Photo was taken last week at Benbulben, Sligo (Irl)
Fog and mist rest on top of Benbulben mountain, near Sligo.
It is a mountain that dominates the landscape around Sligo. Its beauty pulls you in from every side. Even with the fog and mist swirling along its upper slopes it still has a beauty all of its own.
On This Day
On Sep 26th 1969 The Beatles released ‘Abbey Road’, their last-recorded album
On Sep 26th 2008 American actor Paul Newman, whose striking good looks and compelling performances made him one of Hollywood’s most popular actors, died at the age of 83.
Birthdays Today
Dolores Keane (Irish Singer) is 69
Finbarr Wright (Irish Singer and Tenor) is 65
Serena Williams (Tenis Player) is 41
Saint For Today
Today September 26th is the Feast Day of Saint Cosmas and Damian. They are the Patron Saints of Pharmacy and Medicine. They were third century Arabian-born twin brothers who embraced Christianity and practised medicine and surgery without a fee.
Significance of Today
As we move towards the end of September, it is a month to celebrate bees and beekeeping. September is a month when many beekeepers remove the surplus honey from their beehives and leave the rest to the bees for their winter stores. Those who love anything that is related to honey, bees and beekeeping will know that our bees are so important to our natural environment. They play such a crucial role in maintaining and keeping balance in our ecosystems.
Thought on Monday – September – 26/09/2022
Yesterday (September 25th) was the feast of St. Finbarr. He is the patron saint of Cork and has very close ties with Gougane Barra in West Cork. The world that Finbarr lived in was radically different to the one we live in now. The world back then was much less complicated, life was lived simply with fewer distractions. But they too had their challenges and difficulties. Finbarr believed strongly that God was the one who gave us hope and strength to get us through everything.
This was the message that he brought from Gougane Barra to the people of Cork and beyond. His message is still so relevant today.
It is also lovely that the feast of Saint Finbarr occurs during the Season of Creation which always happens during September. The Season of Creation encourages us to get out and about to appreciate the beauty of creation and to sense God’s presence in the beauty of nature. We can of course do it anywhere but a beautiful place to do it is of course Gouane Barra.
Psalm 86 echoes a very similar expression of God. It puts before us an alternative to hopelessness. The psalm reminds us that God is kind and full of compassion. We are told that the God we follow, ‘Abounds in love’. If you translate the word ‘abound’, the dictionary says, ‘full of’, ‘overflowing with’, ‘teeming with’ or ‘alive with’. The writer of this psalm adds the word ‘love’. This then translates beautifully in the Psalm as ‘full of love’, ‘overflowing with love’, ‘teeming with love’, ‘alive with love’. To say that God is ‘alive with love’ is such a beautiful description of God.
It means that God is with us right now and with us through everything that is going on in our lives – not last week or next week, but alive in the moment that is now. This is the God St Finbarr believed in, that God is the one who gives us hope and strength to get us through everything and that God is alive all around us wherever love is present. It is not some old outdated notion of God but is still so relevant for the world we live in today. It is also very relevant for our own personal lives too. We pray for the blessings of Saint Finbarr to be with us on this Monday and during the coming week.
