Et Cum Spiritu Tuo | Peace and Justice in Modern Ireland

WOVEN DEEP WITHIN the fabric of Christian tradition is the image of the perfection of peace. Christ, who is himself heralded in the book of the prophet Isaiah as the ‘Prince of Peace,’ is said to have extended to his followers and the world ‘a peace the world cannot give.’ Without this mystical and transcending peace the Church loses all meaning, for without this it loses its flavour and is worth little else but to be cast out and trampled underfoot. This week in Ireland the peace of the Church has been shown to be exactly that; tasteless salt fit for nothing but rejection. The Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to Establish the Facts of State Involvement with the Magdalene Laundries, chaired by Senator Martin McAleese, a dentist and husband of the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese (presently in Rome studying Roman Catholic Canon Law), was published. Somewhere over a quarter of the between ten and thirty thousand girls and women whose human rights were grievously violated under the ‘care’ of these diabolical institutions were sent there directly by the instruments of the Irish State; be that by the criminal justice system, the reformatory schools or the police force.

Umm, Jesus, It’s Windy Out Here

I’ve now taken a few stabs at this post because there is so much to say about the idea of peace. My conclusion after spending a good deal of time reflecting on the topic as well as my life, is that peace is illusive. It’s a slippery bugger; and while some find it, many lose grasp rather quickly. My belief for this explanation is that we live in a broken world. There is no need to dig deeply into examples of brokenness as they are plentiful. I find it almost comical the difference we see in the disciples between the four Gospels and from the Book of Acts on. In the gospels we see these motley fools making great claims, swearing allegiance to Christ and his teachings yet we see them fail over and over. One example that I looked at is found in the book of Mark, 4:39 in the King James Bible. Recounted here is a story of Jesus calming the fierce storm while travelling by boat. The annoyance of being awoken from his sleep by the disciples who are certain they will all succumb to the powerful storm ask Jesus what they should do, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

The Nature Of Peace

What is peace?

The definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary (online) says this:

1 : a state of tranquillity or quiet: as

a : freedom from civil disturbance

b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom <a breach of the peace>

2 : freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions

3 : harmony in personal relations

4

a : a state or period of mutual concord between governments

b : a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity

5: used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell

— at peace

: in a state of concord or tranquillity

Understanding and Mercy | Abortion in Ireland

“I must note with dismay,” said Pope Benedict on January 7^th to an assembly of the Vatican diplomatic corps, “that, in various countries, even those of Christian tradition, efforts are being made to introduce or expand legislation which decriminalises abortion.” Michael Kelly, the editor of The Irish Catholic, was not wrong in his assessment that the Holy Father, whilst not mentioning Ireland explicitly, had this country in mind as he formulated his statement. Certainly this papal comment comes only days after the papal nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Charles John Brown, challenged the Irish government by calling upon people of faith to work together for the sanctity of human life. An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, rightly commented that, as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope was entitled to have his own opinion. One might go a little further and say that, ‘as a person,’ the Pope is entitled to his own opinion.

What They Really Think About Us

Surviving the post-apocalyptic landscape that Ireland has become in the wake of the Celtic Tiger is difficult enough for most people. The economic downturn and the past number of lean years and a governmental programme of austerity have exposed the serious divisions in Irish society. The years of plenty have spawned no small number of Tiger Cubs who feel no shame in flaunting their wealth and privilege in the faces of those who have been most affected by recession and hard times. As economic depression speeds the transfer of wealth from the working poor to the idle wealthy the mood of triumphalism in Ireland’s bourgeoisie reaches fever pitch. All the while the class war moves on from one middle class offensive to another: cheap ‘reality’ television shows depicting the fecklessness of the working classes, the publication of one ‘rich list’ after another, and the continual and propagandistic highlighting of social welfare fraud in the lowest economic brackets of Irish society.

Remove this Cup from Me; yet, not My Will but Yours be Done

The television evangelist and the self-proclaimed shepherd announce the great benefit of prayer; ‘Ask and you shall receive,’ and ‘reap what you have sown.’ These lights of the faith forever make prayer sound easy; like some sort of magic that will line our pockets and guarantee health and wealth, and for so many this temporal success is the hallmark of a Spirit-filled life. Maybe we are all from time to time seduced by such simplicity; as Lisa Simpson once remarked of her brother’s earnest prayer, “the last refuge of the scoundrel.” Indeed young Bartholomew JoJo Simpson is, as we all can be, quite the little scoundrel, who when all else fails turns in plight to the unseen listener in the sky. What Lisa knows, however, is the proclamation of Nietzsche’s Zarathustra that ‘God is dead!’ No sooner than the philosopher utters these words than the religious and the theologian recoil in disgust; without understanding they darken the counsel of the sage with ignorance and pietism – they ‘have ears but do not hear.’ Our religious landscape is one in which we may hear even the pastors offer thanksgiving for an answer to their prayers for a good winter jacket. What foolishness! So if this is their proof of the efficacy of their oblations, then let us leave them to their baubles. Millions suffer and die, even of the most atrocious suffering, to the profound silence of God. We are left then only to rejoice with the hermit descending that God is dead.

Cry to God

In Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, the English translation of Swami Saradananda’s definitive biography of Sri Ramakrishna, the author relates an incident between Narendra — the future Swami Vivekananda — and Sri Ramakrishna during a time of desperation and impoverishment for Narendra and his family. Sri Ramakrishna was a great devotee of the goddess Kali, so Narendra begged his guru to pray to Kali for the relief of his family’s suffering. Sri Ramakrishna refused, telling Narendra to go to the temple and pray to Her himself. Eventually, Narendra heeded the Master’s advice and entered the temple. Immediately he was overwhelmed with ecstatic emotion. His family’s troubles forgotten, he worshipped Mother Kali and returned to the Master.