Séamus Ahearne: New Year Thoughts…

HOGMANAY AND FIRST FOOTING:

My Scottish Past: I may not be Tall, Dark and Handsome and therefore deemed  unsuitable to FIRST FOOT on Hogmanay, into the New Year. Being FAIR (at one stage) didn’t make me a welcome guest. The fair one could lead to trouble! I’m no longer fair and therefore not troublesome. I often think of Margaret in Dundee, who was insistent that her First Foot would be Jesus; someone taking Communion to her, in the first hours of New Year’s Day. (Many in the Catholic Community in Scotland were angry when the Holy Day was abolished for the 1^st January. I did suggest to some of them that they weren’t banned from going to Mass on the day.) Robbie Burns is still recalled as ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is sung. ‘Should old acquaintance be forgot… We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for the sake of Auld Lang Syne.’ Burns worked on an old Scottish song which brought us the familiar one. Rabbie does come alive in John Cairney’s One Man Show. Oh to have the poetry of Robbie. I’m nostalgic today.

DAILY MIRACLES:

In some chats today we discussed miracles. The daily ones. David Attenborough did a Show on the Wild Life in London (BBC). He is only approaching his 100^th birthday, May 2026. It can’t be only David who sees wonder, beauty and nature speaking. God is not part of his story! And God has to be. Every morning wakes up. The birds decide when to sing and musically set out to attract mates. The light stirs them. The clouds do a little dance across the sky. The light and the shadows play tricks on us. And then we have those little gestures. A word. A smile. A thought. A look. Affirmation. Encouragement. That ‘cup of kindness.’ We took on Janus – that Roman God with two faces at our Sundown Service (4.30 on New Year’s Eve). Looking back and looking forward. We reflected. We sang. We shared. We prayed. It was moving to hear the recall.  It was immediate and easy to mention the bad moments of the year past and to be downcast. But when the ‘good news’ and the ‘good people’ were mentioned there was a surge of life and hope, which lifted everyone. God is very good. People are very good. The Sacrament of the moment, the revelation of God daily is in the humbling and the holiness of every day. I have severe criticism of what passed for education in our distant past. Surely the essential of education is to sensitise our minds, imaginations and hearts to the wonder of life. To lead us into gratitude and awareness of what we don’t know ever. I think real education has to lead us to God.  We have to be poets, if faith can be expressed.

THE HERALDS OF CHRISTMAS MORNING:

I had a bad thought on Christmas morning at 04.50. The motor bikes kept on revved up. There was a cluster of five bikes, out at the corner where I live.  The sound doesn’t and didn’t bother me. I’m usually awake at that time. But I felt for the parents, the lack of thoughtfulness for the local families. Children waiting to get up. To see what they got from Santa. My bikers seem to go on for ages, simply revved the engines. They made noise. That seemed to be their objective. Now for my very bad thought: Not one of those five are working. They are strong young men, who haven’t as yet, bothered to enter the labour market. Might it be that we have full-employment? I think not. There is no habit or experience of work in the families. My bad thought continues:   Why should these young men be supported on benefits?  

I’M STILL LEARNING – MICHELANGELO.

Epiphany is a great Celebration. It deserves to be properly marked. It is too important to be wasted on a Holyday, which is usually irrelevant. Our danger so often is that we can sentimentalise religion. We can get emotional over a baby, and even admire these wandering kings, who are wise (especially on camels with exotic gifts) or the notion of a Star. But the reality behind the story is much more dangerous and demanding. The Epiphany challenges us with questions. It asks us to live and learn. It demands that we reach out and cope with new situations and new people and a new culture.  We are missionaries in our own country. In our own faith. We are forever learning. There is no hiding in the past or doing things as we used to do them, or hankering after how good things used to be, in the old days.  

We are asked: Lift your eyes; look around (Isaiah). Many don’t bother thinking. About anything. About God. About life. About the big questions. Today is enough. We are awash with triviality and superficiality. And certainly, our faith too can be overwhelmed with ritual, and we can expect to live off the faith-investment of the past, rather than dig deep into the present and its questions. We have overwhelmed Liturgy by stupidly killing it with clumsy language and clericalising it. God won’t impose on us, if we have lost our sight, in seeing beauty. Awe and holiness go together. If we don’t lift up our eyes, we are acting like sulky children. The Epiphany is about a grown-up adult faith or rather a grown up Community which is searching.  Find a camel. Find a star. Take a wander. And don’t die wondering! 

Seamus Ahearne osa

1^st January 2026.