The Bird That Sings

(Fr. Tom’s “Courier” Newspaper Articles)

Christianity is fast disappearing in Ireland.  So also are the benefits of Christianity.  At the heart of the Christian faith is belief in Jesus Christ the Son of God; everything else is secondary.  The Christian faith has taught people for many generations the importance of having respect for one another, of compassion, of the value of forgiveness, of caring for the weak and the oppressed, of the great gift of love, even having love for enemies.  Today, as this belief declines, Christian attitudes and standards are being eroded.  The non Christian world looks at Christians and says “We don’t want the next generation growing up in this so-called Christian world.  We want them exposed to promiscuity, greed and irresponsibility.”  We can’t have the benefits of Christianity without having Christian faith.  If we do not know who Jesus was, the events of his life, what he thought, then we better prepare for a world where greed is good, might is right, violent death is commonplace, rape/sexual assault a daily occurrence.  For the standards of right and wrong by which we judged these things are fast disappearing.

If the present day generation of school children can only stumble through “Our Father/The Lord’s Prayer” and if an increasing number of our young people do not know who Christ is we can hardly wonder that Christianity is in decline.  This may not be of concern to most people for Christianity merely invites, it never compels.  Easter is the time of the year to look seriously at the benefits that Christianity bestows on us.  There is no day to compare with Easter Sunday.  It stands out from conflicts and turmoil in our broken world because, on that day, Christ rose from the dead; he altered the past and shaped the future.  As a result nothing can be the same again.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead affirms that death is not the end; we are meant for more than this present life and are not anchored to this world.  Human life is no longer limited by the cycle of birth to death.  Easter is the answer to all the tears we shed at the graves of loved ones because it reminds us that we have a future greater than we dared believe.

Easter is a turning point, inviting us to live in an entirely new way.  Life depends on how we look at it; it can be seen as an empty tomb full of bitterness and confusion or full of hope and joy.  The challenge is to see God’s plan in the ordinary events around us.  Jesus will help us find the face and the hand of God in the bits and pieces of daily living.  The Easter story tells us that the stone at the entrance of the tomb of Jesus was rolled back – are there boulders weighing us down?  Are we imprisoned in our tombs?  These boulders which can at times hold us back, lock us or bury us can be rolled back and we can be set free.  How?  Because God is in charge, it is his world and he has breathed eternity into our bones and our lungs.

Easter is the annual appeal to the co-workers of Jesus – that is, all who call themselves “Christian” – to work with Jesus in being messengers of hope and love to our broken world.  Listening recently to the farming programme on RTE Radio 1, the well known author Alice Taylor gave three pieces of advice on how to live a positive life in this troubled world:

1                    Daily Meditation; to pray each day.

2                    Go out and about and enjoy nature; stay close to nature.

3                    Non-judgemental living.  There is no substitute for companionship but make sure to seek out positive friends.

Faith is the bird that sings when dawn is still dark and remember Christianity merely invites, it never compels.