FORMATION 2006
Foreword &
Segments
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session
NO 6
topic:
“matt talbot”
A layman who turned his life
around
opening prayer: As
for the Order Prayers
introduction:
In looking at the life of Matt
Talbot, we may easily focus on the later years when he had stopped drinking
for some time and was leading a penitential life. Only alcoholic men and women
who have stopped drinking can fully appreciate how difficult the earliest
years of sobriety were for Matt. He had to take one day at a time. So do the
rest of us.
word of god
&
The Gospel according to Matthew 5: 1-12
The Word of
God is now read aloud slowly and prayerfully
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went
up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he
began to speak, and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they
will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile
you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.
Allow a few moments reflective silence and then read the following:
word of reflection
Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925)
Feastday
– June 19
Matt was born in the poverty of
Dublin's inner city, where his
father worked on the docks and had a difficult time supporting his family.
After a few years of schooling, Matt obtained work as a messenger for some
liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively. For 15 years—until he
was 30—Matt was an active alcoholic. This was the drug culture of the 19th
century. Matt was an addict.
One day he decided to take "the pledge" for three months, make a
general confession and begin to attend daily
Mass. A priest helped him, giving
him a rehabilitation programme, which providentially incorporated the Twelve
Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. That was fifty years
before AA was founded. There is evidence that Matt’s first seven
years after taking the pledge were especially difficult. Avoiding his former
drinking places was hard. He began to pray as intensely as he used to drink.
He also tried to pay back people from whom he had borrowed or stolen money
while he was drinking.
Most of his life Matt worked as a builder’s labourer. He joined the
Secular Franciscan Order and began a life of strict penance; he abstained from
meat nine months a year. Matt spent hours every night avidly reading Scripture
and the lives of the saints. With the help of his priest friend, Matt modelled
his life on that of the monks, who lived in
Ireland in the 6th and 7th
centuries. It was a tough programme of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. To his
neighbours and his work mates in the timber yards, he was a cheerful, happy
friend. Though his job did not make him rich, Matt gave away most of his wages
every week to the poor at home and abroad. "Matt had no time for money", his
sister remarked. He was keenly aware of his fellow workers struggle for social
justice. A loyal member of
Ireland's
Transport and General Workers Union, a Union leader, Stephen McGonagle,
described him as "a beacon of light to Irish workers".
After a life of heroic perseverance, his health failed and Matt was
forced to quit work. He died suddenly on his way to church on Trinity Sunday.
Fifty years later Pope Paul VI gave him the title Venerable. Matt can be
considered the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism. He remained
sober for forty years until his death. His life story has been an inspiration
for alcoholics and addicts throughout the world.
For the next
five minutes silently read and reflect on the readings.
Underline what you consider to be key words and/or phrases for you.
the sharing
�
Share your insights in discussion of the following:
v
What are some of
the addictions which can take you away from the Christian life?
v
How can we, as
Knights of the Southern Cross, assist those struggling with addiction in our
communities?
conclusion
Leader:
Matt's programme of recovery was built around devotion to the
Eucharist, love of Mary, Mother of God, spiritual reading, self-discipline and
manual work. But he never forgot his struggle with his addiction. Some day he
may be declared the patron saint for addicts; and so we pray:
All:
Lord God,
May Matt Talbot's triumph over
addiction, bring hope to our community and strength to our hearts, through
Christ Our Lord. Amen
The meeting proceeds
closing
prayer: As for the Order
Prayers at the Closing of the Meeting
