obama does it!

There is a God! Finally, after almost a hundred years of political effort the US House of Representatives has passed a universal health care bill guaranteeing some form of health coverage for all Americans, especially the poorest. What seems like a no-brainer for the rest of the developed world somehow proved to be a massively wide Rubicon for the United States of America. American conservatives, the inheritors of the freedom-loving frontiersman Davy Crockett mentality, perceived a universal health care plan for which the tax payer would have to foot the bill as an unwarranted intrusion by government in the lives of its citizens. Many still believe this and it looks likely that Obama’s health care plan will prove to be a rallying cry for Republican opposition at the US mid-term elections come November. But for the moment something unparalleled and extraordinary has been achieved. One member of Congress likened the achievement to walking on the moon!

And, as an interesting sidelight, one of the significant contributors to stiffening the resolve of Democrats especially to vote for the bill was the support from the 59, 000 Catholic nuns who came out publicly in its favour, thereby allaying the fears of some that the bill had not sufficiently accommodated the concerns of pro-life voters. Some had interpreted support for the bill as support for public monies paying for abortions. Even some of the US bishops saw it this way.

Anyway, one small step for Obama, one giant step for America’s poorest!

Papal Letter to Ireland

I read Pope Benedict's Letter to the Catholic Church in Ireland while on a weekend retreat (yes, I know I should have resisted the temptation to hit the web!). My first reaction was one of utter dismay. Yes, there was the acknowledgement of the serious sinful and criminal nature of what had occurred. Yes, the letter recognises the many failures of church authorities. And,yes, it was at least heartening to see some recognition of the need for "a new vision". But what alarmed me was the underlying assumption that the way forward involves a "restoration", a return to the Ireland that we once knew where traditional practices of piety routinely shaped our faith and spirituality. Equally, for the second time within the last few months Pope Benedict XVI informs us that it is our adoption of more secular ways is the root cause of what has gone wrong. How can this possible be true?

As a member of a religious congregation that has been prominently associated with the commission of some of the abuses, I can state without fear of contradiction that almost ALL of the abuse occurred in the period when traditional practices, traditional theology and ultra-montane clericalism were at their height. It was the pietistic assumptions of that period with it's all too facile designation of abuse as "weakness" and "sin", linked to the adoption of a religious culture of blind obedience, that permitted and legitimated the culture of secrecy and cover-up that we now rightly condemn. Prayer and penance have a role in our response. But, God forbid that we should assume that Vatican II or a culture of freedom in the Church have been to blame for the abuses of the past. What is needed is more freedom, greater transparency and stronger accountability, not less.

Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk

Yesterday the weather was clear with further confirmation that spring may finally have arrived in an Ireland that endured one of the coldest winters in over thirty years. Was it pathetic fallacy the literary device explained to us in school long ago that had weather events mirror emotional states? Well, this long and bitter winter certainly was not found wanting in giving full vent to the seething depression that has gripped this country as we mire further into this mother of all economic depressions.

Anyway, I awoke to clear skies and I vowed that today would be the day when I would undertake a major outdoor physical event, as in undertake a gentle hike! I placed the Bray to Greystones cliff walk on the agenda, phoned a friend so that I was publicly committed to doing it, searched the web for the DART timetable and packed my small rucksack.

Well, everything went well. The sun shone, the skies remained clear and only a gentle breeze stirred the sea. The views along the route where as stunning as I remember them. This walk is Ireland's answer to the Cinque Terre (which I walked in 2008), albeit a less indulgent one. No stops along the way, no picturesque villages tucked away in sheltered coves and no vineyards cheering you on. Still, it was worth it. Early spring heathers and the yellow gorse in bloom made up for the absence of vineyards.

And, then the glory of the descent into Greystones, the little bay spread out before me and the beckoning houses with the promise of comfort and rest. But wait, what happened those welcoming meadows by the railway that normally usher the walker to the outskirts of the town. Gone! Instead, the route is now diverted around a massive building site that purports to be the new super-marina and shopping complex that will from now stand at the town gates. You endure thirty minutes of hoardings, concrete plants, mud and scrawled re-direction signs. Absoltutely dispiriting.

But then, just as the spirits are about to flag totally, there is the sign for Poppy's coffee shop. A little extra effort brings you right to the snug warmth and chatter of this little nineteenth century gem. Inside, apple cinnamon cake and coffee in abundance awaits.

Life is wonderful after all!

Back teaching again

These days that I am spending time running a little French workshop for my two nephews and their friend, Seán, have reminded me of what teaching class used to be like: the frustrations, the pleasures, the time spent preparing, the misunderstandings, and, oh the joy, when you realise that progress is being made. These guys are good to work with. They are motivated and eager to make this work for them. Seán has ambitions of becoming a primary school teacher so I'm fine-tuning what we're doing to play to his interests. We watched a YouTube trailer on the French documentary movie, Etre et avoir, and I urged him to rent it out at the local Chartbusters here in Galway.

My two nephews are pragmatic. They what they need to do to get the grade in the Leaving Certificate. It seems that there is a sharp divide between teachers who teach for the exam and those who communicate the heart of their subject. The latter are the ones who really educate, I think. One of my nephews has had a really exciting economics teacher who used books like Jeff Sach's The End of Poverty to get across key theoretical ideas. My nephew is now majoring in economics in college. It is what happens when a fire is lit.

Brother David Steindl-Rast

Just recently while tidying up my room I came across a copy of David Steindl-Rast's book, A Listening Heart. I had read it in the Nineties when I was a member of a spirituality reflection group. It was the word 'abundance' that leapt out from the pages at that time. It was a word that has stayed with me ever since. We need to spend each day in gratitude for the abundance of God's gifts.

Now that I am re-reading this book I am even more convinced of the wisdom of Brother David's spiritual teaching. It is harmony with so much of our contemporary appropriation of the Universe Story and of the Buddhist call to detachment, gratitude and letting things be. It is called 'life affirming spirituality'. It finds an echo with me. Especially at this time as I am recovering from what is euphemistically caled a 'cardiac event'.

For all that is, we give thanks.
For all that is yet to be, we say, let it be.

Creative spirituality for those who believe in the divine call to be creators and dreamers, rather than cynical seekers of self-assertion.

Galway Christmas

This has been a Christmas holiday to spend indoors. Unusually, Galway and Ireland have had a white Christmas. Temperatures have plummetted to below Zero. Something that rarely happens, especially here in Galway where we have the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream to bathe our shores in a warm current. No, instead, we've had polar blasts sweeping across the country. Lots of reports of accidents on the roads. Many roads are impassible. Our own N17, fortunately has been kept free as it is a national route. But the sideroads are very icy and dangerous.

I've been spending the last few days helping my nephews with their French Leaving Certificate preparation. Tough work. For them, especially. French verbs, especially those of the irregular kind, are not exactly fun at this time of the year. We spend every morning working on oral conversation, comprehension, verbs, bits and pieces of grammar with a sprinkling of French idiom thrown in. A poor alternative to the XBox waiting next door.

My reward each evening is some quiet time with a glass of Jameson and soulful music on the CD player. It is a great way to keep warm!

In Galway

I have come by train to Galway this morning (Sunday) to visit my family in Castlegar. The trip was largely uneventful except being the first train since Christmas the crew had not shown up except for the driver. So, there was no train manager (aka controller of tickets etc) and, believe it or not, no refueling crew. We had to stop on the way out of Heuston Station to fuel up. It was like stopping at a Topaz garage off the motorway before heading off. And, also, to my chagrin, there was no food service. Since I had had no breakfast before leaving the house (it being so early in the morning), I was pretty famished by the time I reached Galway at 11.30. Luckily, I had texted my brother, Noel, who made sure that there was some leftover breakfast available for me (a big unhealthy Irish fry-up).

Darragh and Tadhg (and their friend Sean) will be participating in a Leaving Certificate revision programme that we are about to run in house. I shall be responsible for the French component, Gregory for the Maths, and Mum for the Busines Studies/Economics end, as well as chasing up overdue assignments (Geography and Rural Science projects).