Madam, - The perspective of Fr Declan Moriarty (November 25th), namely that "the Spirit is leading us as church to new ground and to fresh pasture", is to be welcomed.
Commentators reflecting on the circumstances of Irish Catholicism today point out that the central issue is not lack of faith, but lack of imagination. Essentially, the ability to see things being other than they have been seems to present particular difficulties for the collective Irish Catholic mindset.
However, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Or, as Pope John Paul II put it, "the Holy Spirit's 'masterpiece' is the paschal mystery of the Lord Jesus". Thus, he continues, our whole life becomes a continual Passover, a constant passing from death to life.
In that regard the choice facing the Irish Church today is essentially that which Mary of Magdala faced in her encounter with the risen Lord (John 20:16-17). On that first Easter morning she faced the temptation to cling to a reality that is no more, but was prevented from doing so by Jesus. Like Mary Magdala, as a church we too face that temptation - to cling to an expression of church that has passed. Alternatively, we can recognise that a particular expression of church has passed, and a different expression of church has been called to life.
The colloquial debate regarding the (predominantly "institutional" model of) church, seems to be about whether or not the church will survive. It is difficult to imagine a more irrelevant question "for Jesus is present, alive and at work in his Church. He is in the Church and the Church is in him" (Ecclesia in Europa, 22). The issue, therefore, is not whether the Church will survive but rather, as Cardinal Dulles posits, what image or model of Church is being called into prominence at this time in its history.
It may be that a what has generically been referred to as "the long 19th century of Irish Catholicism" is dead. The church, however, is not dead, but, rather, alive with the life of today. That life is dynamic, and articulate, and Spirit-driven. It is found in such as the (literally) thousands of young people studying theology. It is found in parishes blessed with adults who are literate and articulate in areas such as theology, catechesis, liturgy and prayer guidance. It is inspired by the freedom afforded by the spirit of Vatican II. It cries out for the imagination to recognise its presence.
The pessimism of the Church of the Fr Toms ((Rite and Reason, November 20th) suggests a significant amount of clinging, mostly to the wreckage of what has passed.
The challenge is not with "vocations", but with the empowerment of the baptismal vocation of our sisters and brothers. It is in that light that we must always be ready to give the reason for the hope that we have (cf 1 Peter 3:15). - Yours, etc,
Fr KEVIN DOHERTY, Our Lady of Victories Parish, Ballymun Road, Dublin 9.