Theme: Getting back to Jesus?
We believe that for many today, adults and young people, and especially for those who have tended to identify in a narrow way the teaching of the Catholic Church with the teaching of Jesus, he is indeed no longer relevant. Some have stopped going to Mass. Their faith has been shattered by recent reports on the evil activities of many Irish priests. They are horrified even more by the failure of the hierarchy not only to weed them out from the parishes where they were active but also by perpetuating the evil of transferring them to other parishes.
Christians badly need to separate the teachings and actions of Jesus from those of the institutional and hierarchical church. Undoubtedly, despite its many all too human failings over the centuries, it did succeed in keeping the memory of Jesus alive. Now we must get back to the inspiring way of Jesus.
Jesus was a man of his time, fully aware of the narrow minded authoritarian thinking and actions of the political and religious powers that ruled the day. He spoke out fearlessly of the importance of forgiveness and unselfish love. He had a brilliant sense of timing e.g. when he said to those who wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery ” “If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” “One by one they went away”. John 8:7,9.
Many non-believers have an ethic that would put Christians to shame, but they are missing the warmth, peace, joy and hope that come from a closer relationship with Jesus, a more than ordinary human being. It takes faith to take the next step to believing he is the Son of God, and to respond to his invitation to become one of his disciples or at least to try.
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