A picture of the pope and John F. Kennedy in the kitchen said something about a typical Irish household in the 1960s and 1970s. Even today, in the odd rural household, there are still the fading images of pope and president.
They represented power, spiritual and temporal. They were icons in the minds of many, figures of authority to be followed and admired.
The Kennedys and the popes have faded from our kitchens and most of us these days would admit to having no heroes or icons.
Charles J. Haughey and Germany's ex-Chancellor Kohl were highly revered people in their respective countries. Today both men are ridiculed and vilified daily.
Enlightened societies say they have no heroes or icons. How could anyone be expected to have a hero? It seems best to leave the hero worship with the footballers and pop stars. Maybe it's part of the very nature of idols: they eventually collapse.
In the first chapter of St Mark's Gospel we see Jesus going into the temple to speak - with authority. Indeed, he cuts such an image that people listen to him. Not only that, he makes the scribes look most pedestrian. But he is not just full of words, he also cures a man "with an unclean spirit" (Mark 1:26). Remarkable stuff, indeed.
We are all subject to, and in many ways controlled by, authority. We may not be afraid of authority today as previous generations were, but in the end we all bow to those in charge. There are those who behave in a crass, servile manner, while others play a cute game so as to be on the side of authority. And there are those, normally on the margins, who disdain all forms of authority. The true non-conformists are few and far between.
We are going through a period of demythologising. Some might call it a time of growing up, realising that we have left our servile times behind us. All of that is right and proper, but we can never get away from what is true; and truth is forever linked to real authority. And that's what made Jesus and his life so special. He spoke with authority because he was speaking the truth. It is as simple as that. Authority is all about truth and if we speak the truth then we are speaking with profound authority.
But for some inexplicable reason we are forever being duped about authority and those who wield it. So often we are seduced by the mighty and powerful, the clever and articulate. We are far too quick to place our trust and belief in those who wield power, rather than turning to those who speak the truth.
But authority is not just about words. It is also all about actions and the lifestyles we live. And again, Jesus's actions speak louder than his words. He cures the sick and the lame. When he rids the man of an unclean spirit, the scribes and other witnesses it are amazed, and that is only natural. Healing people, restoring the sick to health, is no mean task. The ability of converting people to goodness is the hallmark of a genius. It is truly a great thing to do. And that is what Jesus and his works are about.
There is always the temptation to place our hope and trust in the great and the mighty. Sometimes they may indeed turn out to be great leaders and wise people, but they are mere humans. We are forever trying to put the mantle of God on humans.
The Kennedys and the popes, the Haugheys and Kohls, all our world leaders are human. Our icon, our Lord and master, is Jesus. In the end he is the only one who does not fade.