On the Royal Road of the Holy Cross [XI]

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On the Royal Road of the Holy Cross [XI]

When you have arrived at that state when trouble seems sweet and
acceptable to you for Christ's sake, then all is well with you, for
you have found paradise upon earth. But so long as suffering is
grievous to you and you seek to escape it, so long will it go ill with
you, for the trouble you try to escape will pursue you everywhere.
--Thomas à Kempis--Imitation of Christ Bk 2, Ch 12

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December 26th - St. Jarlath, 1st Bishop of Tuam in Ireland, Confessor

HE flourished about the beginning of the sixth century, and is not to
be confounded with Jarlath, archbishop of Armagh, who was a disciple
of St. Patrick, an Ulsterman, and the son of Trien. Our St. Jarlath
was a Connaughtman, of the family of Cormac, and was educated from his
youth under Binen or Benignus, archbishop of Armagh, by whom he was
promoted to holy orders. Leaving this great master, he retired to
Cluainfois, (so called from cluain, a retreat or a lurking place, and
fos, a dwelling, or fois, leisure,) a solitary place in Conmacne, now
in the county of Galway, near Tuam. Here he founded a monastery which
retained this name, and is now a chapel within the parish of Tuam. In
this monastery St. Jarlath opened a famous school, to which numbers
flocked for education in piety and learning, among whom the great St.
Brendan, abbot of Clonfert, and St. Colman, first bishop of
Cluain-uamha, or Cloyne, laid the foundation of their eminent virtue
under the discipline of St. Jarlath.

Our saint was called from this employment to be consecrated first
bishop of Tuam, anciently called Tuaim-da-Gualan, which church was
afterwards dedicated in his memory, and called Tempull-Jarlaith, or
Jarlaith’s church. He died full of days on the 26th of December, about
the year 540. His bones were afterwards placed in a silver shrine, and
deposited in a church at Tuam, called from thence Tempull-na-scrin,
that is, church of the shrine. His chief festival was kept at Tuam on
the 6th of June, the day of the translation of his relics.

Some bishops of this see were styled metropolitans, and archbishops of
Connaught. At length it was regularly erected into an archbishopric,
with the concession of a pall in 1152. Two other sees were afterwards
united to this of Tuam, first, that of Enaghdune, reduced to a parish
under Tuam, by a union of the sees in the 14th century; and second,
that of Mayo, founded by St. Gerald, an English-Saxon, who accompanied
St. Colman from Lindisfarne into Ireland. St. Colman erected a
monastery at Mayo for his English-Saxon followers, called from them
Mayo-na-Sasson, i. e. Mayo of the Saxons. St. Gerald, who is honoured
on the 13th of March, enlarged this monastery, and erected it into a
bishopric about the year 685. (See Colgan, Act. p. 599.) The see of
Mayo was united to Tuam in 1560. On St. Jarlath, see Ware, p. 602;
Usher’s Prim. p. 994; Colgan in MSS.


Saint Quote:
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to
heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God.
--St. Stephen from Acts 7:55

Bible Quote:
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and
His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4-12)


Yesterday we celebrated the birth in time of our eternal King. Today
we celebrate the triumphant suffering of his soldier. Yesterday our
king, clothed in his robe of flesh, left his place in the virgin’s
womb and graciously visited the world. Today his soldier leaves the
tabernacle of his body and goes triumphantly to heaven.

Our king, despite his exalted majesty, came in humility for our sake;
yet he did not come empty-handed. He gave of his bounty, yet without
any loss to himself. In a marvelous way he changed into wealth the
poverty of his faithful followers while remaining in full possession
of his own inexhaustible riches. And so the love that brought Christ
from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven; shown first
in the king, it later shone forth in his soldier. His love of God kept
him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbor made
him pray for those who were stoning him. Love inspired him to reprove
those who erred, to make them amend; love led him to pray for those
who stoned him, to save them from punishment.

Love, indeed, is the source of all good things; it is an impregnable
defense, and the way that leads to heaven. He who walks in love can
neither go astray nor be afraid: love guides him, protects him, and
brings him to his journey’s end.

My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all
Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, therefore, in all
sincerity, give one another practical proof of it, and by your
progress in it, make your ascent together.
-- Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe from a sermon


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When we don't pray, we quit the fight.
Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright.
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
--WILLIAM COWPER