Séamus Ahearne: Sitting down and writing a bit…

IS BAD NEWS THE ONLY GOOD NEWS AROUND?

There is a gnawing feeling in my bones. It is a darkness. It is a dullness. It is the sourness of expression in the public forum. It is not SAD and therefore seasonal; it seems to be the philosophy of the age. Might it be a Godless outlook? Everything and everyone seem so negative. It is a type of pollution which is like sepsis, pervasively corroding the atmosphere. There are reasons for this. But life isn’t all bad. The weather may be wet. The days may be short. The storms may come and scuttle the lives of too many. But there is something beautiful in life and the every-day is wonderful. As John Moriarty did say: Can you not see it? There is always more than the obvious or the negative. Everywhere. In everyone. Poets of the world, we need you to scream, to highlight the mystery; the more; the good; to accentuate the positive; to lift the imaginations; to stretch our minds and hearts.

THE TOLKA IN FLOWER:

I walk by the Tolka  River each morning. In the darkness of 6 o’clock (c), I can see very little. But the air and the rain, scatters the cobwebs of my mind. I smiled at the thought that ‘Brigid’  brings the Spring! And what happened? I turned on my torch and the crocuses were smiling at me. I didn’t see the snowdrops, but they are around. Even the daffodils are struggling to straighten up. Those crocuses are magnificent. How could there be even a hint of dreariness in my head after that? So despite the noisiness of this weather; something extraordinary happens.

ONE VIEW OF TODAY’S WORLD:

I know. I do. Things can be bad. Trump mutters his nonsense about Barack and Michelle Obama. Apes. Oh dear. Epstein is everywhere. Mandelson is consuming the news. (However, Matthew Parris and Daniel Finkelstein were surprising in their broader assessment of Mandelson’s political contribution over the years.) Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has damaged the brand of the Royalty. Andrew’s problem isn’t only what he might have done, but also entitlement and arrogance. There are many similar questions for some, in our present world. Some of those most ‘successful’ and major figures in business; in politics; in academia, have been ruined by association with Epstein. And still the ‘girls’ who are central to the sexual chaos, somehow, are still almost treated as peripheral. There is however, a need for ourselves in Ireland, to look at the backlog of sexual cases waiting to come to Court in Ireland. The sexual attitudes in life were not all damaged beyond repair by the Church; as a country, we need to address the depths of this issue. The huge difficulties remain even when the Church is no longer a determinant of behaviour! All the above is never the full news. There is more. And it is good. And it should be emphasised. We must keep on looking for the good.

THE SALESIANS:

We celebrated the Salesians on last Friday (30^th January – we anticipated Don Bosco by a day). We celebrated the work of the Salesians here. Our own Salesians came here in 1990. They are due to leave at the end of June. The outburst of emotion and love for those sisters tells the real story of life. They were there for everyone. They were at home in the homes of all. They are, and were, real women who gave everything to everyone. They loved being here and are loved. Their goodness and humanity is like the flowers of life. The crocuses and much more. Definitely, they are our own Work of Art, in the Gallery of Life. The Exhibition is on. We are blessed. They are a blessing.

GRACE LYNCH:

After that Celebration, (on Friday) we all came together for Grace Lynch’s Funeral in Oliver Plunkett’s. (16 years old – knocked down by a scrambler bike). The packed church. The gentle participation by everyone. The family. The girls from St Michael’s School. It was an overwhelming celebration of mystery and hope and life and goodness. Her name was Grace. We were graced. We graced each other. Who has the language to describe what goodness is; what grace is; what humanity is? We did light a candle and didn’t curse the darkness. It was privileged. This the MORE in the midst of sadness.

ST BRIGID AND THE BRIGIDINES:

And then there was St Brigid’s weekend. Brigid’s Cross was made. All the different elements of the Community were woven into a complete Statement of care and love, in that Cross by Imelda. This was the history. This was our history. This was Communion. And we thought of the Brigidines here in Finglas. We thought of Daniel Delany who founded them back in 1807 (Tullow)  and launched them on February 1^st. They are 219 years old. It was their Birthday. Again we spoke of the Blessing they have been for us. The Good News of living and caring and minding and believing. There was no place for dullness and darkness. Our hearts lit up in remembering. We were a Eucharistic people. Full of gratitude in the wonder of their sacramental presence. Graced.

THE PATRICIANS:

And then on the Monday – the 2^nd February, we met with the Patricians. They Celebrated their 218^th birthday. Again founded by Daniel Delany in Tullow. Provincial Gerry joined us and told the story. He took all over the world. And we then talked of the work in Finglas. What those men did in Finglas has been extraordinary. Always there for the unlikely lads; the ones most in need. Dermot (our local man and deeply involved in everything among us) spoke of passing the old School at night and at the weekends, and being sad at the fact that the lights are now off. In those days of the past with the Patricians, every night was full with all kinds of Courses; with every kind of Meeting. Every weekend was full. Of course now, with insurance issues and the issue of volunteers – such events can’t happen. But we must remember. What a gift those Brothers have been? How can we be negative if we have any real sense of recall? We are graced. Finglas has been graced.

A CONCLUSION – RELIGION HAS TO BE COUNTER CULTURAL:

And then in conclusion, we do have wars. We do have the awfulness of Gaza. The tragedy of the Ukraine. The untruthfulness of political dialogue. The failure of humanity with criminality. The family problems with drugs. The sadness of Iran and N Korea. The failures of democracies. The viciousness of political argument. The anger at the Church and its history. Some critical observers on faith do highlight the mistakes and failures. And they are correct, but there is a need for context and the fuller picture. Articles full of bile are a reflection of a personality sometimes. They miss the point.

Our own challenge has to be – saturate the world with our humility and gratitude. To be people of grace. To be the Sacrament of God. To be poets of faith. To be Good News people. To offer an alternative to the conventional wisdom, which is so blighted by problems and bad news. People of faith, unite; Not in a defensive manner. But in a positive and constructive way. If we believe; we have much to say. If we believe; we can counter the dullness. We are ministers of God. We have to escape from the constrictions of formality and the Liturgical straitjacket. Life is good. Life is rich. God is good. We are architects of a better world. We have to be fearless. We are counter cultural. Thanks be to God for the great people of our lives. As Dag Hammarskjold said:    For what we have received, we say THANKS. For what we are about to receive, we say YES.

Seamus Ahearne osa

6^th February 2026.