Sunday Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: Sarah & Josie O'Toole, (Anniv).
11.00 Paddy Kelly, (Bowling Green), (Anniv).
6.30: Edward Egan, (Anniv).

As I Was Saying...

In 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, a young Frenchman, made a nine-month tour of America. The result was "Democracy in America," a monumental study of the life and institutions of that evolving nation.

Tocqueville looked to the young flourishing democratic system in America as a possible model for postrevolutionary France. He believed that the ideals of equality enshrined in America reflected the spirit of the age and even divine will. His book is now seen as the most influential political texts ever written, the recognised authority on democracy. What surprised him was how religious America was compared to Europe. And what he wanted to understand was how religion and democracy can coexist. 'In France', he wrote, 'I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions', but in America they walked hand in hand.

How did it happen? The answer, he believed, was that religious leaders were careful never to get involved with party politics. They knew that politics is basically divisive. (But 'divisive' in a good sense: unlike in dictatorships, diverse opinions are respected, encouraged and hotly debated. 'Division' is the very essence of democratic politics). And if religion got too involved with politics, it too would become divisive.

So religious leaders concentrated on strengthening families, creating communities and charities, building schools and encouraging active citizenship. It created what he called 'habits of the heart' that were so essential in sustaining a sense of the common good. A democratic society needs two things: a way of mediating conflicts, and a sense of shared identity without which there is no society at all.

Politics, wrote Tocqueville, must focus on the conflicts, religion must concentrate on shared belonging. He added, 'In proportion as a nation assumes a democratic condition ... it becomes more and more dangerous to connect religion with political institutions.'

Those are wise words, for America and for us. Religious organizations must never become pressure groups for this or that contentious item of domestic or foreign policy. Their task is different: it is to strengthen the bonds of human relationship and to assiduously promote the sanctity of human life; and to teach us to love our neighbours as ourselves, especially today when our neighbours belong to so many different faiths.

When religion becomes politicized, or politics becomes religionised, bad things happen, and we must avoid that if we can. It's a very fine line, and it is very easily and sometimes unwittingly crossed. Politics speaks to our conflicting interests. Religion should speak to our shared responsibilities. The apparent 'dust-up' between the two Dublin prelates might seem -on the surface at any rate- a distraction, and good for neither politics or religion! However, the Courts will ultimately decide where justice lies. Even Tocqueville would approve.

-Dick Lyng

Church Collections: New System

Today we begin the process of introducing a new system of conducting collections in our Church. Cathal will explain the system to you at all Masses this weekend. Just a few figures to begin with: It cost €60,670 to run the Church here in 2006. (The last year for which I have complete accounts to hand). That includes Heat, Light and 'supplies'. The Priory costs are separate and not included. The Sunday collections for the same year brought in €49,206. Obviously, we would like to improve on that showing. Each family gets a box containing 52 envelopes, one for each week of the year, obviously. Each envelope is marked by a number and date. A simple Form will be distributed during all Masses today which you will fill out in the Church. When you hand back that Form (again in the Church) you will be given a box, and the number specific to that box will be added to your Form. Many of you will be familiar with the system since it has been working for years in most parishes. Advantages of the new:

Tasty Bits

Lenten Programme: 2008

For the last few years we have held common Lenten Sessions with St. Nicholas' Church of Ireland. I had a meeting during the week with Patrick. He is very keen that we should continue the experience. And he is right. Since Lent is starting so early this year (it actually caught us by surprise), we will confine our studies to five sessions. As happened so successfully last year, the final session will be devoted exclusively to the Seder Meal.

This year the Christian Churches are marking the 2,000 anniversary of the birth of St. Paul. He is a central figure in the Catholic tradition, and even more so among the Anglicans. In the light of that, we decided it would be a good idea to devote four sessions to an examination of St. Paul, his character, his mission and his writings. We will use video stuff this year, in addition to the essay format of other years.

Each session will last from 8.00 to 9.30. You might give us notice if you intent coming. But this is not absolutely essential. However, we must prepare materials and it would be great if we had some idea of how many people we had to cater for. We would aim to have a printed copy of reading material available for each individual to take away.

Ash Wednesday, 2004

Blacked again with ash of palm
smudged as one remembering death
dust thou art and dust you're from
soon, too soon, the final breath!

Contrite, humble, feel your sin!
millions sick and millions dead.
Repent! and once again begin;
leave heart of stone and feet of lead.

If you would know the truth for me
Lent can last the whole year long!
It's AIDs, the flu or H-I-V -
each night to misery belongs.

This time I shall make others work,
finance their staffs
and let the lengthening Lent
light up life's little laughs.

-Harold Macdonald.

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