The effect of a church calendar is to bring into prominence certain events of a religious nature on an annual basis. Tomorrow, the feast of the body of Christ will be celebrated in many places throughout the land. In some countries much festivity attends the procession which always has as its focal point the Eucharist. This is said to represents the presence of Christ in the form of the blessed sacrament being carried through the community. The feast goes back to the 13th Century when it was attested to by miracle and so entered the church calendar. It may come as a surprise to learn that the Bible is distrustful of holy objects even ones that have been a blessing to God’s people. The only case it records was in Moses time when a bronze snake fastened to a pole (a symbol adopted today by the medical profession to denote healing) healed all those who looked to it in faith from the blood-poisoning caused by a plague of snakes. This pole was carried around for a few hundred years until the reign of Hezekiah. By this time it had become a snare to the people who were burning incense to it and the king, who had been removing the idols in the land, had it smashed to pieces. Jesus referred to the pole in his talk to Nicodemus which St John records in chapter 3 of his gospel. There Jesus does not attribute any miraculous powers to the pole but to the faith of the sick people. As they looked in obedience to the wooden pole and believed they were healed. Jesus told Nicodemus that a similar belief in himself could cure everyone from the blood poisoning of sin. More particularly this belief was to be directed to Jesus on the cross where as the bearer of sin he offers them eternal life. Jesus’s body is now in heaven but the Holy Spirit is present in every believer ministering the forgiveness and love to others that they have received from him. Christ’s body on earth now consists of assemblies of believers who bring the good news of a new life in Jesus to others as they live it out daily in their own lives.

In a week of continuing bad news, Mother Ireland made some attempt to clean the filth from her garments. Justice was a long time in coming since the first evidence of bribery came to light in 1992. On Wednesday the press made much of Frank Dunlop’s arrival at Court for sentencing in a silver Mercedes and departing in the back of a prison van. The 18 months handed down to the former Government Press Secretary and manipulator of Dublin County Councillors was the longest sentence for corruption in the history of the State. In many ways Dunlop’s demise is a cipher for understanding the way we are. There is an endemic attraction to get around laws which are designed for the common good by tempting those whose job it is to uphold them to do wrong. The taking of short-cuts, ignoring accountability and multiplying companies and bank accounts took years to unravel and the task is ongoing. The standard approach to the courts or tribunals when called to answer for their behaviour has alternated between being forgetful and lying to avoid detection. The turning point came when a previously hidden account of Dunlop’s was unearthed, with dates and amounts matching his accusers statements, the judge him to go home and reflect on his position. The poacher turned gamekeeper and the dirty washing is still being laundered. The Bible tells us that God is well used to his laws being broken. Our fallen natures require the introduction the themes of justice for the oppressed and judgement for the guilty. Our religious system offers penance which can never atone for sin. Our legal system is modelled on the Bible in order to take into account that this is the way we are. However justice in man’s court will always be imperfect. The judge has to adjudicate on the information presented which is often skewed and incomplete. Justice in God’s court has no such limitations. St Paul writing to the Church at Rome forecast “the day when God will judge men’s secrets”. It will be a day when all will be revealed. Everything that we thought we had got away with. The things that no one knows and no one has seen. For that day we need to hire the best advocate we can get! St John, in his first letter, says we have one. It is Jesus Christ who specialises in cleaning up all those who are desperate enough to bring their dirty washing to him. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Put your faith in Jesus.

The Commission took 9 years to compile its 2,600 page report on child abuse in institutions run by the Catholic Church. It has been a glimmer of light for those who were disbelieved, ignored and discarded by Church and State. The victims had learned to live off crumbs of comfort, the omission of a daily beating, or someone using your name instead of your number would become a cherished memory. It’s well that this is so as the Christian Brothers, in a legal action, successfully removed all names from the report denying victims the comfort of seeing their cases recorded. Any notion of justice in this life would have to be dispelled by the refusal of Church and State to renegotiate the compensation deal which apportioned financially the blame 10 to the State and 1 to the Church. We have had apologies but perhaps the saddest part in all this is the absence of any Christian comment. It’s as if we were dealing with a secular regime which was in total control of its population and could do with them as it liked. The reality is supposed to be different. This is a Church which has good works as a major plank in its scheme of salvation. Perhaps Archbishop Nichols, the new UK appointment, in praising the confession of pedophile priests had this in mind. Some sort of a way back for the perpetrators. What does the Bible have to say? The way was spelled out in the Old Testament, “The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.“ Numbers Chapter 5 verses 5/6. But how can this happen when the perpetuators are bankrupt and could not repay their debt in a 1,000 lifetimes such is the damage they have done? On the other hand the woman who said to Joe Duffy on his radio chat-show, “I will never forgive her” – locks herself into her past and throws away the key. Forgiveness in these extreme circumstances can only be extended by one who has personally been forgiven by Christ bearing their sins on the cross and making a full atonement in their place before the court of heaven. Financial restitution – impossible. Forgiveness and pardon – essential. It can only occur when both parties meet at the foot of the cross of Christ.

The raised arch of the East link bridge over the river Liffey was only just wide enough to permit the new Samuel Beckett Bridge, built in Holland, to sail in on its barge. The new bridge, which is in the shape of a harp, has been designed to span the river linking the docklands area with the businesses on south bank. It was followed by the OM ship “Logos Hope” a converted ferry which plied between Denmark and the Faroe Islands for 30 years and in now used by Operation Mobilisation to bring educational and Christian literature, humanitarian aid and people resources to all nations as it visits ports around the world. The name Logos comes from the Greek for the word. Included in this is the meaning the word conveys. Its richest meaning comes when applied to Jesus. St John begins his Gospel establishing this connection at the outset. “In the beginning was the Word (LOGOS), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In case anyone was uncertain as to who the Apostle was referring he adds, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In the Bible hope is more a confident expectancy in the effectiveness of the work of Jesus on our behalf. Perhaps we should allow St Peter to sum it up for us:- “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” The crew consists of born again believers from over 40 nations who raise their own support and enlist for a minimum of 2 years service. In its own way the bridge that preceded it into the estuary was symbolic of the ship. Logos Hope’s mission is to bring the message of how God spanned the gap between us and Himself effecting reconciliation with Him and with each other. So as St Peter would say – “put your faith and hope in God”.

When BBC TV4 screened “Endgame” last Monday it came with the citations of Bafta and Emmy awards but nothing could have prepared us for the gripping intensity of the drama that was to follow. The action takes place when civil war seemed inevitable in South Africa, between the Afrikaners and the African National Congress, over the inequalities of apartheid. Michael Young, the employee of a mining company, was pivotal in bringing together Professor Esterhuyse, an Afrikaner and Thabo Mbeki the ANC leader with their followers to the company’s Somerset mansion in the UK for secret talks. There was an understanding that those who supported the regime were as much victims of apartheid as anyone else. This was challenged by Mbeki and Professor Esterhuyse confessed, in a key exchange, “There is a deep rooted fear in us that we will be punished for all the terrible wrongs we have inflicted”. This marked the beginning of trust between them. The Bible would claim that all reconciliation must begin with confession of sin and St James adds “to one another”. The idea is to admit wrong to the one who has been wronged. Never an easy task as it makes the confessor vulnerable. The power to inflict hurt on the one who has made himself vulnerable is heady stuff. It is not easy to resist the desire for vengeance especially when the wrongs are of a continuing nature. But Mbeki was able to resist the temptation and negotiations replaced open conflict. But sin has always a Godward dimension as it is God’s laws that are being broken. The big difference is – there are not faults on both sides as in human conflicts. The remedy is no less hard. Reconciliation with God requires our admission of wrong and for God it was at the cost of His Son’s life. Sin always entails judgement. For the person who confesses their sin and trusts in Jesus who took the sinners judgement on the cross there is reconciliation, first with God then with his former enemy. It’s forgiven people who find it possible to forgive from the heart.

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has proposed an amendment to the Defamation Act 1961 which would introduce the crime of blasphemous libel. This crime would carry a penalty of a fine up to €100,000. The Opposition has suggested the fine be limited to €1,000! Prosecutions cannot be brought privately but would have to be brought by the DPP and require three elements to be present. 1. that the material be grossly abusive or insulting in matters held sacred by a religion: 2. that it must actually cause outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion: 3. that there be an intent to cause such outrage. One has to admire the Ministers courage in stepping into the grubby pool of religions that are available in our multi-faith society. Of course our Constitution required it by stating; “the publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which will be punishable in accordance with law.” (Article 40.6.1) Apparently previous Ministers of Justice have shied away from enacting the necessary legislation and not without good reason if the cacophony of voices protesting in the press is anything to go by. These voices range from those saying that God does not need to be protected to the cry of civil liberty people demanding total freedom of speech. As an interesting aside, the law in Muslim countries is very simple. It is death for “defiling the Holy Qur’an” or “speaking ill of Muhammad or of any other prophet mentioned in the Qur’an, or to claim that there is more than one god or that Jesus Christ (the son of Mary) is the son of God”. (Wikipedia). In Ireland we cannot match this intensity of feeling. Rather when we pray … “Our Father … Hallowed be thy name.” we should acknowledge that we do not mean very much. The Apostle Paul had this to say about his conversion; “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus”. For those of us who so lightly blaspheme the holy Name today the Apostle adds: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst”. (1Timothy chapter 1 verses 13/15) If there is salvation in Jesus for the “worst of sinners” then there is salvation in Jesus for those who turn from their blasphemy today. Trust in Him.

The Immigrant Council has produced a report on the state of the slave trade in Ireland. It deals with the trafficking of women, whose bodies are treated as commodities, in a market where the demand is constant.

The majority of women come from overseas and are considered by the government to be illegal immigrants, rather than as victims of crime. Lured into Ireland by the promise of work and motivated by the desire to provide for their families at home they find themselves trapped when the work does not materialise and the facilitator, who had been so helpful, turns nasty. They are unable to access services, accommodation or legal advice. They are slaves of merciless masters.

According to the “Ruhama” website, “prostitution and pornography work as part of our eroticised consumption culture with the aim of normalising the use of and demand for, commercialised sex, through marketing. There is ample evidence around us on a daily basis of the use of sexuality, and in particular female sexuality, as a marketing strategy. The uncomfortable, disturbing reality is that the effect of the sex industry is the increasing normalization of domination, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against women”.

From the legislative point of view we can learn from Sweden and Norway, where buying sex has been criminalised and selling sex has been decriminalised. Through this approach, which reverses the current practices, those countries have reduced demand for prostitution and also the incidences of trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation.

From the personal point of view of our daily struggles the Bible advocates absolute separation from such practices; Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians chapter 3 verse 5). These things, says St Paul, characterise the unbeliever and describe his lifestyle before his conversion to Christ.

The amazing thing is that they are some of the very sins which God laid upon Christ on the cross. Christ who never sinned became the impure, the lustful, the adulterer the pimp. St John writes there is no sin so heinous that it is not washed by Christ’s blood. You can never accuse God of providing an inadequate salvation.

The question is, what are you going to do with it? You can say I’ll defer my decision which really means you are refusing Christ’s forgiveness. Alternatively you can bow the knee to Christ, admit your sins and trust him to clean up your life for time and eternity.

You have this choice today there is no guarantee that you will have it tomorrow.

In his inspirational studies of the Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis Michael Ward has rescued the planets from the hands of the astrologers! For too long the heavens have been looked upon as the playground of imaginative mystics. Ward in his book, “Planet Narnia” enables us to see how Lewis has reclaimed them in his Narnia books – which we thought were simply children’s stories with Biblical allegory!

Michael Ward sets out to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that the seven planets of medieval cosmology – the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – are the secret templates used by C.S. Lewis in the seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia. Each volume explores the Christ figure via the characteristics of one of the medieval planets.

The BBC1 TV broadcast last Thursday, called “The Narnia Code”, interviewed Ward regarding his discovery. He said, “I was lying in bed one night, in February 2003, reading ‘The Heavens’ when I thought it would be useful to compare Lewis’s academic treatment of the planets with his poetic treatment of the same thing. So I started reading his long poem, ‘The Planets’, cross-referencing between it and The Discarded Image. When I got to the lines about Jupiter I suddenly sat up in bed and said to myself Eureka”. Making the link with a planet and a chronicle made Ward search for similar links and the overwhelming evidence has been recorded in “Planet Narnia”.

What comment has the Bible to make on all this?

The Bible outlaws worship of the ‘host of heaven’ but allows that the stars have spiritual significance, which is to be respected, studied, and, indeed, acted upon. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork,” according to psalm 19, which was Lewis’s favourite.

This is the psalm which St Paul quotes (Romans Chapter10 verse 18) in order to demonstrate how the Gentiles have already heard the preaching of Christ. The Magi who followed the Star of Bethlehem to the birthplace of Christ are an example of this fact. (Matthew 2:2, 9-10).

In concealing the cosmic nature of Christ in the chronicles Lewis planted a literary time bomb which has now exploded to reveal the Christ-centeredness of space. As the Bibles mentions “He also made the stars!” There is nowhere or no one beyond his each.

How great is our God.

Holy week brings with it many depictions of Christ’s passion but few capture it’s essence better than this creation of Kiefer entitled “can you drink the cup?”. The chalice, normally a thing of beauty, is seen to be sprouting thorns. The thorns remind us of those platted by the Roman soldiers to form Christ’s crown. By tying them to the chalice the sculptor takes us back to the fall, at the beginning of the Bible narrative, when the ground was cursed. The emblem of the curse was thorns which provide us with a constant reminded of Adam’s sin. This sin is our inheritance. It is the dominant characteristic of the human race. The propensity to sin is the lot of every person born to man.

Only Christ was free from sin. Only a sinless one could be the sin-bearer.

In placing the crown of thorns on Christ’s head the soldier was acting wiser than he knew. He provided us with a timeless visual illustration of the work of Christ on the cross in bearing the curse of God’s wrath.

As the poet has put it:-

“Death and the curse were in our cup:

O Christ, ’twas full for Thee!

But Thou hast drained the last dark drop,

‘Tis empty now for me:

That bitter cup, love drank it up,

Now blessing’s draught for me.”

The thorns have been pruned! The cup of suffering is not so hard to handle because Christ has triumphed over it by the resurrection from the dead. His followers have a glorious future.

The poisoned chaliced has an antidote! It is available to all who come to him believing. Christ is the cure.

While the great and the good of the G20 nations were gathering in London to save the world from bankruptcy here in Dublin we were holding a conference to extol the virtues of religion. The underlying contention was that religion (the variety we have in Ireland) is good for you. An impressive amount of research was marshaled to emphasise the fact. The keynote speaker was Professor Casey who claimed: “What the scientific studies summarised in my report have done is to observe large numbers of people who practice religion and compare them with those who don’t practice religion.” She added that these repeatedly found that, with some exceptions “that religious believers live longer, have lower rates of mental illness, recover faster from physical illness, have lower rates of alcohol and drug abuse, lower rates of crime and lower levels of marriage breakdown”. With such benefits on offer one would be tempted to look into the merits of religion. What does the Bible have to say on the matter? Surprisingly there are only 4 references to religion in the New Testament and 3 of these are referred to by St Paul as the forms and ceremonies of his former life before he was converted to Christ. When St James uses the word he contrasts the vain with true religion – the latter having to do with changed conduct not forms and ceremonies. As Dick Lucas the Anglican Preacher put it; the Romans were open to religions provided their participants acknowledged allegiance to Caesar. They said, “Let a 1,000 religions flourish”, but they persecuted Christians. You could imagine a Roman speaking to his Christian neighbour; “I hear you have a new religion”. “Who is your god?” “Jesus is our God.” Roman, “Who is your Priest?” “Jesus is our Priest”. Roman “Where is your Temple?” “Jesus is our Temple.” Roman, “Where do you do your sacrifices?” “Jesus is our sacrifice.” Roman, what kind of religion is that? The answer is that it is not a religion. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus whereby a person is born again into the family of the living God. When Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. It had been there from the beginning to prevent access to the holy place where God had presenced himself. By his death Jesus has provided a new way whereby the repentant sinner can come into the presence of God. As the writer to the Hebrews put it, “we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain”. Religion stitches the curtain up again permitting access only through forms and ceremonies which Jesus came to abolish. This is what we have been saved from! Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”