The Notebook
One of the things I would love to be able to experience is to stand in the inner chamber at Newgrange on the morning of December 21, the Winter solstice. Imagine standing in absolute darkness and then be astonished as the sunlight finds its way through the channel above the entrance into the sacred burial chamber. That scene says so much to me about the origins of Christmas. The ancient cosmic struggle between light and darkness. Advent for me is a time when darkness gets rolled back, not just in nature but also it is the challenge for the Christian community at this time of year.
Darkness comes in many forms and this Advent I find myself preoccupied by two expressions of darkness which have been highlighted again recently but which we as a country have struggled with for many years.
Expressions
The two expressions of darkness I refer to are child abuse in all its forms and our difficulty as a society to accept those who seek to shine a light into some dark corners, i.e. whistle blowers. Both of these areas of darkness come together in the story of Sergeant Maurice McCabe and how he and his family have been treated. Child abuse is without a doubt one of the great evils of our time.
The insidious nature of this evil is that its effects go way beyond the original act of abuse itself. The ripple effect of this evil means that it has power to ruin lives and to cause havoc in so many areas.
The mishandling of a notorious child abuse case caused the resignation of a Taoiseach in 1994 and the subsequent collapse of a government.
In recent years the use of a false allegation of child abuse to undermine the reputation and character of Sergeant McCabe has now caused the resignation of two Ministers of Justice, two Garda Commissioners and two secretary generals in our Department of Justice.
This is what I mean by the insidious nature of the evil of child abuse that goes way beyond the original abuse itself.
Then there is the darkness of our attitude as a society to whistle blowers, whether that is in the Garda Síochána, in the Church or in so many other organisations and sectors of society. Is it something to do with our history?
Whatever the reason we despise snitches even when we know that what they are highlighting is wrong, corrupt and often unjust.
Wrongdoing
The crime of whistleblowing seems to be greater than any wrongdoing they may try to expose.
This attitude seems to be particularly prevalent among the colleagues of the whistle blower. The great quote from Edmund Burke has to come to mind; “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”. As we seek to roll back the darkness this Advent and Christmas season maybe we could reflect on Burke’s challenge and try to welcome the light bearers even if their light makes us uncomfortable!
The Religion Exam
The teacher had spent months preparing her pupils for the visit of the Diocesan Inspector who would ask the children questions from the Catechism. One young lad was having great difficulty retaining anything but the teacher finally got him to learn off an answer to the catechism question; “is it lawful to pray to idols?” the answer being, “By no means for they have neither life nor sense nor power to hear or help us”
Unfortunately, when the Diocesan Examiner arrived and got as far as the above mentioned pupil the priest asked him “Are we obliged to contribute to the support of our priests?” Like a shot the genius replied: “By no means, for they have neither life nor sense nor power to hear or help us.”
A prayer for Advent
Light in our Darkness
Like a candle flame
Flickering small in our darkness
Uncreated light
Shines through infant eyes
God is with us, alleluia
God is with us, alleluia
Come to save us, alleluia
Come to save us alleluia!
Stars and angels sing
Yet the earth sleeps in shadows
Can this tiny spark
Set a world on fire?
Yet his light shall shine
From our lives, Spirit blazing
As we touch the flame
Of his holy fire.
– Graham Kendrick