On the bus on the way home from work yesterday I passed a spot which often causes me to think and pray of something that happened to me when I was just 21 years old. Iused to drive about on a motorbike at a time when I had lost my Faith and was wild and reckless and full of hate and bitterness. At the time we were in the midst of a long 30 years war which resulted in many hundreds of Sectarian killings , especailly here in North Belfast werre not only were people murdered but often beaten to death involving sometimes long slow periods of intense torture. This aprt of Belfast is split into armed cmaps of Cahtolic and Protestant areas, intensely hostile to each other, this has clamed down a lot but at that time lives were cheap and internecine hatred furious. Anywa my motor bike broke down and I was left stranded in one of the worst Loyalist/ Protestant areas of all, 'Tigers Bay' and no matter what I did the darned bike would not start. A British Army foot Patrol happened along, people that hated me and pointed me ut to a large group of young Protestant men who immdeiately ran in my direction. IF they had caught me I would of course have been beaten to death, probaly after long torture. Well I had not prayer in several years but of course I did then (there are no atheists in the trenches) and when I tried the darned bike it started at once (altough it refused numerous times before and I drove pass the baying mob flipping them the finger and laughing as I went (as I say I was young and crazy). But now that I am older I often get the shivers and think what an awful , terrible death God took me out of and am very,very grateful. But yesterday it was differnet. I thought of how my mother and father and all my family would ahve suffered at my horrible death. I thought too of how it would have affected others causing them to hate too. In other words for the very first time I was thinking not of myself but the impact of my actions on others. This has to be progress. It came to me while praying how all our actions are like stones thrown into the pond of life and how the ripples spread out to hit others, for good or bad. How the ripples of time had passed over me, the ripples of God's grace and so I could think of others and even those who wanted to murder me with a greater compassion. For if prayer does not cause our hearts to grow a little larger there is not a lot of point to it. I thought too of something Pope Franics said latley. He mentions the precious oils and myrhh that they used to bury Jesus with and how their scent , 'Filled the rooom' . Francis goes on to say that the smell of our Chrisitianity, the scent of our holiness should taouch all around us. How true, how wise. So when I hear in the mass readings of how a Band of the Wicked beset Jesus I have a good idea what they mean. But Jesus did not escape the torturers, whereas I, bad thief, fled of on my bike. '...a band of the wicked beset me. They tear holes in my hands and my feet. I can count every one of my bones. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?.'
I can never imagine you Padraig as a person who had lost their faith. But I suppose it is like finding anew the pearl of great price - you will never lose it again
I think sometimes we have to loose that whcih we love most to properly appreciateit, it is like being reborn.
Just reading this now Padraig. If I was stranded in Tigers bay today never mind the 70s I think I might die of the fright. So glad God and your guardian angel answered your prayers that night
Reminds me of a sermon a priest gave at mass on All Souls Day a few years back. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future
I fear that the USA, now, is divided as badly as it was in 1860. Before our Civil War and all the death-n-horror that any civil war involves. Charlie J. believes a Global Civil War is in the offing ... I must agree! As a student of history and avid "watcher" of current affairs, I simply don't see any other outcome ... short of Divine Intervention ... Please God!! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
I heard an interesting report on the BBC World Sevice this monring. It concerned a Republican Governor, Phil Bryant who had signed into law in Mississippi defending religious freedoms against the Pink Mafia: http://www.latimes.com/nation/natio...i-law-service-denial-gays-20160405-story.html However it was not this as such that caught my attention. As soon as the brief story was over they put out a lady, from San fracnisco representing Lesbain 'Rights'. She was very persuasive and articulate and they must have given the woman a good two mintues to have an unopposed rant with hte interviewer grunting approvaingly all the while. What I mean is the pot of hate against religious people is being well stirred and will come to a head quite soon. Believers are being placed at teh same level of those who supported slavery and worse, far worse. I still feel the ones who will most against us will be our own Church people.
The older I get the more convicted I feel myself of sin. It reminds me of an onion skin, the more you peel away , the more you get to see. At my age it's less the things I do than the things I say. its my poor tongue, wagging like a dog's tail non stop. I am lost inadmiration at anyone who can control their tongue. I can see why religious orders are big into periods of silence. Thank God I live alone for that shuts me up for long periods, but my dogs sure have to listen to a lot of nonsense.
I think the conservatives will continue to give in to the liberals' bullying and will not put up much of a fight. I think it is far too late for that.
Padraig, I am glad that your bike started and that you are here with us today. I have been wanting to tell you all that Mom is from Falls Road, Belfast. I read this story and it reminded me of the difficult times that you all had gone through. My Mom has been in the US for just over 60 years. When I was in high school in the late 70's early 80's my uncle who was still living on Falls Road was killed with a plastic bullet to the head from a British soldier. My mother showed me a magazine that depicted the atrocities that were occurring there which most Americans are unaware of. From what I was told a curfew was instilled, I think 10pm in your home - lights out. Well, my uncle did not have the lights out and they shot through the window. In any case, many, many people were killed and maimed including children. Very sad. I know that there is a small memorial to my uncle somewhere, his name is Peter Doherty. I believe he was killed in 1980. Maybe you have seen it. Peace to you.
