Celtic Daily Reading (March 11)

[Celtic Daily]

11 March

Feast Day: St. Oengus the Culdee, St. Constantine of Scotland

Theme: When you feel a failure

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Declaration of faith

To whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life,
and we have believed and have come to know
that You are the Holy One of God.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ,
King of endless glory.

Psalm 3:1-8
(1) A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how
many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
(2) many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. [Selah]
(3) But thou, O LORD, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter
of my head.
(4) I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. [Selah]
(5) I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
(6) I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves
against me round about.
(7) Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For thou dost smite all my
enemies on the cheek, thou dost break the teeth of the wicked.
(8) Deliverance belongs to the LORD; thy blessing be upon thy people!
[Selah]

Old Testament: Jonah 1:1-17 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the
son of Amit'tai, saying, (2) "Arise, go to Nin'eveh, that great city,
and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me." (3)
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He
went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the
fare, and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the
presence of the LORD. (4) But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the
sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship
threatened to break up. (5) Then the mariners were afraid, and each
cried to his god; and they threw the wares that were in the ship into
the sea, to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner
part of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. (6) So the
captain came and said to him, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise,
call upon your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we
do not perish." (7) And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast
lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So
they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. (8) Then they said to
him, "Tell us, on whose account this evil has come upon us? What is your
occupation? And whence do you come? What is your country? And of what
people are you?" (9) And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear
the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." (10)
Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "What is this
that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the
presence of the LORD, because he had told them. (11) Then they said to
him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For
the sea grew more and more tempestuous. (12) He said to them, "Take me
up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for
I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you."
(13) Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land,
but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against
them. (14) Therefore they cried to the LORD, "We beseech thee, O LORD,
let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood;
for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee." (15) So they took up
Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.
(16) Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a
sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. (17) And the LORD appointed a
great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.

Meditation: Columcile's little Kinsman

Baothan that was afterwards a saint of the Gael was of the kindred of
Columcille, and it was Columcille sent him when he was a little lad to
be taught by Saint Colman Ela. But although Baothan had good wits enough
his memory failed him, and it was hard for him to keep in mind what his
master taught him. And it happened one day that Colman was vexed with
him at his task and struck him. Then Baothan went away into the wood to
hide himself and to avoid his tasks, and while he was there he saw a man
alone and he building a house; and according as he came to the end of
weaving one rod into the wall he would set the head of another to it,
and so he worked on from rod to rod setting one only at a time. And that
seemed very tedious to the young lad till he saw the wall rising as he
watched; and he said to himself then "If I had worked at my learning as
this man works at his building it is likely I might be a scholar now."
Then a shower of rain fell and he took shelter from it under an oak tree
and he saw a drop of rain falling from a leaf of the tree on one spot,
and he pressed his heel on that spot and made a little hollow, and it
was not long till it was filled by the dropping of the one drop. And
Baothan said then "If I had worked at my task and my learning even
little by little like that drop without doubt I would be a scholar now.
And I make my vow" he said "that from this out to my life's end I will
never give up my learning however hard it may be to me."

New Testament:John 21:15-25
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes,
Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." (16)
A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He
said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him,
"Tend my sheep." (17) He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of
John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the
third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know
everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my
sheep. (18) Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you
girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you
will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you
where you do not wish to go." (19) (This he said to show by what death
he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."
(20) Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved,
who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who
is it that is going to betray you?" (21) When Peter saw him, he said
to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" (22) Jesus said to him, "If it
is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!"
(23) The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple
was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die,
but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to
you?" (24) This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these
things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony
is true. (25) But there are also many other things which Jesus did;
were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself
could not contain the books that would be written.

Closing Prayer:
Thou pourest Thy grace
On those in distress,
On those in straits,
Without stop or stint,
Without stop or stint.

Thou Son of Mary of the Pasch,
Thou Son of Mary of the death,
Thou Son of Mary of the grace,
Who was and shalt be
With ebb and with flow;
Who wast and shalt be
With ebb and with flow!


Sent out at approximately midnight G.M.T.

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