At the start of this series a friend quizzed me about whether I had aspirations of becoming a “woman priest”.
I laughed it off but it did remind me that there was a time when I was a teenager when I toyed with the idea of becoming a nun. It seems a strange thing to confess now, but there was a shelter and solitude and a zeal which appealed to my sense of youthful stubborn-mindedness.
Thankfully, for everyone’s sake (including the convent’s) I went back to daydreaming about doing more normal things with my life.
Throughout this series I’ve met people who do possess a strength of belief in God and the afterlife
But I also think I realised, that while some sort of well of spirituality had been carved into me, it didn’t run deep enough to sustain a blind belief in the God of the Catholic Church.
Throughout this series I’ve met people who do possess a strength of belief in God and the afterlife. In many cases it has impressed me, but it made me realise that I’m comfortable in not believing in God anymore. I don’t have to believe that there is more to this life but I do need to believe that there is more to us.
With over 60,000 people signing up to volunteer for the HSE, perhaps that prayer has been answered. The traditional period of Lent, which many expected to just mean giving up chocolate has actually meant giving up a whole lot more.
In times of crisis we cling to the familiar
When school children were making their lists of Lenten fasts, I doubt any of them thought “giving up school” would come true. But I doubt even fewer thought they’d be yearning to go back to the normality of routine, play-time and homework.
In times of crisis we cling to the familiar, and the sharp rise in people live-streaming mass shows that the church of many of our childhood’s still holds a place in our hearts.
As we emerge from enforced hibernation I wonder will the abstinence from community life make seeing loved one’s that much sweeter?
But even if you don’t believe in a God, it doesn’t mean that the seasons marked by religion aren’t important. It is no coincidence that Lent starts in the dull, chill days of February and ends once evenings start to stretch, with lawnmowers and bees buzzing competitively around flowerbeds.
Easter and Pentecost will mean a very different type of rebirth this year. As we emerge from enforced hibernation I wonder will the abstinence from community life make seeing loved one’s that much sweeter?
There is a line from DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, where the lover writes a letter to the lady in question during cold winter months, he pens: “If you’re in Scotland and I’m in the Midlands, and I can’t put my arms round you, and wrap my legs round you, yet I’ve got something of you. My soul softly flaps in the little Pentecost flame with you.”
If Lent has taught us anything this year, it is that abstinence can turn the dull things of everyday into treasured objects
While many of us are upset that we can’t see family and friends, we don’t need to be religious to have faith that our love for each other will not burn out.
If Lent has taught us anything this year, it is that abstinence can turn the dull things of everyday into treasured objects. I hope it’s a lesson we can keep with us for the rest of the year, and for anyone wondering I’m happy to report I did manage to stay off the crisps and chocolate.
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus restrictions a planned visit to the Jewish community in Ireland had to be cancelled.
Read more
Quakers – it’s not just about the soup
Friday prayers at the Mosque
Lenten Diary: Protestants 'do' lent
Young priests, veiled women and mass in Latin
Lent for the à la carte Catholic
At the start of this series a friend quizzed me about whether I had aspirations of becoming a “woman priest”.
I laughed it off but it did remind me that there was a time when I was a teenager when I toyed with the idea of becoming a nun. It seems a strange thing to confess now, but there was a shelter and solitude and a zeal which appealed to my sense of youthful stubborn-mindedness.
Thankfully, for everyone’s sake (including the convent’s) I went back to daydreaming about doing more normal things with my life.
Throughout this series I’ve met people who do possess a strength of belief in God and the afterlife
But I also think I realised, that while some sort of well of spirituality had been carved into me, it didn’t run deep enough to sustain a blind belief in the God of the Catholic Church.
Throughout this series I’ve met people who do possess a strength of belief in God and the afterlife. In many cases it has impressed me, but it made me realise that I’m comfortable in not believing in God anymore. I don’t have to believe that there is more to this life but I do need to believe that there is more to us.
With over 60,000 people signing up to volunteer for the HSE, perhaps that prayer has been answered. The traditional period of Lent, which many expected to just mean giving up chocolate has actually meant giving up a whole lot more.
In times of crisis we cling to the familiar
When school children were making their lists of Lenten fasts, I doubt any of them thought “giving up school” would come true. But I doubt even fewer thought they’d be yearning to go back to the normality of routine, play-time and homework.
In times of crisis we cling to the familiar, and the sharp rise in people live-streaming mass shows that the church of many of our childhood’s still holds a place in our hearts.
As we emerge from enforced hibernation I wonder will the abstinence from community life make seeing loved one’s that much sweeter?
But even if you don’t believe in a God, it doesn’t mean that the seasons marked by religion aren’t important. It is no coincidence that Lent starts in the dull, chill days of February and ends once evenings start to stretch, with lawnmowers and bees buzzing competitively around flowerbeds.
Easter and Pentecost will mean a very different type of rebirth this year. As we emerge from enforced hibernation I wonder will the abstinence from community life make seeing loved one’s that much sweeter?
There is a line from DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, where the lover writes a letter to the lady in question during cold winter months, he pens: “If you’re in Scotland and I’m in the Midlands, and I can’t put my arms round you, and wrap my legs round you, yet I’ve got something of you. My soul softly flaps in the little Pentecost flame with you.”
If Lent has taught us anything this year, it is that abstinence can turn the dull things of everyday into treasured objects
While many of us are upset that we can’t see family and friends, we don’t need to be religious to have faith that our love for each other will not burn out.
If Lent has taught us anything this year, it is that abstinence can turn the dull things of everyday into treasured objects. I hope it’s a lesson we can keep with us for the rest of the year, and for anyone wondering I’m happy to report I did manage to stay off the crisps and chocolate.
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus restrictions a planned visit to the Jewish community in Ireland had to be cancelled.
Read more
Quakers – it’s not just about the soup
Friday prayers at the Mosque
Lenten Diary: Protestants 'do' lent
Young priests, veiled women and mass in Latin
Lent for the à la carte Catholic
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