Séamus Ahearne: Weekly Ramblings…

JD VANCE AND ROWAN WILLIAMS:

Rowan Williams did a Review of JD Vance’s Book Communion: Finding my Way Back to Faith. Rowan was gentle. He was precise. He wrote in praise and appreciation. He was impressed by the reflections of Vance, but not always convinced of their coherence. He was surprised at the inconsistencies of JD’s expressed and deeply held views on life and faith and yet found it hard to accept how Vance could be immersed in the present administration whose philosophy seems to contradict much of Vance’s guiding thoughts in faith.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT:

Bill Kenneally died. The pain of his abusing lives on in the survivors. The scars of all those years – of what was done to them as youngsters; at how they were not listened to; how the power of big business and political heavyweights appeared to be an obstacle to any listening. The Report published in the past few weeks was sharp and very clear, and blame was assigned. However, the man died almost immediately. He was on palliative care. As that case concluded, the News was taken over by the Jeffrey Donaldson case. Obviously, I wasn’t in Court, but I did follow the case. It did appear to me that he was guilty, but I felt that the Jury would not be unanimous. But they were. And on all charges. I didn’t expect that his wife also would be convicted. Complainant A and Complainant B were said to be lying, according to Donaldson. But the Jury disagreed. They believed the women and didn’t believe Jeffrey Donaldson. It isn’t right to say this, in the context of what has happened in Venezuela, but the shock was seismic in political terms for the DUP and for politics in Northern Ireland. How is it possible for such a man to escape for so long the attentions of close observers and working companions? Word seeps out now that some, on reflection, felt that everything wasn’t right. But during all those years nothing was seen or noticed. However, the deviousness of the abuser is notorious, and most people do not associate such a successful person and a powerful person with sexual deviance. Very often, people cannot ever believe that this person or such people, could do such things.

A TSUNAMI ZONE:

I was surprised and almost amused. But it wasn’t funny. All those signs out in the Algarve saying that it was a Tsunami zone with directions for evacuation did make me smile wryly at the signposts. However it is clearly real. This explosion can happen and is likely! Brendan Hoban has written and compared Bob Prevost and Mark Carney with high regard. For their honesty. For their humanity. For their leadership. Brendan has less respect for some other leaders at the moment. He is a voice crying in the wilderness in Church matters. The priesthood is disappearing. He sees this as the Eucharist evaporating and the Church dying. He sees the signs for the possible Tsunami fluttering around everywhere, but no one appears to notice them or believe their message. The message appears to be that we will deal with the Tsunami when it comes. But it doesn’t work that way. The solutions are rather obvious.

THE WORD BECOMES FLESH DAILY:

However, we get lost in the concept of an archaic understanding of priesthood and miss out on the person of Jesus Christ, the Good News of Jesus Christ and the values thereof. The Word becomes flesh anew each day. I haven’t quite worked it out, but something of Marshall McLuhan’s summary philosophy might apply (the Medium is the Message). I have to untangle that one.

THE DYNAMICS OF A LIVING FAITH:

I was thinking last weekend of priesthood and of age – Paddy O’Reilly, Kieran O’Mahony, Flor O’Callaghan and Tony Finn (Augustinians) celebrated their Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. (They are five years younger than I am!)  Martin Hogan will do so this coming week. We are full of years and a newer version of priesthood is now critically needed. I was down at Glasnevin on Friday and passing by the Crematorium Chapel. A funeral director called me. Alfredo. I hadn’t seen him for 50 years in Drogheda. Some of us are around a long time. The whole world of Church does need a refreshment in youthfulness. Every possible new concept of priesthood has to be introduced. Rigids are anathema in the dynamics of a living faith. The Synodal way is quite wonderful, but it needs to be fed with some radical ideas. It cannot be a cosy ghetto of agreeable folk. Young Tony Flannery was raising very simple and obvious questions some 14 years ago and was silenced. That in itself is shocking and blasphemous in a faith context. But his ideas continue to cry out for acceptance, understanding and implementation.

Seamus Ahearne osa

1^st July 2026.