Apr 24, 2012
Not so long ago I wrote a blog on the New Atheist bus campaign which extolled the virtues of not worrying about God and getting on being happy in life. It presumed not only the absence of God, but that in the meantime all believers were a pretty glum, worrisome group. Indeed anyone taking a brief look at the popular media could be forgiven for seeing believers as a bunch of hectoring malcontents, who are only really happy when they’re being miserable. The reality, it would appear, is quite different.
An article by Mark Vernon in this week’s Tablet looks at recent studies in the science of happiness. Drawing on the work of psychologists, like Martin Seligman in the US, it argues that being actively religious “means you are less likely to commit crime, get divorced, commit suicide or suffer from depression.” You are also more likely to be healthier and live longer. In Seligman’s 2005 book, Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, he presented evidence that having no faith had a more detrimental impact on happiness than losing a job, though not quite as bad as being widowed.
Reasons for a correlation between life, faith and happiness vary. Vernon points to the moral weight and behaviour demanded by world religions. Going beyond the Commandments of the Old Testament we are offered a new vision of humanity by Christ. One that is based on forgiveness, understanding and compassion. In many respects such values seem counter intuitive, but throughout history the reckless love of Christ extended to all has been a movement that has been repeatedly vindicated. I feel this to be especially true in relation to the work of peace and reconciliation in our world today. People in movements in South Africa and Northern Ireland who have offered the other cheek, who have stood up to oppression and who have stood for forgiveness have seemed naive at best and deluded at worst, but have consistently triumphed over bigotry and hatred.
The other important aspect of faith is community. Alain de Botton, one of the New Atheists, in his most recent work points to the role of faith and church in social cohesiveness. Simply put our faith binds us together. Wherever we go we are part of a group of over a billion people who profess the same faith, regardless of location, ethnicity, gender or whatever. We stand as a community of faith and as a family of believers. Today in a world where finding your place is of key importance our faith provides that central need. We belong. Together.
In its essence perhaps this is what happiness is: knowing that we are part of something; being invited to live a life that sees the best in others and in ourselves; and being bound together in the love of our Father. What else could you want?
Apr 21, 2012
On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part. As part of the Earth Day 2012 Campaign we are looking for a billion people to commit to some small or large Acts of Green. As I write this blog the number of those who have committed to make a difference is up to 997,806,501.
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You can sign up to make a difference at www.earthday.org/ You can take action in Ireland. In Dublin in the Lighthouse Cinema they will be showing One Day on Earth at 1:00pm Sunday 22nd . This movie creates a picture of humanity by recording a 24-hour period throughout every country in the world. Founded in 2008, One Day on Earth set out to explore our planet’s identity and challenges in an attempt to answer the question: Who are we?
Creation is a living, visible sacrament showing us God’s invisible presence all around us. What is most surprising for me at times is how we can lose sight of this. For a day like this pictures I think speak louder than words.
Apr 19, 2012
The Nightly Torch Lit Procession at Lourdes
Last week I was in the third largest Catholic basilica in the world jumping up and down to the Proclaimer’s 500 Miles with over 5,000 other people. It seems a little incongruous, even slightly scandalous that a place of worship should be used for a party, but in reality nothing could have been further from the truth.
The Basilica in question way Pius X and I was in Lourdes for Easter Week with an Irish Pilgrimage Trust (IPT) group from Co. Kerry. The Trust organises teams of carers to bring young people with special needs on pilgrimage to Lourdes each year. It is as one bishop put it, ‘The Catholic Church at its very best.’ During our time there we had an incredible celebration of faith ranging from a trip to the baths, the aforementioned concert, a couple of incredible Masses, a fancy dress party and a train ride around the town toting water pistols. (more…)
Apr 7, 2012
When the women went to the tomb early on that Sunday morning one can only wonder what was going through their minds. Only a week earlier Jesus was welcomed into the Jerusalem with cheering and acclamation, as the long awaited Messiah. Now his body was left bruised and broken, hastily buried in a nearby tomb. They must have felt fear, for we are told they traveled early in the morning, just as the sun was rising when no one would be around. They were surely apprehensive at the task ahead of them, as they prepared to anoint the corpse of one they had loved so dearly. What they encountered was beyond their wildest hopes and has changed the course of humanity forever.
We are called to be Resurrection people. We are invited by God to live out our vocation as people filled with the hope of Easter. In the sacrifice of Christ on Good Friday we witness a power stronger than death, a love so profound that it is beyond our comprehension. It’s this love we are challenged to live out each day of our lives. If we look at the women who journeyed to the tomb that Easter morning almost 2,000 years ago we see something of that witness. Their faith, we are told in all four Gospels, is rewarded by making them the first messengers of the Resurrection.
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This Easter let’s follow the example of the women, who didn’t keep the good news of the Resurrection to themselves but shared it with everyone they knew. For this sharing of faith is what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ.
Apr 4, 2012
As we ready ourselves for the celebration of Easter it’s probably a good time to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves how are we feeling at this time. What is going on in my heart? What are the things I am truly thankful for? Are there any blocks or struggles in my life that I need to let go of and surrender, so that I can enter these days of prayer unencumbered by useless baggage? What is God saying to me this year? What are the quiet words that he is speaking in the silence of my heart?
Diarmuid O’Murchu, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, has spoken a great deal of the central message of Jesus’ vocation, especially as it is lived out in the reality of Easter. He talks not in terms of the Kingdom of God, but of the Companionship of Empowerment. To illustrate what he’s saying he points to Palm Sunday. On the one hand we have Jesus, coming from the east, representing in his way vulnerability, empowerment, non-violence and prophetic action. He is living out something entirely new and challenging to the way the people of his time saw their world. (more…)
Apr 2, 2012
This Holy Week and throughout Easter we look at the what it really means to be a follower of Christ. A lot has been written on the subject, but I think an article in today’s Irish Times really sums up what it takes to be a true disciple.
As a minor aside when I went looking for a photo to accompany the article one wasn’t available. If you Google ‘Fr. Brian Ryan’ eight photos come up and none of them are him. If you Google ‘Kardashians’ you get 402,000,000 results. Enough said.
Let’s hear it for the uncle Brians of this world
FRENCH NOTES: Being part of a sport where the successful are lauded as heroes by media, we can lose sight of the fact that the real ones live anonymously amongst us, writes MATT WILLIAMS (more…)
Not so long ago I wrote a blog on the New Atheist bus campaign which extolled the virtues of not worrying about God and getting on being happy in life. It presumed not only the absence of God, but that in the meantime all believers were a pretty glum, worrisome group. Indeed anyone taking a brief look at the popular media could be forgiven for seeing believers as a bunch of hectoring malcontents, who are only really happy when they’re being miserable. The reality, it would appear, is quite different.
