Fr Conor McDonough
I’ve been dreading the writing of this column for weeks, and hoping beyond hope that I would be able to write on the basis of a different result.
For those convinced that unborn humans deserve legal safeguarding, a group which includes people of all religions and none, the result is a catastrophe, and the scale of the defeat was entirely unexpected.
But, for Catholics, the result is about more than just abortion. Many people, on both sides, experienced last Saturday as a decisive and public rejection of Christianity in Ireland. It is agonising for believers in Christ to witness the public thrashing of what the hold to be good, true, and beautiful. Many of my friends have experienced these days as a time of great darkness, and have found themselves reduced to tears again and again.
Old alliance
In ‘post-Catholic’ Ireland an old alliance between Faith and culture seems to be falling apart, and this is immensely disorienting and distressing for those who have been happy and at peace within the context of this alliance.
The situation reminds me of that faced by St Augustine towards the end of his life, when the invasions of the Goths were destroying the Roman Empire. This was experienced as a huge crisis by Christians, who had been convinced that the alliance between Rome and Christianity would endure until the end of time. What to do now, when the gates of a Christian society had given way, and trusted institutions were collapsing?
Response
In response to these questions, Augustine wrote the great ‘City of God’, a long reflection on history, providence, and the proper focus of Christians. Regimes come and go, he said, some more just than others, but none of them truly trustworthy. Our true allegiance is to a higher ruler, and our true home – the heart of God himself – will outlast the crumbling of the Roman forum (and, we might add, of Leinster House).
So, Augustine argued, it is right to lament what is passing, but Christians have an urgent task that endures: constant conversion, the work of becoming saints.
This doesn’t mean retreating from the world, or giving up our responsibility to be active in society and politics. Far from it. It simply means taking the long view, and taking the time – in prayer and self-examination – to make sure that our compasses are fixed to true North, so that we can live and love with purpose. It is when our eyes are fixed on Christ that we will be most useful and effective in society.
We have all heard the proverb, ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’. Night may be falling in Ireland, but the darkness will not win out if believers are ready to dry their tears and burn bright.
One of the defining features of the referendum campaign was the extraordinary dedication of pro-life activists and campaigners, many of whom were new to political action.
One of these heroic campaigners pointed out to me that great friendships were formed during this time of adversity, and that the campaign led many people to progress greatly in virtue, especially in the virtue of courage. This activity was backed up by a great outpouring of prayer.
Some might be discouraged by the result, and think that all this work and prayer was wasted, but this is far from the case. Thousands of Irish people have become more heroic and more prayerful, and this cannot fail to bear fruit. If you are one of these people, why not gather with these new friends, to see what good you can do now?
Pro-life campaigns still need your work and support to help change laws, and we can and should also turn our new-found energy to relieving poverty, supporting families in crisis, caring for the disabled, reaching out to recent immigrants, visiting the elderly.
Champions of the culture of life have been born in this campaign, and our work is just beginning.