Clinch Things for God

Elijah went up to the people and said ‘How much longer will you halt between two opinions? If the Lord is God, worship him’. 1 Kings 18: 21

A poor man named Nesan once had the privilege of giving accommodation to Columba, and he stretched his meagre means to give generous hospitality. Before he departed Columba asked him how many cows he had ‘Five’, Nesan informed him. ‘Bring them to me that I may bless them,’ said Columba. As he raised his hand in blessing, Columba said ‘From today your little herd of five cows will increase until you have one hundred and five cows. Also, your seed will be blessed in your children and grandchildren’. All these things were fulfilled.

On another occasion, in contrast, a rich man named Vigen declined to offer hospitality to Columba, whom he looked down upon. Columba made quite the opposite prophecy about him. ‘The riches of this miser who has rejected Christ in the pilgrim visitors, will from this moment diminish little by little until there is nothing left. He will end up a beggar and his son will run from house to house with a half empty bag. A rival will strike him with an axe and he will die in the trench of a threshing floor’. Unfortunately all this came true, also.

May the yoke of the Law of God be on this shoulder
May the coming of the Holy Spirit be on this head
May the sign of Christ be on this forehead
May the hearing of the Holy Spirit be in these ears
May the smelling of the Holy Spirit be in this nose
May the vision that the People of Heaven have be in these eyes
May the speech of the People of Heaven be in this mouth
May the work of the Church of God be in these hands
May the good of God and of the neighbour be in these feet
May God be dwelling in this heart
May this person belong entirely to God the Father
Traditional Irish