Dealing with reality
You have probably heard this illustration many times. “The optimist sees the glass as half full and the pessimist sees the glass as half empty”. But the complete illustration adds that “the realist knows that ultimately someone is going to have to clean the glass”.
It’s a funny yet striking addition to the illustration and
one probably that we as the Church in Ireland need to take to heart. Never has
it been more important if we are to see the Church in Ireland renewed, that we
need to start from a position of reality.
The optimist would see that these is just a phase we are
going through and our people will flow back to their parishes, when they
realise what they are missing. The pessimist would say this is the death knell
of the church in Ireland, from which it will never recover.
We need to face reality with regard to the state of the Church in Ireland, in order to see possibilities for renewal. We need to look at the reality of a huge exodus from the Church, as well as a disaffection with its role in society. We need to look at the reality of the breakdown in trust in the Church due to the scandals of the past and the failure of leadership to hold to account and to be accountable. We need to face reality that we have been focused on maintenance rather than being constantly called to be prophetic and take part in a Divine Renovation (Fr James Mallon). If we are honest with reality, then we can move forward to lay a new foundation for rebuilding the Christian Community.
I love this quote from Alex Haley
"Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure that the reality is going to deal with you."
Till Next time - Tim Nichols