Not everybody is comfortable talking to the homeless person, the drug addict, the rapist, the murderer; we’re better than them, we distance ourselves and look down them. We condemn, we criticise and we reject without thinking. How often do you hear people saying, “I can never forgive that person”?
I think sometimes, when I look at Irish society, we’re probably the most hypocritical society in the world, because we say we stand for a lot of things that we don’t actually do in reality. With regard to Christianity, I try to live it. I have a thing about caring for those in need; forgiveness, compassion, concern, especially for those who are demonised and ostracised.
I have found working in the prison sector to be a great facility for living that life. To be a Christian is a tough life; it requires courage. In modern society, it means being unpopular. We live in an era where we want to be popular, to create an image. Will the real person stand up? For me, the test is whether or not your religion signposts your life: that’s what Catholicism does for me.
I think sometimes, when I look at Irish society, we’re probably the most hypocritical society in the world, because we say we stand for a lot of things that we don’t actually do in reality. With regard to Christianity, I try to live it. I have a thing about caring for those in need; forgiveness, compassion, concern, especially for those who are demonised and ostracised. I have found working in the prison sector to be a great facility for living that life.
To be a Christian is a tough life; it requires courage. In modern society, it means being unpopular. We live in an era where we want to be popular, to create an image. Will the real person stand up? For me, the test is whether or not your religion signposts your life: that’s what Catholicism does for me.
