Faith in the Family

For weeks now, before Advent even started, I have found myself drawn to the image of John the Baptist. Now here he is, in our readings for the Second and Third Sundays of Advent. John, with his strange ways and his tendency to speak out, whether or not people welcome his message. John is driven by faith and will not be silent.

The Jewish priests and Levites are clearly rattled and demand of John, “Who are you? Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the Prophet?” In Ireland we would probably say, “Just exactly who do you think you are to be having an opinion on these things?”

John’s call to prepare a way for the Lord, to make his path straight provokes conversation. John is not a roads engineer – the path he urges us to straighten is the path of our own lives. It is a call to right living, to integrity, to relationship with God – signified by John baptising the people who come to him. John is challenging the system and although the people in power would like to dismiss him as a camel-skin wearing, locust-eating odd-ball, the ordinary people recognise the truth in his message and respond.

The connection to John the Baptist came about for me through a few conversations with friends where the common theme that emerged was, “I feel like a voice crying in the wilderness”. We had been talking about faith and society.

I came away from these conversations thankful that I have friends who understand my struggles and an awareness of how important it is to continue to be that voice “crying in the wilderness”, speaking up for faith in a society that so often disregards it.

In particular, as we move towards 2018, I am very aware of how much the voices of women and men of faith need to be heard in our society. There will be a referendum to remove the Eighth Amendment and so perhaps we all need to catch a little of the John the Baptist spirit in the run-up to that.

We need to have the courage to speak out. There will be people who will say, “Who do you think you are to have an opinion on this?” There will be a tendency to dismiss people if their opinions have a hint of Catholicism about them. John the Baptist wasn’t one to turn away from a challenge and neither should we.

The intention of the Government to remove the Eighth Amendment has provoked a lot of discussion in our home. Our own young adults are quite clear that many people are following along like sheep, presuming that anything touted in the name of equality and women’s rights must be a good thing.

And yet, when people are challenged as to why they see abortion as a right or why people with disabilities or a life-limiting condition should be considered unworthy of life then so often they struggle and stumble, and the bravado falls apart. So, we need to have the confidence to speak up, to ask the awkward questions, to open up the conversations that at least challenge people to think for themselves.

We need to begin with those conversations in our own homes, not to forcibly indoctrinate our children but to help them explore the issues from the perspective of faith and the perspective of humanity.

We need our voices to rise along with people of other faiths and indeed those who claim no particular faith but who see life as something to be guarded and protected from the beginning.

We will be assailed on every side with arguments that it is time for Ireland to ‘grow up’, shake off the shackles of the Church and embrace ‘choice’. As we gaze upon the Christ Child this Christmas, perhaps we could pray for the courage, conviction and commitment of John the Baptist – and then speak out.