BY THE RIVER SHANNON

A WALK HOME

Strolling home from town today in glorious sunshine there was reason aplenty to stop and take in the marvellous scenery on this riverside walk. After crossing Sarsefield Bridge I turned down along O'Callaghans Strand with the majestic Shannon on my left hand side and I counted over forty swans swimming in a straight line . Onward under the Shannon bridge and along the bank in the direction of Barringtons Pier. This part of the walkway is arched over by a canopy of green with the traffic on the adjacent Condell road just a background hum. On my left still the river at its widest breadth with the now disused docklands on the other side. The Shannon will wind and twist its way until entering the sea beyond the port of Foynes. To reach home I cross the busy road aided by the recent addition of pedestrian lights, and leaving the river behind I am in the Westfield wetlands. Here is an undisturbed habitat for wildlife and an oasis of calm and serene beauty within a shout of the bustling city of Limerick. And it’s on my doorstep ! The wetands are a favourite location for dog walkers, joggers, cyclists, fishermen, birdwatchers and all who enjoy the delights of the great outdoors.

Gerard O'Shea

RICH PICKINGS

MANAGING MONEY

I don’t know if Microsoft founder Bill Gates is of any particular religious persuasion but he certainly has grasped one of Jesus essential teachings on the nature of wealth. Wealth and its acquisition can have a numbing effect on the spirit of a man or woman when they become enmeshed in its deceitful web. Jesus told the story about the wealthy farmer who had his barns filled and his money made but was not ready to face his God when death called (Luke 12:16-21). Gates has made more money than almost any other man on the planet (this year he came in as the second wealthiest) but he has realised the limited happiness that simply acquiring money gives.

At the peak of the software revolution it is estimated that he was worth $400 billion. To invest his fortune in worthwhile endeavours he has set up a foundation endeavouring to raise $37.1 billion to assist the poorest of the worlds poor. He is under no illusion that he can take it with him and he has no intention of leaving it to his children, as he says, “ they will have to pick a job they like and go to work. They are normal kids now. They do chores, they get pocket money.” Paul the Apostle tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) and Jesus in His earthly life gave an example of living simply and without ostentation which sadly is more than can be said for some of His present day followers (but that’s another story!).

Even the rich and famous sometimes see through the glam and sham of high living. Liz Taylor once refused to accept a $1 million pink diamond ring from Richard Burton. She said they decided to build a hospital in Botswana with the money instead. Taylor explained, “ I love Richard for the extravagant thought but he doesn’t have to spoil me any more…just love me.” Bill Gates is currently pouring his vast resources into a programme to vaccinate 243 million children in the worlds poorest countries against illnesses such as pneumonia and measles. As a result it is expected that four million lives will be saved over the next four years.
Not only is Gates making an invaluable contribution to the betterment of peoples lives but he is also inspiring by example other members of the super rich to emulate his philanthropy. Oprah Winfrey is a close friend and has pledged to donate the bulk of her $2.7 billion estate to charity. Proverbs 11:28: says "Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf." - Bill Gates has learned this ancient truth. Let’s hope that he has also taken to heart Jesus insights into the limitations of simply living for the here and now…. “ Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing …And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need… So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. (Luke 12)

Gerard O'Shea

QUILT EXHIBITION

PATCHWORKED BEAUTIES

Walking out of town the other day I dropped in to a ‘Quilt’ exhibition at ...

what was formerly the Franciscan Church. Inside the church was ablaze...

with colour from a wide variety of quilts created by groups of women here ...

and around the world. These are truly stunning pieces of artistic ...

achievement as you can see from these pictures.

Gerard O'Shea

LITERARY SISTERS

Writers, Anne Rice(L) and Fay Weldon(Above)

A LIVING FAITH

In the last couple of weeks two prominent women in the literary world have grabbed the headlines with matters relating to faith and fellowship. Back in 1976 Anne Rice published her first novel, ‘Interview With The Vampire’, a book that enjoyed huge success in the ‘erotic horror’ genre, later in 1994 the book was made into a cult movie starring brad Pitt and tom Cruise. Rice went on to write several more volumes in her ‘Vampire Chronicles’ series all going to the top of the best seller lists. Boosted by the huge success of the screen version her debut novel has gone on to sell over 8 million copies to date.Then in October 2004 Rice announced through the pages of ‘Newsweek’ magazine that she henceforth would “write only for the Lord.” True to her word she subsequently published ‘Christ the Lord-Out of Egypt’, the first in a series chronicling the life of Jesus. In her memoir, ‘Called Out of Darkness’ she explained her return to Roman Catholicism and faith, “In the moment of surrender, I let go of all the theological or social questions which had kept me from God for countless years. I simply let them go. There was the sense, profound and wordless, that if He knew everything and that, in seeking to know everything, I’d been all my life, missing the entire point.”

In July of this year Anne Rice publicly renounced her dedication to the Roman Catholic faith yet maintaining her personal commitment to Christ. She explained this change of heart on her Facebook page, “ For those who care, and I understand if you don’t ; today I quit being ‘Christian’ or being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.” This reminds me of the encounter between the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and Christian missionary E. Stanley Jones. Jones impressed with Gandhi’s knowledge of the New Testament asked, “Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?” Gandhi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.” And indeed any of us who have struggled with fellowship over the years can testify how difficult it is to live in harmony with many who follow the Lord. I have wrestled with this dilemma myself, trying to remain obedient to Jesus’ clear command that we are to love one another and ‘putting up’ with some of Gods most ‘peculiar’ people.
As I write this I full well realise that there is no more ‘peculiar’ disciple than I and I in turn have created multiple difficulties for my brothers and sisters ! Still, the plain commandment of Jesus does not allow us wriggle room in this regard, and John expounds the principle well in his epistle, “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) I am relieved that Rice’s personal faith in Jesus remains intact and leaving the monolith that is the Catholic church is no bad thing, but the imperative remains for her as for every believer to meet together, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

Another well known lady in the literary firmament is Fay Weldon, the celebrated author and outspoken feminist. She came to faith through attending a traditional Anglican church after a visit from the Vicar started her on her journey to ‘belief’. Ten years ago at age 69 she was baptised at Saint Paul’s Cathedral. One spark that ignited this new found spiritual dimension in her life was when she was asked to write an introduction to the Book of Corinthians, Paul’s New Testament epistle. As she read the words of the Apostle she was struck by their relevance to her own life. She explains, “I was more or less converted by St. Paul. What he had to say was so new at that time, and yet still so relevant.” It’s encouraging to be reminded that the Word of God and the reality of Jesus can still transform even the stoutest unbeliever, a fact often overlooked as Christianity is being attacked as never before in a plethora of so called ‘scientific’ books attempting to consign ‘faith’ to the dustbin of human history. Titles such as ‘God Is Not Great’, ‘The God Delusion’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ scream that the end of Christianity is nigh, the stories of Rice and Weldon suggest otherwise.

Gerard O'Shea

INTIMATIONS OF MORTALITY

A FITTING EPITAPH

I suppose that for most of us thoughts of our own mortality only arise when we come into close contact with death or illness. The passing of a loved one certainly underlines the fact that not even the fittest of us will stride this earth forever and we may reflect as to what mark we have made on this world during our short duration here. Recently I was engaged in finalising the inscription for my uncle Frank’s headstone, which will mark his final resting place at Kilquane cemetery. Frank was of the opinion that after death we are buried in the ground and that is that, no afterlife, no final judgement by a Divine being, no complications…you live, you die and that is the end.

What is left then are the memories enshrined in the people who remain, good and bad. of the deceased. This scenario always struck me as being particularly bleak and what an anticlimax to a life lived well with all its multitude of ideas and actions, dreams and relationships. To envisage such an existence just snuffed out like a candle flame. defies our inner instinct of continuation and immortality. Take a great figure like Beethoven, was his death the full and final stop to such a rich and productive life, did his indomitable spirit simply bow out as his body folded in death ? Something tells me no, there is no sense in it all if we live our three score years and ten and then just shuffle off this mortal coil into a great cosmic void. Finding suitable words for Frank’s headstone had to ensure, to be true to what he believed ,that there would be no suggestion of continuation or a religious reference in the epitaph. At last I decided on a couplet from Michael Hogan’s (the Bard of Thomond) epic poem ‘ The Story of Drunken Thady' where he is addressing the subject of the Bishop’s Lady’s sudden demise. Hogan wrote, “An echo roused upon the hill / Dies in the wind, and all is still.” These lines convey the abruptness of a life interrupted and the unbearable silence of absence afterwards.

In Frank’s case we have lots of warm memories of the man and his life but even these will diminish as memory fades and those left behind themselves bow out. Shakespeare summed up our mortal countdown well when he wrote, “Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,/ So do our minutes hasten to their end…” Fine words indeed that convey the sweeping away of our lives by the inevitable march of Time. Jesus also spoke about death and saw it not as the end but a beginning of a different quality of life, eternal life ! He spoke many beautiful words but He uniquely backed them up with a power and an authority that confounded even his critics. Outside the tomb of Lazarus He simply said, “Lazarus come out” and his deceased friend came back from the dead. He described Himself as the Resurrection and the Life and firmly promised His followers that if they

believed in Him they would never die !

There are countless poems and human reflections that may comfort us in times of bereavement and loss but Jesus’ clear and emphatic statements alone offer real and tangible hope of a life that outlasts this one . Above every religious creed and every philosophical argument the simple Nazarene signed, sealed and delivered a new and eternal life through His life, death and resurrection from the dead. Talk is cheap and often cold comfort when we are stricken by the sting of loss and separation, for these times we need the reliable word of One who has been there and lives again to guide us home. Jesus lived a life of service to others driven by love, He hung on the cross for our sins held there by love and He ultimately conquered death and hell by the power of love. His love is true and sure, He does not fail or waver, we can place our fragile life in His and trust Him to do what He has promised - to give us eternal life. The old argument against the assurance of an afterlife, that nobody has come back to tell us, is wrong. Jesu died and did exactly that three days later, the only definitive word we have is His. as the Bible describes it, "He tasted death for us" (Hebrews 2:9)

Gerard O'Shea

BLOOMING BRILLIANT

The graveyard at Fanore

BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

I think May has to be one of my favourite months as the Springtime takes root and the jaded scenarios of winter are endued with a fresh and vibrant mantle. It’s God’s great outdoor paint job when everything that grows becomes new and noticeable again. This year the May blossom (or hawthorn) made a late appearance at the end of the month ,but when it showed it most surely did not disappoint. Here are just a few examples of the dazzling views that this years month of May has delivered, for some of them I wandered into the fist few days of June !

This exotic flower appeared across the road from my place drooping from an electric-light pole. Perhaps some kind Dew reader may be able to identify it, the flowers are purple and it seems to me like some kind of willow. Under bright sunshine it really is quite a spectacular sight that brightens up an otherwise drab suburban road.

I made my first trip of 2010 to the Burren today ,and spent several hours just soaking in the atmosphere of this unique area on the edge of the Atlantic . The distinctive limestone terrain plays host to a wide variety of rare flora uniquely found here, often growing in the clefts of the great limestone slabs where they find shelter from the sea winds. While there I visited the graveyard at Fanore where John O’Donnohue is laid to rest, and later found a space among the Burren stones to seclude myself for a few hours with a book.

Gerard O'Shea

UNVEILING THE MASK

ARE PSYCHICS FOR REAL ?

Many years ago I was brought face to face with the reality of malign spiritual activity and the terrifying prospect of a person being demon possessed. I realise for many readers the expression ‘demon possessed’ is an archaic phrase that belongs to a bygone age and has been usurped in this century by the psychoanalysts couch and an array of behaviour altering psychiatric medication. The notion of the existence of a personal Devil and his following of spiritual entities called demons sounds more medieval than modern and yet in spite of all our social and medical advances the problem of evil and its embodiment in individuals persists. In the situation I was involved with a young woman was at the centre of dark and terrifying forces that seemed to defy the usual parameters of what would be called ‘mental illness’. She became increasingly agitated and bizarre in her actions as these malign entities appeared to subsume her personality and take over , culminating in an epic display of ‘possession’ accompanied by guttural cries denigrating Jesus and His work and the speaking of strange languages. That chilling experience left many convinced that the Devil is real and sometimes can in extreme cases ‘possess’ a person through his demonic spirits.

A scene from 'The Exorcist'

Over the years I have never encountered another case like this but from reading eyewitness reports have learned that while these are rare they are not unheard of. Of course Jesus in His earthly life constantly confronted the Devil as a personal being most notably after His 40 day fast in the wilderness, and when He commanded the spirits possessing a man to go into a herd of pigs ! Apart from these spectacular appearances by the Evil one, the day to day activity of Satan is cloaked by deceit and subterfuge leading Bob Dylan to wryly comment in one of his songs, “ Sometimes Satan comes as a Man of Peace” In the uncertain times we are living in many are turning to alternative ‘spiritual’ practitioners to seek guidance and reassurance as the old certainties of religion and economic growth are tumbling. So called psychics are one growth area in this field and can trace their lineage back through history with Michel de Nostradame being perhaps the most notable. They purport to be in contact with ‘spirit guides’ who reveal to them secrets of the future hidden from mere mortals.

Strange powers

Understandably at a time of domestic breakdown and with such an indeterminate future ahead many are now dialling ‘psychic phone lines’ or making appointments with these self-styled seers to gain some solace and comfort about what the future may hold. Some psychics are little more than acute observers of the human condition dressed up in the spiritual razzmatazz and can tell a lot about someone by simply picking up on the mood or disposition of their clients and spin it out to create the impression of other-world insights. Still others practise what is called a ‘cold reading’, a psychic deception where a subject is asked general questions and using the answers to narrow down the information to specifics to convince the participant that the psychic has received information from the ‘other side’. The third category of psychics are seriously dangerous as they do contact ‘spirits’ who can reveal accurate information about the future, but the real question is from what source does the ‘genuine’ psychic draw their knowledge ? The Bible strongly condemns any involvement with psychics, mediums or the occult, “ Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.” ( Deuteronomy 18: 10-12)

Bio energy Healing

Psychics and clairvoyants have now become part of the popular culture with exposure in magazines and TV shows depicting the practise as normal and perfectly acceptable to the modern mind. Earlier I wrote of my own dramatic experience with the occult in the manifestation of a young woman who appeared to be possessed by spirits, and later discovered that in her case youthful experimentation with the Ouija board at school may have been the entry point through which these malign demons gained entry to her life. The apparently innocuous experiment using the Ouija board had a repercussion in her life that was not anticipated as she had not been fully informed about what was really at stake. Similarly many who seek out the services of psychics or New Age healers are inviting forces into their lives that are not sourced in God but come from the realm of Satan’s kingdom and are hell bent on doing us harm. The Apostle Paul became involved with a girl who had become entangled with the demonic, “ Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.” ( Acts 16:16-18 )

'Playing' the Ouija

Don’t be deceived even in the spiritual realm all that glitters is not gold and everything should be tested against the only revelatory book we have from God our Creator, the Bible. He made us and knows us intimately and knows what will do us good and those things that will do us harm. The problem with all occultic activity is that its true source is veiled and the Scriptures tackles this head on, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” ( 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 ). At a time when the consumer is demanding more and more information about the foods they eat, ingredients, traceability etc., it is even more important that we exercise caution about the plethora of alternative spiritual practises now available and inform ourselves about ‘spiritual tracability’. Its one thing to know that the Sunday roast comes from John Murphys herd in County Limerick but quite another as to where that psychic or medium is drawing their power from. Our dietary transparency might be important to our ongoing health and wellbeing but discerning the true spirit behind psychics, spiritual healers etc,. is a matter of our spiritual life and death.

Gerard O'Shea

THE GARDEN FENCE

Your blogger...fencing !

TEAMWORK

As regular Hermonites will know, I make an annual foray into the garden here at Ardhu in a blaze of Spring induced enthusiasm and leave the earthscape altered in some respect.. Yesterday aided and abetted by my friend Tony Ryan and my brother Tony I replaced a crumbling roadside wooden fence with a spanking new one. The day for this engineering exercise dawned gloriously and we completed the job bathed in golden sunshine necessitating copious amounts of sunscreen and Nash’s red lemonade to respectively stop the burn and quench our thirst. We worked well as a team and had to negotiate several obstacles as we progressed. Large stones embedded deep in the earth prevented the easy sinking of the fence posts and had to be dug and rooted out. Tony Ryan took over ownership of the sledge hammer for the job and wielded it with an enthusiasm and ferocity that was a sight to behold. My brother insisted on cutting down any offending trees in our path and set to work like a ravenous beaver on the saw.

The finished job

My role was a jack-of-all-trades assisting when required at all the little tasks that eventually led us to the completion of the new fence. The days enterprise reminded me again of the benefits of teamwork and the blessing of having family and friend to lend a hand for what would have been an impossible task on ones own. So the garden is now enclosed by a new fence and it now remains to plan and sow the earth for the new season. Whether to fill it with vegetables or festoon with flowers is the question, as soon as I have it resolved I’ll let you all know

Gerard O'Shea

INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA

ACROSS THE OCEAN
~
A TRANSATLANTIC
CHAT

Two of the blogs which I follow are written by a young woman who lives in the U S A and is obviously very creative and artistic. Coupled with her love of our very own U 2 her blogged pieces make for interesting and stimulating reading. ( the blogs are ’ A Reflection On The Water’ and ‘A Light On The Water’ , see Blogs I Like in margin) So when Andrea approached me to help with a college project I was happy to do so. She was set the task of painting a word picture of somebody's experiences from a different culture to her own, and to that end she interviewed me over facebook on March 13 th. As the main body of the ‘chat’ concerns my ‘conversion’ story I thought it might be of interest to some Hermonites to share it here.


Andrea: First one: Where were the schools you attended located in Ireland?
Gerard: In Limerick city
Andrea: Okay. Thanks. What years were you there? Just trying to put it into perspective with other world events, etc.
Gerard: Ah dates...I left Secondary school about 1974
Andrea: Okay. How long were you there for?.
Gerard: About 6 years at junior level and the same at senior level.
Andrea: Okay. Now for some slightly more difficult questions... In the questionnaire, you talked about your “dramatic conversion experience.” What was your life like before it?
Gerard: I was a fairly devout 'religious' Catholic, attending church and trying to live my life as best I could. I knew there must be a God from the glorious creation etc,. but I had no first hand knowledge of Him. I was always curious about other world religions views and read up as much as I could on them. Through a magazine called The Plain Truth I started to read the Bible for the first time and from my knowledge of it, I realised that whatever I might be I most definitely was not (according to the Biblical definition) a Christian.
Andrea: So it was a fairly self and God-initiated conversion? Were there people who influenced you as well?
Gerard: Yes, apart from the magazine and the Bible I was also listening to evangelist Billy Graham on the radio. so intellectually I knew what a 'real' Christian was. Also in my second last year at school a classmate had become a a 'Jesus freak' as we referred to him. The change in his life was hugely impressive and he spent all his free time telling us, about Jesus and being 'born again.’ To be honest at the time I thought he was intellectually weak but there was something compelling about his radical lifestyle and his simple message that spoke loudly to me.
Andrea: That is so neat. You wrote in your “Catholic Church Abuse” blog entry that your “hope is that the baby won’t be tossed out with the bathwater as the distinction between the glorious message of Jesus and the moribund works of failed religion are muddled in the public mind.” Yet given your childhood schooling, it surprises me that you didn’t toss the baby “out with the bathwater” yourself. How did you come to make the distinction between what people do in the name of Christ (religion, etc.), and Christ Himself?
Gerard: I could see a marked difference between the professed Christianity of the Catholic church with all it tradition of pomp and dogma and the teaching of Jesus set out in the Gospels which by comparison shone like a precious jewel. You should understand that back then the Bible was a closed book for most Catholics, we were not encouraged to read it, so when I did it was new and fresh and revelatory. Also the effect of that 'simple' Gospel in the life of my schoolmate and in the preaching of Graham seemed to me to be endued with a power and integrity I had not witnessed before.
Andrea Would you say that your treatment in the Catholic schools had a role in your rejection of Catholicism (if so, how?)
Gerard I think the lack of Christlikeness exhibited in the lives of the ‘professional’ clergy and Brothers was an influence. I recall a Christian Brother visiting our class to recruit for vocations to the Brothers asking the question ’ why would you not consider joining the religious life ?’. I put my hand up and answered, “ because they (the Brothers) are in my experience neither ‘Christian’ or ‘brotherly’ ‘ Needless to say my contribution went down like a lead balloon ! Later after I had become a Christian believer I learned to separate fallible human beings from the truth as expressed in Scripture. I then rejected Catholicism not just because of my perceived lack of reality in it, but on the basis that its tenets did not always concur with the clear teaching of the Bible.
Andrea I hate to bring up bad memories, but could you tell me a bit more about your time in school?
Gerard I was a day attendee at the Ard Scoil Ris (Rice High School, named after the Brother;s founder Ignatius Rice) Secondary school. The only abuse I witnessed there was corporal punishment and ‘cruel’ verbal put downs from the Principal, Bro. Harry Cotter. He would humiliate you in class and get the student behind to administer punishment by hitting you in the back using phrases like ‘down the cripple’ and ‘hit him harder’ Also one of the lay teachers was given to physical punishments and other teachers administered slaps on the hand using a black leather strap made explicitly for the purpose. Sometimes the strap would be used to hit you on the ankles.
Andrea: Have others of your former schoolmates taken a similar route to the one you've already mentioned , in terms of rejecting religion and choosing Christ? It seems to be something I hear fairly often from Irish people... U2, for instance.
Gerard: To my knowledge no one else in my class had a similar experience. And it was a few years after I had left school that I met up with my 'J Freak' friend in a factory, and to my astonishment he was still radiating the 'joy of the Lord', even in that difficult atmosphere. We had many discussions and again nothing he particularly said was new to me apart from his claim of knowing Jesus Christ personally. This 'knowing' was the hurdle I could not cross over even with all my book knowledge and keenness to discover the true path.
Andrea: So what finally brought you to the point of "knowing?"
Gerard: The unexpected intervention of the Lord himself, I believe. Quite simply one night as I was preparing to go to bed I became overwhelmed with a sense of my own sinfulness and unworthiness. I was convinced that my sins had put Christ on the cross and that He died there for me. The scene of His crucifixion was almost like a vision , I could see and feel the experience intensely. As I cried over my wickedness this overwhelming tide of forgiveness and grace swept over my whole being and I knew for the first time in my life that this Jesus who died on the cross two thousand years ago, died for me, loved me, and was alive !
This was the most momentous single event of my life and I knew at the time that it was going to be hugely significant. I was so shaken and elated by the experience that I got dressed and went out (it was after midnight) for a walk to try and take in what had just occurred. I have often said since that it was fortunate that I met no one in my nocturnal rambling because the way I was feeling I would have hugged them to death as the feeling of wellbeing I had was so intense.. Later that morning I wrote about the event carefully in my Diary because I felt I would not believe it on the following day if the feeling had evaporated.. The diary entry wasn’t just a record of what had taken place but a charter of how I wished to live from that time on, loosely based on what I knew of the Sermon on the Mount. When I did wake the following morning the ‘experience’ had lasted and I knew that I had begun a new kind of life ( later I would learn that the New Testament term for what had happened that night was me being ‘born again’)
Andrea: Wow. That reminds me of Augustine's conversion. We've been reading his Confessions in my Philosophy class.
Gerard: Augustine I aint ! but God is good.
Andrea: Amen to that. Maybe this should be obvious, but I've been wondering why you haven't chosen to align yourself with a Protestant denomination. It seems like something many former Catholics do, at least here in the US.
Gerard: Aha...because I was always careful only to align myself to what I knew to be true, and that was Jesus. For a year after my conversion I continued to attend Mass and got more out of it than I had ever before, but always as a memorial and not as a repeat of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Meanwhile I went denomination shopping trying to meet other people who shared my experience of the New Birth. Eventually I found a non-denominational 'Brethren' group where everyone from the age of 16 to 60 could talk about 'becoming a believer' and discovering God's love for themselves. I threw my lot in with them for many years and enjoyed sweet times of fellowship and growing in the knowledge of the Word. I then separated myself from the Catholic faith as I discovered more and more in the Bible that could not be reconciled to that doctrine and practise. I endeavoured not to become anti-Catholic in a vitriolic or aggressive sense as Irish people were fiercely loyal to their ‘faith‘, and I had no wish to complicate the Gospel by 'bashing' my former coreligionists along the way. Over the years many have come to personal faith in Jesus and replaced dry church dogma with a living relationship with God Himself.
Andrea: That makes sense. The religious abuses in Ireland seem like a real struggle to get over, in terms of people coming to Christ. Do you think Ireland can fully recover from them? Is there hope for the Church there, or is the strained relationship between religion and people too much?
Gerard: I think the Catholic Church has too long enjoyed the trappings of political power over genuine spiritual hunger, whether it can ever discover or retrieve that is hard to know. In the 1970's the Charismatic Movement brought many church people to the Lord and to the Bible but quickly the 'official clergy' intervened to contain the Movement and effectively killed it off. I do believe that the church Jesus died for is that city on the hill which gives light to the surrounding nations by example. And part of that example is the selfless life of community where all have all in common
Andrea: Well, it seems you and your friends are doing what you can to shine bright.
Gerard: The blueprint is easy to recite, the doing of it is (as you know) not so easy.

A NATIONAL SAINT

PATRICK'S LEGACY

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Not many of you were overtaxed by the ‘mystery’ text I blogged some two weeks ago, well today I can reveal that the quotation was taken from our National saint, Patrick’s ‘confession’. This work penned by Patrick’s own hand is the only reliable literary source we have to inform us of the reality of the Apostles mission to Ireland as against the rich body of legend and hearsay that has built up over the centuries. When I was a child we were taught that Saint Patrick brought Catholic Christianity to this island having been sent here by the Pope to ‘civilise’ the wild Irish. In vain you will search his own writings to confirm this fable as he did not come here to Romanise the natives with the trappings of that religious institution, but rather according to himself to make disciples for Jesus, His Lord
He writes “ ’ And likewise the Lord foretells through the prophet: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days (sayeth the Lord) that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy.’ And in Hosea he says: ‘Those who are not my people I will call my people, and those not beloved I will call my beloved, and in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” they will be called ’Sons of the living God.”’

The church left by Patrick was an independent Celtic fellowship that for centuries fiercely resisted the attempted intrusions of Rome into their order and governance. In the light of the recent woes of Catholicism in Ireland because of that institutions cover-up of clerical sexual abuse, one cannot help but wonder how the ‘gospel’ would have fared if the Irish church had successfully withstood the rule of Rome over her . The majority expression of ‘Christianity’ in our country today is in a sorry state, not ruined from enemies without but crumbling from the culture of secrecy and covertness within. A good time to remind all fair minded people of the original message preached by Patrick centering on the personal redemption of Jesus Christ and the illumination for the human soul from His glorious Word.

Towards the end of Patrick’s ‘Confession’ he writes of his motivation and hoped for reward, “ Behold, I call on God as my witness upon my soul that I am not lying; nor would I write to you for it to be an occasion for flattery or selfishness, nor hoping for honour from any one of you. Sufficient is the honour which is not yet seen, but in which the heart has confidence. He who made the promise is faithful; he never lies.” May God himself raise up men and women who will continue the evangelisation of our land with such purity and purpose, an Ireland redeemed and reborn !

Gerard O'Shea

SPEAKING TO BE CHEERFUL

The traditional chatting place, over the garden fence

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TALK DEEP - TALK OFTEN

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There are so many reasons why you might be reading the Dew of Hermon blog, you might have ‘googled’ across it, or maybe an enlightened friend put you wise to it, or perhaps you found a ‘Dew’ card in a restaurant or pub and curious about ‘ a blog you can believe in’ you logged on. Or perhaps you know me and you've logged on out of idle curiosity or maybe you are part of that elite group that recognise the ‘Dew; for the cultural and cutting edge watering-hole that it is and you realise that to miss a post would be tantamount to an act of intellectual and cultural vandalism ! Now there is yet another reason to regularly dip into the ‘Dew of Hermon’ well, a recent study has concluded that while idle everyday chit-chat will drain your psyche and addle your brain, deep and meaningful discussions are much more likely to make the participants experience feelings of happiness and fulfilment.

Could he be on facebook ?

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Scientists have found that a person’s well-being is directly related to the incidence of profound discussions they have. So while others are twittering and face booking inanities about hobbies, favourite TV programs and pop star heroes we here on Hermon mountain are deliberating on the meaning of life and the stuff of a satisfied mind like poetry and metaphysical meanderings, and like the cod-liver oil of childhood it may not always be too pleasant to take but now you know it will be good for you in the end ! I learned this lesson during my Secondary school-days when with three friends we would gather against the wall of the Ardhu Hotel on Roses Avenue to discuss those big questions about God and life and meaning. So while our peers dashed off to hurling matches and rugby games to get a cheap adrenaline rush, me and my scholastic buddies ruminated over the great philosophical conundrums of life and left the gathering all the better for the experience. I recall those meetings, especially the Friday one which continued a bit longer in light of the Saturday morning sleep-in, with great fondness and indeed gratitude as they set me off asking the questions that in time brought me face to face with the ultimate Answer (but that’s a story for another blog !)

Blissfully logged on to 'Dew of Hermon'

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The prestigious Psychological Science journal found that those who spent more time with others rather than alone experienced the highest levels of well-being but they were more surprised to find that the content of conversations dramatically affected how happy the volunteers were. Those with the widest grins had twice as many deep and meaningful conversations as the least happy. The inference for ‘Dew’readers is clear, while merely reading the blogs will increase your ‘happy’ feelings , if you leave a comment and enter into dialogue with fellow Hermonites the results may border on the ecstatic ! The co-author of the study Matthias Mehl an assistant professor at the University of Arizona concludes, “These findings suggest that the happy life is social and conversationally deep rather than solitary and superficial ”.
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Gerard O'Shea

TIGER'S TALE

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COMING CLEAN

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The recent public apology by golfer Tiger Woods for his extra marital affairs was a sober and carefully thought out response to both his fans and family for having let them down by his irresponsible behaviour over the last couple of years. The most striking thing he said was in my opinion the following, “ I stopped living according to my core values. I knew what I was doing was wrong but thought only about myself and thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to, I felt I was entitled. I had worked hard. Money and fame made me believe I was entitled. I was wrong and foolish. I don’t get to live by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me “ Here Woods gets to the core of not just his own indiscretions but to a universal truth regarding our own attempts to rationalise wrongdoing, our sense of ‘entitlement’ for whatever reason to say that the rules do not apply to us. In his case fame and wealth put him beyond the normal constraints, until too late he realised that they actually didn’t. His betrayal was of his wife, his children and the larger body of people who admired not just his extraordinary golfing ability but their perceived notion of his personality and demeanour. Woods had been living a lie and at last he was found out, and in fairness did the honourable thing and abjectly apologised for his gross conduct.

On the larger canvas of our lives there is a responsibility just as onerous as family and friends, to our Creator that is seldom addressed in our secular age. We haven’t arrived on this planet just as a random collection of atoms accountable to nobody but ourselves and those who serve our self-interest. No, we were created by God Himself and wonderfully formed (Psalm 139:13) according to His Divine plan. We were created to live according to Divine laws and principles because we are moral beings and have an inner compass that helps us to distinguish right from wrong. Not only do we have a responsibility to our instinctual sense of morality but the Creator has also left us a body of written commands in the Bible that serve to enlighten our path as we seek to live a full and happy life. In fact the Word is described in many places in the Old Testament as a light for our path (Psalm 119:105 ) indicating that it illuminates our way, giving a Divine perspective on the myriad of moral choices that face all of us on our life’s journey . This might sound like so much poppycock to the enlightened 21st century mind or as a throwback to a time in our ‘religious’ past where constraints were set on almost every pleasurable activity by a group of male enforcers who seemed determined to squeeze every drop of joy out of day to day living. This view of religion is widespread and in certain circumstances (particularly in the Ireland of the 40‘s and 50‘s) not unjustified, but apart from denominational rules for their members , God’s Law is something entirely different and has a relevance for every single person created in the Divine image.


So we return to Tiger Woods comments about his sense of entitlement to break the rules, a view that many might plead in their lack of compliance to the higher law of God. This is the age of ‘entitlement’ and self-assertiveness, a time when everyone seems to be screaming for their rights and entitlements often without regard to personal responsibility and due compliance. Of course we are endowed with rights and every human person deserves basic human rights like food, shelter, love etc,. and we all should strenuously work to ensure that the weakest in our society enjoy these conditions, but we are also responsible to respond in obedience to that higher law that emanates from our Creator. When our sense of ‘entitlement’ obscures our need to bow before that higher Power then like Tiger Woods we have lost a proper perspective on life and our place in the scheme of things. Time after time the Jewish people walked away from their Divine accountability and lived without reference to the God who had chosen them and delivered them out of slavery in Egypt, and as a consequence reaped a bitter harvest. We, no less can walk away from our responsibility to live in harmony with those Laws which God set in place from the very foundation of the world. Jesus spoke of the immutability of that law when He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” ( Matthew 5:17 ) Jesus, as the only man who ever totally complied with God’s law is reminding us of the importance that these ancient precepts had in His day and hold for all time, surely our incentive to be more diligent in the study and observance of them without equivocation. As Tiger Woods stood before the world’s press and expressed contrition for his neglect of family and social responsibilities, perhaps it is time for us to bow before God and confess our neglect of His laws and precepts. The stakes for many are far higher than family and professional fees, if Gods word is to be believed our eternal future may be on the line.
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Gerard O'Shea

IT'S SPRINGTIME

"Spring has returned. The earth is
like a child that knows poems."

Rainer Maria Rilke
.ime
TIME TO CONSIDER
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This is the first day of Spring as the days extend a little and the early stirrings of life peer above the earth. The snowdrop is among the first of the harbingers of this season of growth and renewal, when nature throws off at last the icy tentacles of winter and sap and bud arise to signal the continuity of the earthly cycle. Even I am expectant that a few scattered daffodil bulbs around the garden may surprise me by an appearance and of course the hedgerow and trees will soon be vigorously stretching forth as the warmth returns from the strengthening sun. By the way, I am writing this as a -3 frost grips the night outside so this piece is an act of faith as much as anything else. Already though there is a lengthening of daylight and all the omens are pointing in the right direction.
Recently I enjoyed an evening with a friend who is facing a prolonged medical procedure over the next few months. He told me that he has drawn a scowley face on the date for the commencement of the treatment and a big smiley for the last day of the procedure. He is marking both days as significant dates and I’m sure he will be counting the days in between, sometimes when we don’t have such a pressing arrangement time just seems to fritter away almost without our knowing. So its good to mark the onset of Spring and be on the lookout for the signs of the earth stirring and the subtle beginnings of this time of hope and optimism. As I wish for my friend I wish for myself and anyone reading this ,that we will be mindful to number our days and take the time to leave the ‘rat-race’ and consider the wonderful world around us.
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Gerard O'Shea