“The sense of eternity is lacking in many sectors of Irish society”, said Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam, during the traditional celebration on Croagh Patrick on 25 July. Monsignor Neary was speaking to over a thousand pilgrims who had gathered on the summit of the mountain where, according to tradition, St. Patrick, patron of Ireland, spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting, following the example of Christ and Moses. “Faith in the Church, in the institutions and even in God has weakened. We listen to too many voices that conflict with the word of God. We are told that truth is less important than personal gain, that luxury, prosperity and affluence are the aims of life”. But the Gospel, the archbishop continued, warns us: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. “Television, today, opens us to the secret world of drugs and abuse and introduces us to the world of sex and its exploitation. All this leaves us unsatisfied. There is still a hunger in the heart of man that cannot be satisfied by material things. And it is as well to remember this. The generations that preceded us left us a rich expression of faith. When people lived in times of poverty and emigration, there was a great faith in God, trust in the family, care for the sick and the elderly”. In this regard Archbishop Neary also recalled all those who, “far from the tele-cameras, devote themselves to the needy and go to the lands where poverty and need reign. This tells us that we haven’t entirely forgotten our past fame”. “We need to dedicate ourselves he concluded at the side of all those who work for justice by seeking the kingdom of God. Only in God shall we be able to hope even when this seems to have abandoned us”.
