Tiocfaid ar la

We live in a very aggressive place. Look around the city, listen to the people as they talk to each other and you will see what I mean. In the Protestant areas the murals tend to be military while on the Catholic side they are political and cultural.

In recent days we had the murder of Harry Holland, a very amiable man in his sixties, who was the victim of some teenagers with the help of a screwdriver. The public response was akin to mob rule or the lynch mob, aided by the radio talk show. With the call for zero tolerance came the pledges of support from politicians who were only too happy to win some cheap votes. At the same time we had the intervention of a senior policeman who called for the erection of peace walls in Iraq as the way to deal with sectarian difficulties there. While we had this call for zero tolerance the police also told a local Rector that he could be charged for taking the photographs of some young people who were climbing onto the roof of his church. What a crazy world we live in.

Surely the real question is more about the kind of society that we want and how we intend to work towards it. If we want a safe community we will need to encourage people to be at peace with each other but how are we to do that? How can we make peace a reality for all our people? When thinking of reconciliation we need to begin with the acknowledgment that neither side of the community is going away. If this is so then we need a strategy that delivers peace for all.

When we hear "Tiocfaidh ar la" what comes to mind? Is it a phrase designed to get someone annoyed? Is it possible that actually it is a phrase to bring hope and peace to our minds? Does it not remind us that with the return of Christ there will be the establishment of that peace that passes all understanding? With the funeral of Harry Holland today we had the call for more police on our streets but all that will do is to everyone "feel" better: but will the increase of law enforcers really make peace? The police cannot protect everyone at the same time. We cannot force people to behave. What we can do is to make Jesus Christ's influence to stretch into our community: many think of him as just another historical character when, in fact, he is the only contemporary figure who can make a difference and will if we will let him.