Halloween                            Word on the Week          28^th October 2023.

The name Hallowe’en comes from All Hallows’ Eve. It appears on the traditional church calendar, as the eve of All Saints’ Day. It arrives next Tuesday 31 ^st October the day Protestants remember Martin Luther’s spectacularly triggering of the reformation. On 1 ^st November, faithful Catholics will light candles and pray for departed souls to observe All Saints Day.

Originally celebrated in May, this day was moved to November 1, possibly to absorb the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain. It heralded the end of summer and the start of the dark days of winter. Our Celtic forebears believed that the boundary between this world and the otherworld thinned at that time of year inviting contact with the spirit world.

In order to trick the devil into deceiving you were someone else masks were worn along with clothing that would complete the disguise. Acts of mischief would take place and the remedy was usually paid in sweets and fruit and nuts! I can remember when TV first appeared two of our neighbours children dressed as walking TV’s from which they broadcasted their demands!

Commercial interests have taken over, what is a lean trading time of the year, by a multitude of ‘trick or treat’, witches and warlock’s disguises to use in the many parties on the night.

One year we were in Philadelphia at Halloween when we saw the extent families would go to in celebrating the festival. Many houses used their front garden to display their enthusiasm for the event. One I do remember had illuminated skeletons engaged in some fiendish dance! I know the boundary between the spirit world and purgatory is supposed to be thin but there are limits even in make-belief!

The Bible doesn’t have much time for such antics. The prophet Isaiah was quite forthright, “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people enquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isaiah Chapter 8 verse 19).

Jesus, who was called the ‘Prince of Devil’s’ by his enemies, the name given to satan, told his followers not to fear those who could kill the body but to fear Him who could cast the body into hell (Matthew 10 verse 28). He told the parable about Lazarus to illustrate the one-way traffic there was after death. There is a great chasm of separation that cannot be bridged (Luke 16 verse 26). King David understood this following the death of his son — “l will go to him but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12 verse 23).

Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor.6 verse 2).

Rain, Rain, Go to Spain         Word on the Week              21^st October 2023.

Rain, Rain, go to Spain and never come back again!   This, or something like it, was an unexpressed wish of many as they splashed through storm Babet yesterday.    There is something of a random nature about where these Atlantic storms will make landfall – for this one it was the South Coast of Ireland and mainly the town of Midleton.

Babet has been likened to a slow moving train of rain to hit Ireland.   The results were disastrous.   Flood barriers, where they exist, have proved inadequate and occasionally do more harm than good!   Good drainage is hard to maintain at this time of year with fallen leaves blocking outlets.

Met Éireann’s three colour system yellow, orange or red seems to have been lifted from the child’s game where those searching for the hidden one were prompted by the leader shouting out the colour appropriate to how near they were to the hiding place!

Red was always the closest as with Met Éireann where it spells danger.  A national flood warning service is being developed.   This will forecast the amount of rain falling in under an hour illustrating the severity of the downpour.

The monitoring of high water levels in river systems and the analysis of weather data since 1991 shows a need to adjust the base figures to allow for stronger winds and higher temperatures.   The state has produced its latest advice “Be Winter Ready”.   Let’s hope they take to heart their own advice!

On the home front, with the land already saturated, we had to cope with surface water flowing from the fields into the farm yard.   One place the waters meet is the hen-run where the inflow is faster than the outlet!   The rising waters reached the henhouse and I am glad to report there were no losses!

The good news is we will not have a global flood!   God’s covenant with Noah makes it plain there will be no repeat.   The rainbow in the sky marks the fulfilment of the promise.    The promise is to all living creatures including those who commandeered the rainbow for their flag! (Genesis 9 verses 8 to 17).  The Apostle Luke speaks of the end times in Luke 17 verses 26 to 30)

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Jesus also said,Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.   Jesus offers grace for this type of rain!

O Jerusalem                    Word on the Week                     14^th October 2023.

Once again the attention of the world is centred on Israel.  The Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu – mortified by intelligence lapses – has seized the opportunity to threaten the Hamas terrorists with extinction.  

Their breaching of Israel’s Southern boundary occurred all too easily and the killing of civilians went ahead without any intervention.   Indeed, Hamas were able to capture over 100 hostages which they threaten to kill – one for every Israeli raid into Gaza.

Israel has assembled a large army on the Gaza border and Netanyahu has promised a response that will “echo across the generations”.   This has commenced with the air force pounding Gaza day and night.   Taking cognisance of the international community, warnings precede the attacks which are allegedly targeted on Hamas posts.

More recently Israel has ordered that Palestinians leave Gaza, which is the same area as Co Louth in Ireland, in order that they can get at the Hamas.  Where the Palestinians are supposed to go is not stated!

In recent times Hamas have gained political power over the Palestine Liberation Organisation so any hope of the two state solution happening has gone.   Hamas has been indoctrinating the Gaza schoolchildren with hatred of Israel with the goal of Israel’s extermination.    These views are echoed on Israel’s Northern boundary by Hezbollah so Israel has most unpleasant neighbours!

Making proportional responses in warfare has always been a problem for Israel.   At least three times in the Pentateuch the limitation of “an eye for an eye” has been invoked.   Israel has always been tempted to take two eyes in retaliation (Deuteronomy 19 verse 21)!   

The problem is that Israel is still locked into the Old Testament.  The Apostle Paul ‘s great desire was for his peoples’ salvation (Romans 9 &10 verses 1 to 4).   He saw it as a veil over their eyes which would remain until it is removed.  Sadly, it has remained to this day but when it is taken away there will be a turning to Christ for salvation (2 Corinthians 3 verses 14 to 18 & 4: 1 to 6).

It was the hardened hearts of those in Jerusalem that caused Jesus to lament over the city.   He could see both their rejection of Him and their fate (St Matthew 23 verse 37 to 39).    There will be a day when the Jews are converted (Romans 11 verse 26).   May you know God’s mercy dear Reader and not be left behind (Romans 11 verse 30).

Personal Pronouns                    Word on the Week          7^th October 2023.

Perhaps one of my most satisfactory joys of leaving childhood was to put behind me what I learned about pronouns.    In some ways I was glad I was not a Frenchman with their attributing either masculine or feminine gender to words.   One less thing to remember!

If you live long enough it seems like things come round again and pronouns have become important!    It appears that personal pronouns have become fluid.  No more are they to be anchored to biology!   This new use of pronouns was introduced at the South East Technological University this week where one lecturer raised an objection to its compulsory nature.

However, the Taoiseach adopted a conciliatory tone and said “everyone should try to use people’s preferred pronouns and try not to take offence if people make mistakes.”  When he was asked if refusal to call a person by their preferred pronoun was an example of unlawful discrimination he commented that we need to be a little more relaxed about these things.

Perhaps he felt he was encroaching on the Enoch Burke case where Burke was imprisoned for disobeying a court order not to attend the school premises.  Burke on the other hand believes he is in prison because he refused to use the pupil’s preferred pronoun but rather stay with the biology.

In any event the Taoiseach added if someone uses the wrong pronoun deliberately to offend then the law would act.   So we had better watch how we use our personal pronouns in future!   

Let’s go back to the beginning.   We were created male and female in God’s image.   The start was good but then along came the first test which we sadly failed and brought about the fall (Genesis 1 verse 27 & 2 verse 17).

Names are important in the Bible.  They often describe the person’s character. In the case of God, He reveals Himself to Moses, first by reference to his forebears then by calling Himself “I am” (Exodus 3 verse 14).

When Jesus walked the earth He was consistent in how he wished to identify Himself.   He continued the “I am” identity which made him one with the Father, a fact recognised by the Jews who tried to stone Him rather than recognise Him (St John 8 verses 28/9).

Names are important in a fallen world.   Your identity is part of who you are.   You may not always be pleased with your identity (or the colour of your eyes) but it soon becomes part of you.   To fight against the body you have been given is like the pot calling the shots against the Almighty (Isaiah 45 verse 9).

The remedy is to take up Jesus’s invitation to come to Him for rest for the soul (St Matthew 11 verses 28 to 30).