Lent: A Pilgrimage to Lough Derg

Fr Ross Crichton of Eriskay sets us up for Lent, our lesser spotted Saint is St Colman, and a few friends of the Coracle recommend some reading for this Lenten period. Welcome!

Living by the sea, I am very much aware of her ever-changing moods. There are days when the fishermen are simply not able to go out. On such days, the boats must remain at anchor until the storm passes. The past few months have witnessed political, economic, social and cultural storms which show no sign of abating; we too, then, must remain at anchor. The rock to which we anchor ourselves in such times is our Catholic Faith. The Church to which we belong has survived the political, social and cultural upheavals of centuries and managed to do so with both strong and weak leaders at the helm. Sometimes, it is only when material supports are removed from us that we lean more firmly on spiritual ones. When human strength, power and ingenuity fail us, we have a chance to discover anew the strength, power and ingenuity of God.

Despite the political upheavals of our time, Europe is still profoundly marked by that Christian heritage which has formed her character. It might be less evident today, but like the rock beneath the waves, it is still there; waiting for us to anchor ourselves to it. Here, in the Western Isles, the Catholic Faith has survived despite every attempt of authority to extinguish it. When it was impossible for priests to minister to the people, the people took to their boats and made pilgrimages to Lough Derg and Croagh Patrick over in Ireland. Rather than seek consolation in time of trial, they sought to do penance. That turning from reliance on the material in order to rely more fully on the spiritual is what kept their faith alive.

As we enter the Holy Season of Lent, this should be our own ambition. By renouncing the legitimate material comforts that the world has to offer us, we can embrace more fully that true spiritual consolation which God awaits to confer so abundantly. Nearly three decades have passed since I was last in St. Patrick’s Purgatory in Lough Derg, but one of my abiding memories was how the spiritual exercises started. The bare-footed, fasting pilgrim would stretch out his or her arms in a cruciform fashion against St. Brigid’s Cross on the wall of the Basilica and repeat three times, “I renounce the world, the flesh and the devil.”

This spiritual exercise traces its roots to the Gospel passage which will be heard at Holy Mass on the First Sunday of Lent in the Extraordinary Form and in Cycles A & C of the Ordinary Form. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must follow in the footsteps of our Master. There is no Glory without the Cross! The Resurrection on Easter Sunday only comes about because of the Crucifixion on Good Friday. Like the seed which must die in order to bring forth life in the natural world, so in the realms of grace must we die to self before we can truly live. If the self-will of our first parents brought sin and death into the world, so grace and life can only flow back into the world when we overcome self-will with a renewed dedication to doing God’s Will.

The three-fold exercises of Lent are designed to enable us to do just that. Our fasting, or the renunciation of legitimate bodily pleasures in terms of food, drink, and entertainment, creates a gap in our lives – and gaps need to be filled. As self is pushed aside and we train ourselves not to rely on material things, so the heart is purified, and we can make more room for God. That is why spiritual exercises must accompany our self-denial! Lenten exercises should never aim at improving physical well-being without reference to our spiritual well-being. And so, we are encouraged to take on extra prayer, or to raise our minds and hearts more effectively in the devotional exercises we already undertake. We win the battle against sin, not by focussing on the sins we wish to eliminate, but by focussing on the God whose grace wins the battles being fought over our souls. Self-denial enables us to master our passions rather than be mastered by them, while our spiritual exercises prepare the soul to receive the seeds of grace. Fasting ploughs furrows in the hardened soil of our hearts, and prayer plants the life-giving seeds of grace.

We mustn’t forget that third Lenten activity – almsgiving or charity. Just as self-denial unites with prayer to heal our relationship with God, so self-denial should unite with almsgiving to heal and restore broken relationships with our neighbour. We should not benefit materially from our own fasting; it is only right that those poorer than ourselves should benefit from our sacrifices. Through almsgiving, the heart is expanded to make room for our neighbour too.

Returning to the Gospel passages which recount the Temptations of Christ, we note that Christ is victorious because each time a temptation is placed before Him, His point of reference is always God. “Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God … Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God … The Lord thy God shalt thou adore and Him only shalt thou serve.” He never allows Himself to be distracted by the temptation.

In times of personal or social trial, we need to anchor ourselves to Him who is our Rock. Generations of our forefathers weathered greater storms than ours because they were rooted in Christ. Our renunciation of the world, the flesh and devil through our Lenten exercises will enable us to find true consolation in God.

Fr Ross Crichton | St Michaels, Eriskay

As is custom, people often read a spiritual book over Lent. For this week I asked a few friends of the Coracle to give you their recommendations. It is quite a diverse list and I hope it might help you this Lent. All the books will be available online at various retailers.

Fr Ross Crichton: Parish Priest at St Michaels Eriskay

St. John Chrysostom: Six Books on the Priesthood

(Translated with an introduction by Graham Neville) St. Vladimir’s Press, NY, 1996. (160pp)

It is good for us to delve deep into our Christian past and draw spiritual nourishment from the writings of the Fathers…. Continue Reading

Marianne Lucchesi: Ignatian Spiritual Accompanier

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

First published in French and English in 1943, this short little book tells the tale of a pilot’s encounter with a stranger in the desert, after crash landing there… Continue Reading

Fr Martin Birrell: Oblate Master of Pluscarden Abbey

The Rule of St Benedict/The Pluscarden Abbey Oblate Handbook

I have been asked for a review of a book in five hundred words, but I don't do reviews, only recommendations, and so I present a recommendation but not of one book but of two… Continue Reading

Sister Isabel Smyth SND: BCOS Interfaith Committee

An Astonishing Secret, The Love Story of Creation and the Wonder of You by by Daniel O’Leary, Columba Press 2017

Daniel O’ Leary is an engaging, inspiring and challenging writer. In An Astonishing Secret he reflects on Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment… Continue Reading

Eileen Claire Grant: Oblate and Author

The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St John Climacus

The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St John Climacus is read every year by many Orthodox Christians and the 4th Sunday of Orthodox Great Lent is kept for him… Continue Reading

Rev Pius Collins o.praem. Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré

Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, Donald H. Calloway, MIC (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2020)

Ite ad Ioseph! Go to Joseph! This phrase occurs in Gen 41:55, “When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do’… Continue Reading

Eric Hanna: Editor of St Moluag’s Coracle

Colossians, St Paul

I am not here to write a commentary on this Epistle, there are many excellent commentaries out there, but I just wanted get across to you how magnificent this Epistle is and why you should read it this Lent… Continue Reading

St Colman, Feast Day 18th February, 7th Century AD

---

If you have missed any past Coracles you can click here. Most of our past articles are on the roughbounds website as well as talks from Bishop Hugh Gilbert and the Highland Mens Conference.

Don’t forget we are Twits @stmoluagscoracle.

We have also started a GoFundMe page in the hope that if you are getting something out of the newsletters you may wish to contribute to their growth. If you want to go and have a look at our GoFundMe Page click the button below to find out more.

God Bless from Eric and Team