Devotees of Matt Talbot are encouraged to attend these Dublin Masses

Saturday 30^th May

Fr. Michael Shields will visit the Matt Talbot Shrine, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean Mac Dermott Street, Dublin 1 and celebrate Matt Talbot Vigil Mass at 7.00 pm followed by Healing Service.  Come and pray a Litany of Healing, Hope and Joy.

Sunday 31^st May

Matt Talbot Novena Mass & Prayers for Healing at 3.00 pm at the Matt Talbot Shrine, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean Mac Dermott Street, Dublin1. Supervised car parking.

Friday 5^th June

Matt Talbot Novena Mass & Prayers for Healing at 7.30 pm. St. Agatha’s Church, North William Street, Dublin 1.

 

Saturday 6^th June

Memorial Mass for Matt Talbot & our deceased loved ones at 7.00 pm. Service of Light from 8.00-11.00 pm. Matt Talbot Shrine, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean Mac Dermott Street, Dublin 1

Sunday 7^th June

Corpus Christi Mass at 9.30 am.  Procession to Granby Lane at 10.15 am for laying of wreath, prayers and blessing. St. Saviour’s Church, Dominick Street, Dublin 1.

Praying for Those in the Grip of Death by Addiction

This prayer was previously posted at  http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2008/11/venerable-matt-talbot-devotional_162.html

Today, we pray with one voice, asking that each of those suffering from the spiritual death of addiction will be liberated from the bonds of compulsion and craving; that the hold of these harmful behaviors will be released forever.

We call to you, Lord Jesus, and to the Power upon whom you called, that like the Prodigal Son, these brothers and sisters, held in the grip of death by addiction, will be able to return to a life free from harmful dependence.

Matt Talbot was led out of the despair of dependence, by living and working in prayerful devotion. He was dedicated to helping others. Through abstinence, prayer, the Sacraments, and reading of the Word, he was saved. Today, we ask that each of the addicted be led out of the shadows and into the light of hope.

With the example of this humble servant, and all the Saints who have struggled and prevailed, we ask that our plea for sobriety be heard, and that the energy needed for recovery will be available to all who seek Your help.

Show us the way out of addiction. Lead us to a new life of Faith. Teach us, through the example of Matt Talbot, to discipline of living addiction free lives.

Send each of those who suffer from addiction behavior the strength and courage needed to overcome dependence. Inspire us to seek abstinence and sobriety in our day to day lives, to live as Matt Talbot lived, by the light of Your Holy Spirit, and the guidance of Your redeeming grace, as we seek the miracle of recovery. 

We ask this in the name of God, the Most High, Amen.

Relying on the Lord

Venerable Matt Talbot’s life illustrates that the Lord can break all involuntary chains, even the chains in our own minds which hold us back from true peace.*

Venerable Matt Talbot, pray for us that we may grow in the serenity, courage and wisdom which comes from God alone.





*Note:  The chains that Matt was wearing at the time of his death were symbolic of his great devotion to Mary and Jesus. Without those chains, which were inspired by St. Louis de Monfort, we would not know of Matt Talbot today.

Introducing Venerable Matt Talbot Via Tellagami

This 15 second Gami video (https://tellagami.com/app/) was published on Apr 10, 2015 by Susan Pombrio. The Matt Talbot image was posted four years ago at
http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2011/04/venerable-matt-talbot-image.html

 

A Prayer for a Miracle of Healing

 

Personally knowing the power of prayer and facing yet another deadly health challenge poignantly described at http://csn.cancer.org/node/289551, Robert asked his uncle, Monsignor Bill, who knew of Matt Talbot, to write a prayer for him.  This is that prayer:

 

 

Venerable Matt Talbot, you sobered up through a simple daily program of complete reliance on God after pledging yourself to live without alcohol. You did this with the encouragement and guidance of two spiritual  directors. You lived your Catholic faith after the example of Mary our mother and her beloved Son\, Jesus our Savior.  You began each day with Mass and Holy Communion.  You prayed and fasted  constantly.  You gave what little you possessed or earned through your hard work to the poor.

 

We come to you,  Dear Matt, on behalf of our beloved Robert who has suffered so much since his fall. We are asking you to intercede for a miracle of healing for Robert from the cancer that threatens to take his life.  Please go to Jesus and Mary and plead with them for this great favor.  We will be grateful to you for all our lives.

 

Conclude with 3 our Fathers, 3 Hail Mary’s and conclude with: O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in you. Immaculate Heart of Mary we hope in you.  Venerable, Matt Talbot, please hear our prayers. AmenAmen

Litany for Venerable Matt Talbot

 

May this litany* for Matt Talbot encourage and comfort all who pray it.

 

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy, Christ hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy.

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

Blessed Mother of God, pray for us.

 

Venerable Matt Talbot, born into poverty and lack, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who suffered the abuse of an alcoholic father, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who suffered the loss of childhood innocence, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who succumbed to the drug of alcohol as a teenager, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who fell into debt due to his addiction, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who stooped to steal from a beggar, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who later searched in vain to repay the beggar, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, whose faith was darkened by the veil of addiction, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, blessed by a holy mother who never ceased praying the rosary, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who endured intolerable cravings for alcohol, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, whose friends turned away from him in derision and mockery, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, broken, desperate, humbled, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, prostrate before the tabernacle, tortured for want of a drink, hearing only Jesus’ response, ‘I thirst’, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, restrained from receiving the Eucharist by Satan, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, freed by Christ to receive Eucharist, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, upon crying out to Our Lady was freed from the bondage of an alcoholic obsession, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who turned from sin to serve God’s poor and destitute, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, who gave all to the poor, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, entirely transformed and sustained by the Holy Eucharist, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, so devoted to Our Lady that her rosary was ever in his hands, pray for us.

 

Venerable Matt Talbot, friend of Francis of Assisi pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, Third Order Franciscan, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, friend of Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, refuge and comfort for alcoholics and their families, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot, totally embracing Christ’s victorious grace in his life, pray for us.

 

Let us Pray

 

Venerable Matt Talbot, addict for Christ, look down upon all of us in our struggles with different addictions, in bondage, tortured of soul, heart and mind,

blind to the saving light of Christ.

 

Through your prayers, let us have our eyes opened by grace to see salvation in the Holy One of God, who hung upon a Cross so that we may be set free. Father, pour out your light and blessing in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour.

 

Amen

 

Fr. Tom Ryan P.P. St. Senan’s Parish Shannon

 

 

* A litany is an expression of solidarity with the whole people of God. Particularly, it is an expression of a shared ministry with those biblical or holy characters who have journeyed before us, recognition that they have something to offer us and that we can be guided by their intercession.

 

 

Source:  Matt Talbot - A Lenten Journey, pages 48-50 (http://www.acnireland.org/images/books/matt_talbot_a_lenten_journey.pdf)

Matt Talbot: An Example for Finishing Your Life Well

The writer is pastor of the Church of the Nativity in Magadan, Russia.

 

"After a bad start, finish your life well."

Father Michael Shields

December 2014

http://www.catholicanchor.org/forum/bad-start-finish-life-well/

 

 

I am turning 65 this month and a lovely question has come to me: “How do I want to finish this life?”

We all may have had some bad starts along the way but the Christian Gospel says we can make a great finish.

While praying about this for a few months I met a friend along the way. A lovely little saint named Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925). He was an Irish man and a chronic alcoholic who found sobriety for 41 years through devotion to the Eucharist, prayer, self-discipline and spiritual direction. He lived the 12 step program before it was discovered. He is a saint for the addict and the alcoholic, the down-and-outers and the rest of us who need a little hope to keep on the path home.

He was a simple man who, through great efforts, taught himself to read and write so he could read the Bible and the lives of the saints. He would often be found kneeling in front of the church door waiting for the parish to open for the early morning Mass. He found a deep relationship to Jesus through Mary as he made the consecration of Saint Louis de Montfort.

He was going to Trinity Sunday Mass when he died and would have been terribly embarrassed that others found out he was wearing a small chain to remind himself he was a servant of the great King and Queen of Heaven.

I love the story about how he spent seven years trying to find the blind fiddle player from whom he stole a fiddle to pay for some pints of beer. He couldn’t locate him so gave the amount of money that the fiddle cost to a priest to pray for the man’s soul. He was a simple man who started badly but finished a saint.

So here I am before God asking, “Lord, show me how to finish this life.”

Matt’s simple spiritual life resonates with me and was taken from the pattern of the Irish monks as summarized by Saint Columbanus: “Pray daily, fast daily, work daily, study daily.” I confess that this is the best description of the life I want to lead as I finish this life. I find in this simple saint such beauty and a call to run with him to the end. I recall Saint Paul’s words in Hebrews: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us with perseverance run the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Lord, in your servant Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty and of lifelong reverence for the Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Matt we are coming, pray for us.

Venerable Matt Talbot and Divine Mercy

Asking Matt's Help in the Presence of the Lord

Gentle Matt, I turn to you in my present needs and ask for the help of your prayers.
Trusting in you, I am confident your charitable and understanding heart will make my petitions your own.
I believe that you are truly powerful in the presence of Divine Mercy. If it be for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
the honour of Mary, our Mother and Queen and the deepening of my relationship with them, show that your goodness towards me, in my daily struggles, equals your influence with the Holy Spirit, who is hidden and at home in my Heart.
Friend of pity, friend of power, hear, oh hear me in this hour, gentle Matt, please pray for me.

 

 

Monsignor Charles Pope, pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Church in Washington, D.C., provides us with a very thoughtful meditation for Divine Mercy Sunday—“Gods Perfect Mercy” at 

http://blog.adw.org/2015/04/gods-perfect-mercy-a-meditation-for-divine-mercy-sunday/.

He concludes his meditation with a video of the song “I almost let go,” which we all can relate to:

 

I almost let go;I felt like I just couldn’t take life any more.
My problems had me bound;
Depression weighed me down;
But God held me close
so I wouldn’t let go.

 
God’s mercy kept me;
so I wouldn’t let go

I almost gave up;
I was right at the edge of a break through,
but couldn’t see it.
The devil really had me,
but Jesus came and grabbed me,
and He held me close,
so I wouldn’t let go.

God’s mercy kept me,
so I wouldn’t let go.

So I’m here to day because God kept me
I’m A live today only because of His grace
Oh He kept me, God kept me
God’s mercy kept me,
so I wouldn’t let go.

The Influence of Venerable Matt Talbot for One Family

On 10 October 2014 we posted an article about the possibility of a physical miracle involving one-year-old Talbot Joseph Watkins from Kansas and Venerable Matt Talbot, which was investigated in person by Fr. Brian Lawless, Vice Postulator for the cause of canonization of Matt Talbot (http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-physical-miracle-involving-venerable_10.html).

We now have yet another very special story about Lourdes Marie Talbot Boever from Nebraska, who was born with omphaloceles.  Her birth story (Part 1) is shared in detail by her mother, Lindsay at

http://mychildiloveyou.blogspot.com/2015/03/lourdes-marie-talbot-boever-your-birth.html.The importance of Venerable Matt Talbot and other holy persons in the life of this family is clearly noted in this and other posts.

The given names of these two children leads one to wonder how many children throughout the world have been named “Matt” and/or “Talbot” in honor of the Venerable Matt Talbot in the past ninety years?

Venerable Matt Talbot included in “The Catholic Advantage”

In his latest book, The Catholic Advantage: Why Health, Happiness, and Heaven Await the Faithful (2015),

Dr. William A. Donohue, President and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Right (USA), states

“Not all Catholic heroes become saints, and not all whose sufferings bring solace to the afflicted achieve sainthood. There are some, however, whose spiritual journey merits them being declared Venerable, a status short of sainthood. One of the most interesting persons to achieve this level of recognition is Matt Talbot, known as the patron of alcoholics.” 

 

The four page section about Matt can be read (within Chapter 4: Coping with Adversity) at

https://books.google.com/books?id=NJFoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT94&dq=bill+donohue++matt+talbot&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2TQkVe-eFszuoASoy4CICQ&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%20matt%20talbot&f=false. Other sections of this book can also be previewed.

Matt Talbot: from alcohol to holiness

by Fr. Brian Schieber 

St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish

Leawood, KS

First Sunday of Lent Year B 

February 22, 2015

http://www.stmichaelcp.org/images/stories/Homily/2015_Fr._Brian_/Matt_Talbot.pdf

Matt Talbot has been declared Venerable which means he on the way to hopefully becoming a canonized saint.

Matt Talbot was born in Dublin Ireland in 1856. He was one of 12 children. At the time in Ireland school attendance was not in force so Matt rarely attended school. At the age of 12, he got a job in a wine shop. It was there that Matt began “sampling the wares,” which started him on a journey of excessive drinking for the next 16 years. For those 16 years, he lived for booze. After working in the wine shop, he started working in a whiskey shop making things even worse. All of his wages he spent on drinking. He frequented the pubs and became such a down and out drunk that he even pawned his clothes and boots to get money for alcohol. Once he even stole a fiddle from a blind street musician.

One day, penniless, he was standing outside a pub waiting for someone to buy him a drink. Frustrated that no one would, he received a flash of grace and recognized what a pitiful life he was living. He went home and told his mother that he was taking the pledge. She had been praying earnestly for his conversion. At the age of 28 he found a priest, made his confession, and then the next day he went to Mass and received Communion which did every day for the rest of his life until he died at the age of 69 in 1925 of a heart attack on his way to morning Mass.

Living the life of sobriety was not easy. He wrote to his sister, “Never look down on a man who cannot give up the drink. It is easier to get out of hell.” It was the grace of God that set him free. He had support and accountability. And he did more than resist the urge to drink – he lived a life of penance and self-discipline. He slept on a plank, fasted, and wore chains around his waist and arm and leg as a symbol of his devotion and desire to be a slave of Mary.

On this first Sunday of Lent we hear Jesus say to us, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Repent means to make a turn in your life. Turn away from sin and turn toward Christ. Matt Talbot made a huge life-saving turn in his life. All of us, no matter where we are on our spiritual journey, are called to deepening repentance. As we begin Lent, take time to honestly reflect: what are the sins that are binding me? What do I need to let go of in my life? Then I’m asking all of us to do something very important for Lent – please make a good confession! That was really the beginning of Matt Talbot’s conversion.

The Church holds up for us three traditional disciplines of Lent to help us in our on-going process of conversion: prayer, fasting, almsgiving

.

I want to talk about fasting first. Why do we fast? We fast in imitation of Jesus. We see in the gospel that the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the desert where he fasted. What happens when we you fast? You get hungry! What happens in the desert? You get thirsty. Fasting or giving something up for lent is meant to awaken the deepest hunger and thirst in our life: the thirst for God. Alcohol could not quench Matt Talbot’s deepest thirst. In fact in only led him into the throws of addiction. It was only Jesus and his reception of Jesus in daily Communion that satisfied and set him free. Fasting can help us turn to Jesus. Every time we have a desire to have that desert or soda or coffee that we gave up, it gives us an opportunity to choose Jesus over whatever we gave up.

Second, Almsgiving – our sacrifices should lead to the aide of the poor. After Matt Talbot’s conversion he was known for his generosity. He repaid all of his debts. He tried to find the man from whom he stole the fiddle and unable to find him donated money to the church to have Masses offered for him. Even though he was poor himself, he gave generously to the poor, to charities, and to the Church.

We still have the rice-bowls available after Mass. The idea is that you take the money you would have saved on whatever you give up for Lent and you put it in the rice-bowl to help the poor.

Can I make one other practical suggestion of what we can all do for Lent? Catholic Charities has provided a clothing bin for us that we have put on the north side of the church. Please take time this lent to clean out your closet and donate clothes for the poor.

At our administrative team meetings with the Archbishop, we are taking a few minutes before the meeting to reflect on Pope Francis’ letter called Joy of the Gospel. What struck me this week were these words by Pope Francis: “Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? We have created a “throw away” culture which is now spreading.” We so often are blessed with abundance which sadly can lead to waste. It could be a beautiful Lenten resolution to say, “I’m going to work hard not to waste food.” Or before we buy something to say, “Do I really need another  one of these?” Simplify your life. Clean out your closet for Lent!

Finally, prayer. It was by the grace of God that Matt Talbot was set free. Conversion goes hand and hand with prayer. The image of the desert provides us with insight. The desert is free of distractions.

Blase Paschal said most of the time human beings seek diversion in life. We easily get caught up in the world through images, ads, media, music, idle conversations, and the constant borage of sensory pleasures available to us. We are drawn out into the world to the neglect of our interior life – our spiritual life.

St. Augustine: Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. St. Augustine searched for God in the pleasures of the world to the neglect of his interior life. If I’m going to be cultivating my interior life – my prayer life – what is necessary?

Silence! I have to unplug. What a beautiful thing to do for lent – create a desert space in your life. Unplug the TV, computer games, IPad, the cell phone, the IPod and enter into the silence.

Take home a copy of the Word Among Us. You can reflect on the daily readings for Mass. It also has a daily meditation. Consider praying the rosary as a family. Come to the Stations of the Cross on Fridays.

As the story of Matt Talbot circulated, his life gave hope to so many. Now there are countless addiction clinics, recovery centers and youth hostels named after him. Matt Talbot made a turn in his life. Now is the time to repent. Let us take up fasting, almsgiving, and prayer and turn back to God with all our hearts.

2015 Pilgrimage to Ireland with the Venerable Matt Talbot Vice Postulator

 This is a reminder regarding the forthcoming pilgrimage:

“Pilgrimage to Ireland In the footsteps of Patrick, in the company of Matt, June 21-July2, 2015"

Join Father Brian Lawless, Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Matt Talbot, and JF Declan Quinn, Director of Aid to the Church in Need, on a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the footsteps of St.Patrick, in the company of Venerable Matt Talbot. 

Round-trip airfare from Philadelphia, daily Mass, first class hotel accommodations, most meals, private touring and more.

For details click to download the brochure at
http://media.wix.com/ugd/d5a841_294bcaa54bef4f8897924b11393c2377.pdf

One notable visitor to the Venerable Matt Talbot Shrine

During one of his trips to Ireland His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, paid a visit to the Venerable Matt Talbot Shrine at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Dublin. 



 

Parish Mission - “From Brokenness to Wholeness”

When:  Mar 25 – 27, 2015
 

Where: Our Lady of Lourdes, Sean McDermott Street Lower, Dublin 1, Ireland

Description: Matt Talbot Shrine is holding a special year of planned events to commemorate the 90th anniversary of his death. Matt was only 28 years old when he took the radical decision to turn away from a life of addiction and follow God's call. He is an example of what is possible in a world that needs this more than ever. 

A three day parish mission will be held in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean McDermott St, D1 at 7PM on Mar 25th – 27th. The speakers will be Br Barry Butler, an Alexian Brother who has worked for many years with individuals and families suffering from illness and addictions and David Barbieri, a former former heroin addict and gang member who, for the last 18 years, has worked with Br Barry helping others to change their lives. Each session ends with prayers for healing. 

On Sunday March 29th at 2PM there will be a Walk of Remembrance from the Matt Talbot Memorial on Sean McDermott St to Our Lady of Lourdes Church. The walk will include prayer for all those lost to addiction, suicide and illness. This will be followed by mass celebrated by Fr Kieran McDermott at 3PM with Teen Spirit providing music ministry. 

Information: Matt Talbot Shrine, Our Lady of Lourdes Church Sean Mac Dermott Street, D1 Tel: 01 8551259

Fr. Richard Ebejer SDB, Adm

St. Patrick and Venerable Matt Talbot

In his article at http://scottdodge.blogspot.com/2015/03/in-honor-of-st-patrick.html, Deacon Scott of the Diocese of Salt Lake City honors St. Patrick but focuses on “another great Irish Christian on the occasion” of St. Patrick’s Day, namely, Venerable Matt Talbot.  

Such a pairing of these holy persons is likely to increase an awareness of Matt Talbot.

Update:

The Ave Maria Hour Radio Show - iTunes – T  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ave-maria-hour-radio-show/id493572872?mt=2   This program is hosted by Fr. Bob Warren S.A., of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. Since its inception in 1898, reconciliation and healing through ... CleanSt. Patrick – Missionary, Bishop and Patron Saint of Ireland, Life of the legendary St. Patrick of Ireland. 3/16/2018, (#1)Free, View in iTunes. Also Venerable Matt Talbot (#50)

The True Story of St. Patrick – YouTube   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTYQyv8e-x4

Introduction to the Real Saint Patrick

It is probable that only a small percentage of people  worldwide who celebrate St. Patrick’s Day have taken the time to seriously read about St. Patrick or read his writings. (To read what St. Patrick actually wrote in his own words, see http://www.confessio.ie/#)

 

In this article Susan Gately, who writes from Ireland, separates some facts from legends of the real St. Patrick.

 

 

The Real St. Patrick

Susan Gately

3/16/2015

https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/DailyTake/Article/TabId/736/ArtMID/13645/ArticleID/17137/The-real-St-Patrick.aspx#sthash.s93DKPoe.dpuf

Ask anyone about Ireland's national saint, St. Patrick, and invariably you will be told three facts: He brought Christianity to Ireland, he got rid of the snakes, and he explained the Trinity using a shamrock.

Alas, all wrong. 

"In those three cases, the first one is actually false and the other two are late legends," said Salvador Ryan, professor of ecclesiastical history at St. Patrick's College Maynooth in Ireland.

In fact, in 431 the pope sent Palladius as bishop to the Irish people “believing in Christ.” So when Patrick arrived in Ireland, there were already Christians there. The story of the snakes first appears in “Life of St. Patrick” from the 12th century by Jocelin of Furness. "It is maybe symbolic of banishing paganism from Ireland," said Ryan. 

Then there's the shamrock. The first image of St. Patrick holding a shamrock, now so associated with him, is on a half-penny coin minted in Dublin in 1674. 

But St. Patrick was not a legend. He was a real man and, uniquely for the time, wrote his own life story.  In fact, he is the only Roman citizen we know from the fifth century who was taken into slavery in a barbarian land among non-Roman peoples who lived to tell the tale and wrote about it. 

St. Patrick wrote two documents: his Confessio (Confession) (about 6,500 words) , and “A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus.” One is his declaration of faith, the other a severe reprimand to soldiers who conducted raids on St. Patrick's newly baptised Christians. 

The Confession arises from a period of crisis. "It seems that certain allegations have been made by some people in the Church in Britain against Patrick," Ryan said. "They claim he came to Ireland for his own financial gain." Patrick wrote to set the record straight, telling his own story.

He was from Roman Britain from a well-to-do family. His father was a deacon; his grandfather a priest. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland. 

In Latin, Patrick wrote: "After I arrived in Ireland, I tended sheep every day. More and more the love of God increased, and my sense of awe before God. Faith grew, and my spirit was moved, so that in one day I would pray up to one hundred times, and at night perhaps the same. I even remained in the woods and on the mountain, and I would rise to pray before dawn in snow and ice and rain. I never felt the worse for it, and I never felt lazy — as I realize now, the spirit was burning in me at that time" (Confessio 16).

Patrick escaped, but back in Britain, in a dream, a figure came bearing letters. "They called out as it were with one voice: 'We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk among us once again'” (Confessio 23).

Against his family's wishes, Patrick returned to Ireland.  "It is a hard station, almost a self-imposed exile. He tells us of the pain of emigration. It is a very human account," Ryan said

.

Patrick refers to the conversion of hundreds of people. While there is no tradition of martyrdom in Ireland, it is clear that Patrick suffered, was protective of the converts and ready to lay down his life for them.

"What comes through powerfully is his humanity and his deep faith and humility. He says he was a stone lying in deep mire, but that God picked him up and sat him on top of the wall," Ryan said. 

Looking at his writings rather than his legend, you see a man aware of his weakness. For instance, he tells of a sin he committed at age 16. He's ashamed of it and confides it to a friend. His friend breaks the confidence and tells everyone. "Patrick has long since confessed this particular sin and has done penance for it, but it comes back to bite him. Sometimes that happens to us, too. He's a flesh-and-blood saint," Ryan said.

Patrick died at the end of the fifth century. Two centuries later, biographies sponsored by the Church in Armagh, Ireland, appear, presenting him as a wonder-worker. But the Patrick of the Confession is "more impressive" than his legends, Ryan said. The saint who wrote more than 1,500 years ago said: "For this reason, may God not let it come about that I would suffer the loss of his people who have become his in the furthermost parts of the earth. I pray that God give me perseverance, and that he grant me to bear faithful witness to him right up to my passing from this life, for the sake of my God" (Confessio 58).

Honoring the Priest at Matt Talbot House

A recovering addict leaves the nightly mass in the former funeral home, now called the Matt Talbot House after the Irish ascetic. Though not formally recognized as a saint, the Venerable Matt Talbot is considered a patron of those struggling with alcoholism. (TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer)

 

 

For the story about the “battling the violence of addiction” ministry of Father Doug McKay, click http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150315_Priest_to_be_honored_for_fostering_peace_in_Grays_Ferry.html

 

Information about the Matt Talbot sculpture in the window can be viewed at http://www.calixsociety.org/resources/talbot-statue.

"The beautiful gift of the present moment"

 

Beginning with a momentary resolve, Matt Talbot began to embrace and live fully in the present moment.

 

“Why is Matt Talbot so bloody manly anyway?”

January 1, 2015 / The Catholic Irishman

Source:  https://thecatholicirishman.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/why-is-matt-talbot-so-bloody-manly-anyway/

 

An old man staggered up to me in the street, pint glass in hand. Laying his right hand on my shoulder he slurred out the question “Why is Matt Talbot so bloody manly anyway?” I wish he could hear my answer.

There is no doubt that Matt Talbot is a very holy man and on this very special feast day, the solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is fitting to acknowledge that he was exceptionally devoted in his life to the Mother of Jesus Christ, our God. He considered himself her slave and he went out of his way to demonstrate his devotion to her by wearing chains of penance on his legs and arms and by offering up penance, prayer and masses to people he had wronged in his life. Now, I say to you, that is a real man.

You see, Matt Talbot was a flaming alcoholic for much of his early life. From the age of thirteen he had become hooked on a liquid, which takes the lives of so many of our Irish men. Every penny he had went to what eroded away at a life that held so much promise. Every second, day, year of his life given over to partaking in an activity, wasting precious seconds that were gifted to him to be in service to the Lord God. His masculinity decimated, his desire to serve and give to others crushed, he found himself penniless, in debt, having wronged so many and given up on any hope of family life.

Now this is not a story of life lost. It is also not a story of what could be if an alcoholic could change his mind. For that is not a realistic assessment of the situation. Matt Talbot once said:

“Never be too hard on the man who can’t give up drink. It’s as hard to give up the drink, as it is to raise the dead to life again. But both are possible and even easy for Our Lord. We have only to depend on him.”

The attraction to alcohol is so emotionally embedded in the personality of the human imprisoned that it is almost impossible to escape the clutches of the dreaded disease. I can change no one and intend nothing of the sort with this article.

Matt Talbot hit rock bottom. Standing outside a pub one night penniless, his only hope was the desire of being invited in by a passerby for a drink. This did not happen and it was then that, in a moment, Matt walked away from that pub. And history was made…

This was not a planned occurrence. This decision did not have weeks of Matt scrupulously deciding upon a big change for his future. What happened then was a momentary resolve. It occurred in an instant. Matt decided to move one step at a time away from the door of the public house that had held him prisoner for so many years. As each step got further away circumstances occurred. A meeting with his mother came next. In that moment he said to her he was taking the pledge. Moment to moment he began to live. In each moment he made a decision to do the right thing. He took the pledge for three months. In each moment of those three months he continued to make decisions to do the right thing. He made it to three and so took the pledge to six months and eventually for his lifetime.

Matt is now being considered for sainthood. He dedicated his life to paying back his financial debts and he dedicated his life to paying back his spiritual debts. He had Masses said for those he wronged and he prayed fervently for others.

What is fascinating about this holy venerable is that it was in that split second outside the pub in Dublin that he became in a moment, a man. He started to live in what is the most powerful tool we, as men, have – the present moment.

Saint Faustina, of Jesus’ Divine Mercy, talked frequently about the beautiful gift of the present moment. The past is gone and there is nothing we can do about it. We may have had it tough, we may have had difficult relationships and troubles and we may have been horrible people to others. But that is gone now. The past no longer exists. The future does not exist yet either. It has not come yet and it may not come. We have no idea what the future holds. Therefore, all we really have is the present moment. We have nothing else. And therefore, it is what we do with that moment, that present moment, what we decide to do, think, speak or act, that will define who we are as people. That is the key and secret to life my friends. If we know in our hearts that life is about serving God. If we decide to give our moments to what is good and for the good of others then we can rest in the peace of knowing we are following his will.

This action takes only one step at a time. Ask the question “what should I be doing in this moment to serve God, to be doing what is right and good”. Worry only about that moment and get through it and leave the next moment for when it comes.

This was Matt Talbot. It is why he is considered manly and holy. He started that night outside the pub to take one step at a time, one moment at a time, to do what is right. In that moment he left adolescence behind and became a man, he became strong, he moved forward and though he no doubt fell often, he continued always to get right back up and to struggle on. He did not give up and he created one of the most beautiful and masculine lives ever witnessed in Ireland. To give yourself for others, that is the heart of a man. To reject it is to reject your true calling.

Let us today begin to embrace our present moments and ask God what it is He needs most from us now. If we do this we will make Ireland great again.

Venerable Matt Talbot pray for us.


Note: The photograph that companies this article at the source link above is not that of Venerable Matt Talbot but of another Matthew Talbot, who lived in the U.S.A.

 

Lenten lessons from Venerable Matt Talbot

[We greatly appreciate the recent articles about Matt Talbot in this publication.]

Seize the Grace!

Lenten lessons from Matt Talbot, the holy alcoholic

By: Bob French

The Word Among Us: Lent 2015 issue

Source: http://wau.org/archives/article/seize_the_grace/

 

 

  Sometimes it seems like changing bad habits takes forever. But is that an illusion? Is change fast, or is it slow?

I think most of us would be inclined to say that change comes slowly, especially when it involves deeply entrenched patterns of behavior. We think of long hours at the gym to lose weight or months of struggle to overcome an addiction like smoking. Change feels like a long, grueling process, which is why so many of us fail to even attempt it. Except, perhaps, when we make resolutions for Lent or the New Year.

But consider, for a moment, the “I do” at the altar, the cry of a newborn, or the words “You are a priest forever.” In a split second, lives are changed. Never again can the couple not have been married, the woman not have been a mother, or the man not have been a priest. Everything is different from that point forward. Or think of Confession: our sins are erased in much less time than it takes to commit them!

In one sense, then, change is very fast, even instantaneous. But living it out? Now that’s a different story. So the question is: once we receive the grace to get serious about overcoming some compulsion, addiction, or bad habit, how can we keep acting on this decision over the long haul? While there are no easy answers, it can help to look at people who have experienced this “fast change, slow change” dynamic. One exceptional model is Matthew Talbot, the Irish workman whom Pope Paul VI declared venerable in 1975.

Seize the Grace! Born in Dublin in 1856, Matt Talbot was an alcoholic. Not a nice “society drinker,” but a down-and-out drunk from a family of heavy drinkers. The Talbots were poor, and Matt attended school for only a year before leaving at age twelve to work in a wine shop. He began to drink there, and before long was a full-blown alcoholic. 

To support his habit, he went on to work in a warehouse and a construction company. All of his wages he spent in the pubs, often with his father and brothers. He was known to pawn his clothes and boots to get money for drink; once he even stole a fiddle from a blind street musician.

For sixteen years, Matt lived only for booze, careening from work to pub and back again, falling further and further into the grip of addiction. Then one day, when he was broke and none of his buddies would buy him a drink, Matt suddenly realized what a mess he was making of his life. In a grace-filled flash, he determined to “take the pledge” to stop drinking for three months. He went home and told his mother, who had been praying for his conversion but advised him not to make the promise unless he truly intended to change. “God give you the strength to keep the pledge,” she said, as Matt went off to seek his first Confession in many years.

Decide and Tell. Matt’s mom was on to something: the first key to changing is to decide. Not to just think about it, but to seize and act on the grace to make a decision. Often we “want to want” to change, but when it comes right down to it, we aren’t all that keen on actually making an irrevocable decision to change. However, that’s where it all starts. And as with Matt, it can happen in an instant.

When we are brutally honest with ourselves, we know when we have really decided and when we are just playing games. A real decision comes from deep within the soul; we know for certain that we have crossed a line, and there’s no turning back. It’s like Jesus, when he “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). When Matt Talbot took the pledge, there was no looking back.

But that’s just the beginning. Along with making a decision, it’s essential to tell someone about it. Life coaches call this “accountability.” A decision made in private and kept secret is all too easy to dismiss. In Matt’s case, his mother was a witness and reminder of his decision to give up drinking. When we change, we too must let someone know. After all, that’s one reason weddings and ordinations are public events: everyone attending is a witness to the change.

It is also one of the reasons that we confess to a priest. As part of the sacrament, we say that we resolve to sin no more. The priest is witness to our decision to change, and the penance he gives us is our reminder that we have made that decision before God.

Cultivate Self-Discipline. While Matt Talbot’s instantaneous decision set him on a course of holiness, it took the rest of his life to live out the change. He did it by learning self-discipline, by living out his resolution over and over, day by day. This is the slow part of change—the part that isn’t as much fun.

“Never look down on a man who cannot give up the drink. It is easier to get out of hell!” Matt once wrote his sister. But he kept at it. After three months, he extended his pledge to six months. Eventually, with the help of a priest friend, his sobriety became lifelong. 

Matt did more than just resist the urge to drink. Some of his additional self-discipline came in the form of physical mortification: he slept on a plank, ate very little, and even wore hidden chains around his waist, arm and leg (a physical discipline recommended by his spiritual advisor). He also maintained a cheerful attitude, gave most of his money to the poor, and put in a honest day’s labor for his wages. 

Although some of Matt’s ascetical practices were extreme, most of us would also benefit from cultivating self-discipline. We too can learn to control our attitude, work diligently at our occupations, and put the needs of others before our own wants. 

“Jesus, Mercy!” So is the “fast” part of change mostly God’s work, and the “slow” part mostly a matter of our own striving? Not at all! No amount of resolve and discipline can guarantee success. This is another lesson from Matt Talbot’s life: the whole process of changing requires the grace of God. Right away, Matt realized that he couldn’t overcome his addiction on his own; he had to surrender to God and allow the Holy Spirit to provide the strength he lacked. 

The morning after he took the pledge, fearful and anxious about not being able to keep it, Matt went to Mass and received Communion. He did this every day for the rest of his life. He was on his way to Mass, in fact, when he died of heart failure on June 7, 1925.

Especially in his first three months of sobriety, Matt learned to throw himself on God’s mercy. One day, plagued by an inner voice that kept saying, “It’s no use. You’ll never stop drinking,” he knelt with outstretched arms on the cathedral steps and prayed, “Jesus, mercy! Mary, help!” Another time, after going into a pub and almost ordering a drink, Matt spent the rest of the day in church, praying for help against temptation; he also decided never to carry money again.

If we’re making a change, we too can draw strength from frequent reception of the Eucharist and Confession. We can turn to the Lord in prayer. Devotions like the rosary are a great aid, as is spiritual reading—beginning with the Bible. Spending even ten minutes a day reading something uplifting can help us both rely on God and grow in resolve to face the challenges that come with living out real change.

Seek the Change that Matters. To his friends and even his family, Matt Talbot looked like an ordinary, hard-working man with a strong religious bent. On the inside, though, he was a warrior waging a spiritual battle that lasted forty years and made him a hero of the faith. His story shows us that the deepest and longest-lasting changes aren’t the showy, splashy announcements. They are the inner decisions that may only take a second to make but require a lifetime to live out.

This Lent, let’s ask the Holy Spirit for his guidance and power to help us address the areas in our own lives that need changing for the good. And as we do, let’s remember Venerable Matt Talbot, who stopped drinking in a moment—and spent the rest of his life making good on that change.

 

A Lenten Journey with Venerable Matt Talbot

While there is a wealth of information and reading material available for this 2015 Lenten season, we remind all that there is one Lenten publication that is very special: Matt Talbot: A Lenten Journey (2014). 

 
Details are available at http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2014/04/matt-talbot-lenten-journey.html, and this book can be read and/or printed free of charge at http://www.acnireland.org/images/books/matt_talbot_a_lenten_journey.pdf.