Brendan O’Regan
So, the Jubilee Year has started, with its Pilgrims of Hope theme, and my hope is that the media will give it reasonable coverage.
Chatechesis (Radio Maria, Thursday) got off to a good new year start, linking in with the Jubilee Year. Deacon Don Deveney, with guests Martin Ramsay and Artie Nolan, both on the phone from Belfast, teased out the various themes of forgiveness, renewal and transformation. For background information we were directed to Leviticus 25 for scriptural context. They also linked in with the proposed New Year resolutions suggested by Pope Francis in a meeting with the lay employees of the Vatican and their families. Nine useful resolutions were proposed – taking care of our spiritual life, our relationship with God; taking care of family life, giving family members the gifts of time and attention; taking care of relationships with other people, putting faith into life, words into good works; being careful in our speech, avoiding offensive words, blessing rather than cursing; healing the wounds of the heart with the ‘oil of forgiveness’, ‘medicating’ the wounds we have caused to others, deciding to forgive while being aware the feelings of forgiveness may take a longer time; looking after our work, with enthusiasm and thankfulness; being careful of negative feelings like hatred and lust, which devour inner peace and turn us into destroyed and destructive people; watching out for anger that leads to vengeance and laziness that leads to ‘existential euthanasia’; and finally taking care of our weaker brothers and sisters – the elderly, the sick, the hungry and the homeless. Wow! That’s an impressive agenda, and the presenters were quite aware that this wasn’t going to be instant or easy.
The format was chatty and informal and all the more engaging for that. At 40 minutes I thought it was a bit too long and a bit repetitious. This may, however, be my problem, a poor reflection on my attention span!
Our Divine Sparks (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday) also dealt with the Jubilee Year when Archbishop Eamon Martin spoke to presenter Dearbhail McDonald. Apart from the points mentioned above, he provided more background information – that the first Holy Year was in 1300, under Pope Boniface VIII. He highlighted the pilgrimage aspects of the coming year, indicating the special designation the pilgrim sites of Lough Derg, Croagh Patrick and Knock Shrine. There would also be an emphasis on saints and holy people, with the upcoming canonisation of Blessed Carol Acutis a high point. He reflected on the ‘immense change’ in the world since the last Holy or Jubilee Year in 2000 and on the current conflicts in the world in need of resolution – so much has happened in 25 years! He was also conscious of increasing levels of anxiety in people, with so much need for Christian hope.
The New Year was also marked by the return of The Meaning of Life (RTÉ One, Sunday) for a new four-part series. Joe Duffy’s first guest was athlete Sonia O’Sullivan. She a cheerful engaging and likeable character and came across as very much down to Earth, with no airs and graces. She felt that being at home in Cobh grounded her. Despite her fame as an Olympian, she didn’t do any grandstanding. She grew up in a Catholic family, with regular Sunday Mass going, but wasn’t particularly religious anymore, though she felt it was always there in the background. At one stage she referenced that old chestnut ‘Catholic Guilt’. My subtitling rendered it as ‘Catholic Goose’.
Joe Duffy reminded her of a time when she was criticised from a pulpit for having a baby out of wedlock. She was ‘surprised’ by that intervention, though Joe Duffy suggested that the majority found it ‘disgusting’. Her low-key reaction was deliberate and sensible – when her private life came into the public eye she didn’t engage, as that would only amplify it.
She was unsure as to whether there was an afterlife and if she arrived at the pearly gates and met what Joe Duffy described as the ‘deity’ … ‘be it man woman or whatever’, she didn’t seem so sure. The host prompted her to say she’d ‘run in’. She said she’d bring in her positive energy.
It wasn’t one of the better episodes, I found it a bit lacklustre, and thought it would have worked better as a sports interview, as that was where much of the emphasis was.
Pick of the week
Sunday Morning Live
BBC One Sunday January 12, 10.30am
Returning for a new run, Sean Fletcher and Holly Hamilton host the show that brings faith and ethics to the discussions that matter most.
Songs of Praise
BBC One Sunday 12 January 12, 1.15pm
Claire McCollum meets Christians putting faith into action through projects that help the homeless and welcome newcomers. With hymns old and new from Edinburgh’s Charlotte Chapel.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE: THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT IN A CANCEL CULTURE
EWTN Sunday January 12, 9pm
A round table discussion of the challenges facing the pro-life movement in the current cancel culture environment. Featuring Kristan Hawkins. Hosted by Kevin Dunn.