In the 1960s, before the troubles really started in Northern Ireland, we, as a family, had a holiday there. A relation of my mother, called ‘Aunt Daisy’, lived on a farm outside Pomeroy. And after what seemed like an eternity as a youngster, of a train journey to Cairnryan and a boat trip to Belfast and a bus into the countryside to the bottom of the hill then a ride on the tractor to the top from Uncle Billy, we had arrived.
As I look back now, this was a marvellous holiday. It was another world for a city boy.
We played on the haystacks, gave the piglets milk, collected fresh eggs from the hen house and when we woke up in the morning, the smells and the aromas were different to anything we had been used to.
As I said, I was a city boy, and a city boy is used to noise.
Henri Nouwen, in his book ‘With Open Hands’, says that there are two silences: one is frightening, the other peaceful. In Ireland I discovered that I left the noise of the city behind and had come upon a place where there were no cars roaring, no hum of radio or TV. I enjoyed the experience, but many people don’t and are like fish out of water and have lost their bearings.
When I read and when I write I do it in silence: Pam reads with the TV on and it drives me crazy. Kids nowadays study for exams with a solid wall of music surrounding them.
There are two types of silence, yes, that’s true. Jesus was used to the silence and often went away by himself to a quiet place to pray. As we head towards Holy Week and focus on one of the stories nearer the end of Jesus’ journey, you will remember, Jesus had been sentenced to death, but because of an old custom during Passover, Pilate asked which prisoner should be freed: Barabbas or Jesus.
Remember what I said about silence – there are two types.
When we move from our noisy world into the sound-filled silence, we often become frightened. Our ears begin to ache because the familiar noises are missing and our bodies have become used to that noise as if it were a blanket to keep us warm.
Shut off the noise and you get time to think.
Shut off the noise and the exterior sounds, and you hear an inner one screaming for attention, telling you what to do. Unsolved problems demand attention, one care forces itself upon another and the best way to divert your attention away from what you need to confront on the inside is to keep busy. You have got to give Jesus’ opponents credit. Or even those who were followers but changed their mind.
They didn’t give Jesus’ friends the time to think. They didn’t give them space to clear their minds and realise that Jesus was the innocent man. They shouted, ‘Free Barabbas’ before any silence descended and to ‘What shall I do with this man?’ they answered ‘Crucify.’
Two types of silence – one is peaceful and one is frightening.
And the crowd chose noise because the noise, the chant and the jeer distract others from their thoughts and more importantly distracts them from their own inner selves which would challenge, confront and make them uncomfortable.
And we know that if we fill our whole week up then we have done our bit – and not allowed the inner self to speak and be heard!!
One final thought, in the Holy Week story there is much silence, particularly from the disciples as Jesus headed for the Cross. It is in his own silence, that Peter is questioned by those at the fireside, and in the silence he hears the cockerel crow.
Yes, quietness and reflection are important, particularly as we move through Lent, but the world needs to hear the Good News that comes on Easter Day – I worry how silent we Christians have become.
May you know the Risen Christ.
Your friend and minister,
George C Mackay
