The churches have to listen to all the people around them

Yesterday was the great feast of Pentecost, an important day in the Christian calendar.

I was celebrating Mass with a group of people. At the beginning of the Mass I asked did anyone know what the feast was about; not one person at Mass knew what Pentecost was.

The Dominican Order was founded by St Dominick over 800 years ago. Part of the reason for the founding of the Order and its subsequent flourishing was to live and preach the Gospel in a way and in a language that would be understood by the people.

The majority of Irish people have been educated in Christian run schools.

St Dominick look outwards. Might it be true today that religious congregations and diocesan priests are involved in far too much navel gazing? 

Meetings here, there and everywhere, people in leadership roles flying around the world to speak and listen to their own clan; academics, theologians, christian philosophers giving erudite papers from Dublin to Denver from Bantry to Berlin.

New groups being formed to speak to likeminded  people. And certainly there is a growth in preaching a message that speaks a language that identifies with a conservative/nationalist trend that is worrying.

It’s generally accepted that the Russian Orthodox Church is hand-in-glove with President Putin; President Trump too speaks a language that attracts a similar group.

Is a similar phenomenon happening across Europe in the Christian churches.

How many people in Ireland who celebrated with their priest the feast of Pentecost know what the feast is about.

In my case it was no one, zilch. 

Newly appointed Director General of the BBC, Matt Brittin has in the last days spoken to the press, where he gave a detailed account of his vision of the future of the corporation. He stressed how the world is in such flux at every level.

I’d recommend every bishop every provincial to listen to Brittin’s wise words. 

Check him out.