Courtney McGrailWhile we may not be able to change the past, we can learn from our mistakes, writes Dominic O’Reilly
Dominic O’Reilly
“There must be more than this, O breath of God come breathe within. There must be more than this, Spirit of God we wait for you. Fill us anew we pray, fill us anew we pray…”
So begins the hymn Consuming Fire. They are words that have rung ever so clearly in my head in recent times.
Simply because when I look around me I sometimes wonder; what if this is all that there is? Northern Ireland is racked with instability and fear. On a greater scale we appear to be set on a perilous course with nations having learned apparently nothing from the mistakes of the past.
What if the mistakes I continue to make in my own life end with nothing more than the mistake being made and the hurt being caused? If this is all that there is then our world and we its inhabitants are definitively mediocre.
Mediocrity is a horrible prospect. I should hate the idea that after my death I would be described as “OK”. I should rather die knowing that I had excelled or contributed to the common good in some real and meaningful way. While reflecting on this I was reminded of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament is the total antithesis of mediocrity. By availing of it the penitent throws themselves on the mercy of the Lord, asking His forgiveness. It is a sacrament in which great healing can take place.
There are times in our lives when we may find ourselves asking; can we ever go back to the way things used to be? The answer is a simple no. Whether we fear the past or view it with some sentimental rose tinted lens it is impossible to go back. Something altogether different can occur. Through Reconciliation we accept that we are not content to go back to the way things were, but rather we consciously desire to bear witness to something new. Reconciliation is the sacrament of ‘new life’.
Perhaps one way to look at it would be to say that Reconciliation is the sacrament of resurrection. We are resurrected from our slavery to sin to a new life in Christ.
Suddenly a marvellous possibility forms.
We all make mistakes:
Each of us is human and capable of making great mistakes. Our lives however are not just a series of unfortunate events. Rather, we “are the Easter people, and Hallelujah is our song”. (St John Paul II) My mistakes are many and ongoing.
I have hurt many people through my actions. However it doesn’t mean that relationship with them has to come to an end, but rather a new and more beautiful one has the capacity to begin.
We are the people of the resurrection. Our ministry of reconciliation will require humility and hope. Imagine what a beautiful world we could inhabit if we were to allow ourselves to give up our old lives and be resurrected to one which is ultimately of God.
You are better than the world tells you. You are worth more than any product and you are loved far greater than you are judged for any sin.
Northern Ireland needs a Resurrection
The Troubles of Northern Ireland’s past proved many things, one of which is that we are a resilient people. Here we are in 2015 having emerged from a major conflict, battered, bruised and probably more than a little embittered but standing strong none the less. We should be proud of how far we have come. If Northern Ireland is to move forward it will require a resurrection. This will require the death of an old way. Perhaps it is time to set aside the things we are bitter about. Perhaps it is time for those with a guilty conscience to alleviate their guilt and come clean. I know the prospect of owning up for things we have done in our past is incredibly difficult but when you do so you will emerge as a stronger person more at peace with yourself. Imagine the world we could build up with this resurrection which will be achieved through the reconciliation of all people.