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Radio 4,2 mins

Rev Professor David Wilkinson - 25/05/15

Thought for the Day

Available for over a year

Good morning. The social revolution in the Republic of Ireland embodied in the overwhelming vote in favour of same-sex marriage has been extraordinary in its speed and in the way that it has shown the diminishing influence of the Roman Catholic Church. Diarmuid Martin, the archbishop of Dublin, has called for his church to take a 'reality check' and pointed to the need to reconnect with young people. When public opinion goes against you, there is indeed this need both for a reality check and to reconnect, whether a church or a political party. But it seems to me that reconnecting is not just about learning how to package the message better or changing the leader, but it is about inner integrity and the ability to listen to and learn from the other. The church's moral authority has been undermined by sexual abuse, structures of cruelty and discrimination against gay people. Integrity is about admitting failure and offering restitution which the church is currently starting to address. This of course is not confined to the Irish church. But integrity is also about offering cherished insights in honest dialogue with those who see the world differently. This is not simply aligning your message to whatever is the popular social norm in order to regain authority, nor is it to rule out change. As the celebration started in the streets of Dublin, another celebration was happening in San Salvador. Thirty five years after being murdered as he prepared communion, Archbishop Oscar Romero was beatified at a ceremony in front of hundreds of thousands of people. He had been part of the hierarchy that supported the ruling elite, but Romero changed his mind as he listened to the poor and those who were victims of violent repression. His faith enabled him to become the 'voice for the voiceless', at the cost of some deriding him for being a communist in a cassock and the single bullet which ended his life. As a Christian I want to be always open to the way that the voice of experience can question and enrich my love of God and interpretation of the scriptures. Pentecost which Christians celebrated yesterday, remembers the event in Jerusalem of the outpouring of God's Spirit for all, not only the religious elite. This was the beginning of the church's commission to share a specific message about Jesus, but with the sense that God is continually connecting with people - so that his voice is not entirely confined to the church. True reconnection between people happens when we both take the risk that we have something to bring to the table whatever the issue, and that both of us can grow with integrity.

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