Irish Catholics’ tendency to feel more hopeless rather than hopeful was lamented by the Bishop of Meath as he admitted “our faith may not be as strong as it was”.
Speaking at the opening of the National Novena at Knock Shrine yesterday, Bishop Tom Deenihan said: “Sometimes religious people can be somewhat negative and hopeless. They can see the glass half empty, rather than half full.”
In his homily at Knock Basilica, Dr Deenihan said: “Maybe it is an Irish thing, but joy is not a word one immediately or readily associates with faith, belief, or indeed with religious observance.”
He suggested that Irish Catholicism had laboured for a long time under the view that “if something is enjoyable, it’s either sinful or bad for us – a sort of Jansenistic interpretation of life that sees suffering and hardship as virtue”.
But joy and hope had also become more absent recently from the lives of Irish people due to the declining socio-economic context, the spectre of refugees fleeing war, a worrying climate change acceleration, international political strife and aggression, and a stark and rapid growth in the numbers of those in poverty, many for the first time.
For the believer, the demise of joy and hope was linked to the experience of the Church in Ireland in recent times, which had been of “no great source of joy or hope”, the bishop admitted.
Declining vocations, fewer attendees, much less income, loss in prestige, influence and reputation – much of which was self-inflicted through abuse – had caused despair and a lack of joy and hope, he said.
Referring to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the faithful, Dr Deenihan said it had tested people’s faith and sense of hope. “Socialisation, work, practices of faith and rituals, particularly the rituals surrounding funerals were impacted, and many lost hope, became fearful, and despaired,” he said.
He added that while restrictions have been lifted, many people are still cocooning. “Many are still excessively fearful, and really despairing and have become hopeless. That’s tragic,” he added.
Speaking about the cause of people’s lack of hope, Dr Deenihan suggested it may be because “our faith may not be as strong as it was”.
Addressing the question as to where God was during the Covid crisis, he said there was a tendency to look for God in the dramatic.
“I like to think that God, and consequently hope, was in the scores of people from sporting clubs and other organisations throughout the country who shopped for those who were cocooning. God, and hope, came with those who nursed and tended the sick. And God and hope was in those who developed vaccines, who used their skills, abilities, and talents to protect people.”
The novena returns to its traditional in-person format for the first time since 2019 following the pandemic.
Thousands of pilgrims are expected to attend the nine-day programme of talks and liturgies on the theme ‘A Journey in Hope’ which runs at the Co Mayo shrine until August 22.
Today Roseanna Ruane, mother of Saoírse Ruane who appeared on The Late Late Toy Show in 2020 where she shared the story of how she lost her right leg to cancer and learned to walk on a new prosthetic leg, will address the novena about the ‘Power of Prayer in Difficult Times’.