God and good are logical, are light. Evil remains mysterious... We may guess, not explain; nor may we recount it as one fact beside another, because it is a deeper reality. It remains a mystery of darkness, of night. But a mystery of light is immediately added. Evil comes from a subordinate source. God with his light is stronger. And therefore evil can be overcome. Thus the creature, man, can be healed... And finally, the last point: man is not only healable, but is healed de facto. God introduced healing. He entered into history in person. He set a source of pure good against the permanent source of evil. The Crucified and Risen Christ, the new Adam, counters the murky river of evil with a river of light. And this river is present in history: we see the Saints, the great Saints but also the humble saints, the simple faithful. We see that the stream of light which flows from Christ is present, is strong.

Following visiting Kursi on two occasions, I was sorely tempted to accept the invitation to join the Volunteers in the Kursi archaeology dig at the site. There are excellent pictures of Kursi in this Website (biblewalks.com).