Carthach, Saint, Bishop of Lismore, active 570-637 -- Legends
On a certain day about vesper time, because of the holiness of the hour,
Mochuda said to his monks:--"We shall not eat to-day till each one of
you has made his confession," for he knew that some one of them had ill
will in his heart against another. All the brethren thereupon confessed
to him. One of them in the course of his confession stated: "I love
not your miller and the cause of my lack of charity towards him is this,
that when I come to the mill he will not lift the loads off the horses
and he will neither help me to fill the meal sacks nor to load them on
the horse when filled. And not this alone but he does everything that
is disagreeable to me; moreover I cannot tell, but God knows, why he so
acts. Often I have thought of striking him or even beating him to
death." Mochuda replied, "Brother dear, the prophet says--'Declina a
malo et fac bonum' [Psalm 36(37):27]. Avoid evil and do good. Following
this precept let you act kindly towards the miller and that charity of
yours will move him to charity towards you and ye shall yet be steadfast
friends." Things went on thus for three days--the monk doing all he
could to placate the miller. Nevertheless the miller did not cease his
persecution, nor the brother his hate of the miller. On the third day
Mochuda directed the brother to confess to him again. The brother said:
--"This is my confession, Father, I do not yet love the miller." Mochuda
observed:--"He will change to-night, and to-morrow he will not break
fast till you meet him and you shall sit on the same seat, at the same
table, and you shall remain fast friends for the rest of your lives."
All this came to pass; for that monk was, through the instruction of
Mochuda, filled with the grace of the Divine Spirit. And he glorified
and praised Mochuda, for he recognised him as a man favoured by the Holy
Ghost.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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