Bairbre Cahill
There are days when the whole idea of the holiness of everyday life seems like bizarre nonsense. Today has been one of those days.
I found out today that something I have worked on and had professionally printed has two substantial errors in it and is going to have to be reprinted.
I spent the morning explaining to our broadband provider why we are so frustrated with the ‘high speed’ internet we are paying for and also trying to get an explanation from a maintenance company as to why work they say is completed was never actually started in the first place!
To top it all off I reversed out of the drive way and left a substantial amount of red paint from our car along the side of our neighbour’s car. It hasn’t been a good day so far.
In the midst of all this chaos, I have been helping to plan a short prayer service to start a Family Fun Day we are having in the parish in preparation for the World Meeting of Families. Our theme, naturally enough, is the call to holiness in family life. Given the day I have been having I’m finding the idea of holiness rather challenging. But then the view of holiness Pope Francis presents is fairly challenging anyway.
When Pope Francis talks about the Call to Holiness in Today’s World he turns to the Beatitudes to illustrate his meaning. Where, he asks, do we find our security in life? Is it in wealth and possessions? In an age where we are all defined as consumers it is difficult not to get caught in the trap of seeing our value in terms of what we can afford to buy.
Pressure
It is an ongoing challenge for parents to help their children see beyond the labels of the must-have items, the pressure to own a particular item of clothing or technology because ‘everyone has it’. Pope Francis invites us to recognise that being poor of heart is a path to holiness. By that he means a willingness to embrace a simplicity of life, being wary of materialism, aware of the reality faced by those who truly are poor.
One of the greatest challenges to us as consumers is when we reflect on the inequalities of life that leave so many living with so little while we have so much that we don’t need. It is easier – and more comfortable – to ignore that reality or as Pope Francis says, to avert our gaze.
Being prepared to recognise inequality, sorrow, sickness and pain and then being willing to engage, to work for justice, to be just in our own decisions, to commit ourselves to the cause of those who are most vulnerable – this is the stuff of holiness. As I said before, it is challenging stuff.
Anger
Righteous anger can be a very energising thing but it is not necessarily the most Christian approach. Again, drawing on the Beatitudes Pope Francis invites us to be merciful, meek, pure in heart, peacemakers. Even within family life that can be a struggle. How often do we lock horns with our children and teenagers determined to show them that we are right?
Rather than getting frustrated and impatient with people around us we are asked to regard their faults and limitations “with tenderness and meekness” – presumably hoping that they will regard ours in similar fashion. Pope Francis talks about peace making as an ongoing creative process, “We need to be artisans of peace, for building peace is a craft that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity and skill.” (Gaudium et Exsultate 89)
I’m not sure I’ve had a great day crafting peace, for myself or anyone else. Maybe today I need to be gentle and merciful with myself! Pope Francis assures us that we are on a journey, guided by love and nurtured by prayer. There is something to be said for being at peace with the reality that the road is not always a smooth one.
