A faith community should be one of friendship and support
I received a phone call from an upset friend on February 11 last year. I remember the date clearly; it was the day Pope Benedict announced his resignation. My friend was very fond of Benedict and, like many, was stunned and puzzled by the news. However, her upset was not so much due to the Pope’s announcement but the vicious reaction of her colleagues at work when she expressed her genuine dismay and surprise at the Pope’s departure.
At the canteen table her co-workers savaged Benedict, levelling the usual accusations that he had covered up abuse and persecuted homosexuals. Good riddance was the tone of the conversation with absolutely no allowance for the feelings of anyone who might differ.
Faith is a deeply personal thing and moments like this can be experienced as hurtful. My friend was clearly stung by the experience. As we finished the conversation it was clear that she was feeling low.
At about 10pm that night she phoned again. She sounded like a different woman. Since our previous conversation she had attended the monthly meeting of a group of young people who gather for Mass, reflection and camaraderie here in Dublin. There she was able to talk freely about that day’s news and listen to others who were experiencing the same flow of emotions. She was far more upbeat now after spending time with sympathetic friends.
Those two phone calls were as dramatic an illustration I’ve come across of the practical benefits of having a community of faith to which one can turn to for support and encouragement.
The culture today is challenging and, at times, downright hostile. Without the support of others it is very easy to feel isolated and alone. Coming together with other believers is essential. This is what happened in the early Church. We read about it last weekend at Pentecost.
Whenever I meet a young person who is ‘into the Faith’ I find myself making sure that they are connected to some faith-based group. Left to oneself, the negativity that surrounds the Church in Ireland could easily deter a young person from becoming involved at a deeper level.
Needless to say, a faith community should also be a place where we are challenged but it is vital that there are groups to which one can turn for friendship and support.
The Sunday Eucharistic gatherings in our parishes are still too anonymous to provide the human support many people need. Small, prayerful groups where people can experience personal encouragement are essential.
An iconic moment in Vatican Gardens
We witnessed what will surely linger as one of the iconic moments of the already remarkable pontificate of Pope Francis last weekend in the Vatican Gardens.
The air seemed to be heavy with the weight of history as Pope Francis and the two presidents, accompanied by Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in the garden enclosure to the sound of Barber’s deeply melancholic Adagio for Strings.
One veteran Israeli journalist who, by his own admission, is “cynical about everything” described the event as politically insignificant but, he said, “If you look at it as an effort to foster a different mind-set among Israelis and Palestinians, psychologically, I think this is very positive”.
The stakes are high. President Abbas (pictured), quoting Pope John Paul, noted that if peace is realised in Jerusalem then “peace will be witnessed in the whole world”.
And on such a historic day it was nice to see Emer McCarthy, a native of Wicklow working at Vatican Radio, act as narrator for the ceremony.
Church-State battle
Many parishes around the country are fundraising to reduce their debt at the moment. The parish communities of Dun Laoghaire and Glasthule came up with a pretty novel fundraiser last week: they hosted the Irish premiére of the movie, Grace of Monaco, a biopic of the princess.
The cinema in Dun Laoghaire was packed for the occasion and afterwards an overflow crowd attended a reception and auction at Juggy’s Well in Glasthule.
Even though it was a social occasion there was a Church-State flare-up during the auction as Monsignor Dan O’Connor, the popular parish priest of Dun Laoghaire, went head-to-head in a bidding war with none other than the newly elected Mary Hanafin.
On this occasion the battle was not for the future of Catholic education but a set of serving spoons.
The power of the Church isn’t what it used to be and it was the former government minister who went home with the spoons.