Foreword, by Archbishop Desmond TutuAt the heart of individual lives, at the heart of communities, nations and continents there exists a brokenness resulting from the violence, abuse, sectarianism and conflict of the past. Often we are lured into a cycle of bitterness, hatred, revenge, suspicion and, ultimately, to despair. Experience and history tell us that the wrongs of the past cannot be wiped out without a trace. So, is it possible to go forward creatively out of a place of brokenness, carrying a positive light for the future? The author of Journeying Towards Reconciliation – A Song for Ireland comes to these questions from an experience of working in a place where people who have been wounded by the past are exploring, through Restoration Ministries, how to journey forward in justice, mercy, peace and truth.
Music is harmony. We make a harmony of sound, tone, vibration and melody when we hold the tension between one note and another, point and counterpoint. Such sounds go beyond words and can resonate in the very depths of the person. Reconciliation is a union of opposites that happens when we make a conscious effort to hold in tension one voice and another, to maintain a link, no matter how fragile, between poles that are apart.
Such a journey towards reconciliation demands a big vision, freedom and courage. Never before has the world seemed so stuck in unyielding opposites. Whether it be in the polarisation of local politics or the global suspicions of world religions, we are running the risk of sticking in apartness and alienation from one another.
In Journeying Towards Reconciliation, Ruth Patterson blends Scripture with life, life with prayer, insight with inspiration and reflection with a call for action. This is not a theoretical account of why Christians should engage in reconciliation, but a guide as to how to go about it. Ruth’s way of guiding and inspiring us is to look back to the insights of stories from the Bible and use these as practical steps to encourage the telling of the stories of today and the building of the stories of tomorrow. Her reflections are rooted in a deep awareness of the potential of Scripture to become a powerhouse of inspiration in our lives. Scripture is, in a sense, the map that led others on journeys from exile to freedom, from sadness to joy, from despair to hope. It can be a source of hope for those of us who wish to travel a similar journey today.
Journeying Towards Reconciliation is also a book of prayers and meditations which, coming at the end of each chapter, ask us, the readers, to stop and share our hurt and confusion, and to embrace a hope that is to be lived out through ordinary people taking small steps across the gulfs that divide us. This is a book to be read by those seeking to be peacemakers and a book that can also be drawn upon as a source of meditation and study by groups. It draws on the experiences of those dedicated, ordinary people of Restoration Ministries and, as such, invites us to reflect on their very practical stories of quiet caring and bridge building and how to live out the hurts and pain as well as the hopes and joys of reconciliation.
In her book, Ruth unveils with vivid clarity and truth the story of the people of Northern Ireland over the past turbulent years, reminding us of the admirable qualities of their common heritage — their music, their song, their learning, their spirituality, while, at the same time, looking realistically into the brokenness and pain-filled conditions of their divided society. As she recounts all of these, the light of hope shines through every page of her writing. Her personal faith in the power of Jesus working through the darkness is so tangible, as she sees the possibility of a new dawn appearing for the people of Ireland. The crucial time is now.
Ruth's vision is Truth itself, prophetic, inspiring, irresistible, presented to us in what she sees as the reconciliatory approach. She puts it to her readers that if the people of Northern Ireland can claim the common bonds that exist among them, enlivened by forgiveness and compassion, they can begin to heal the wounds of division and prejudice, thereby building trust and respect. Only then will they be enabled to step out together on a shared journey, singing their song of joy, as they echo their resounding ‘yes’ to God and to each other.
The book that Ruth has given us is a brave gift. To sing a song of reconciliation at this time takes generosity and love. The message running through her book is clear and it is good news; every single person, man, woman and child can reconcile and be reconciled and live in reconciliation. Each one can sing a song for Ireland and Ireland can sing a song of reconciliation for the world. Journeying Towards Reconciliation holds a source of hope, a possibility of wholeness and a challenge to go forward towards a new future.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
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Author's
NotesWhether we choose to recognise it or not, the last thirty three years have shaped the lives of all of us who have lived in Northern Ireland. During these years there are those who have left never to return. Many others remained because they had no choice. Still others chose to stay because of a sense of commitment to a place and a people that spelled 'home' for them. They stayed also because they persisted in a belief that often seemed no more than wishful thinking to them that one day we would 'get there', that we would arrive at a place where we would have something positive to share with the rest of the world, salvaged out of the ashes of so many of the wrecked dreams and shattered hopes of 'yesterday'.
It is true to say that we have made progress in a great many areas and are, albeit shakily, in a place where we have never been before in Irish history. However, at the beginning of 2003, almost five years into the peace process, from one perspective it looks as if we are still at square one in dealing with some of the deeply rooted divisions and misunderstandings and the all pervading monster of sectarianism that constantly seems to drag us back into the pit of mistrust and bitterness from which we had hoped we were beginning to emerge.
Part of the legacy of these last long years is a deep communal weariness that can present itself as a seeming apathy. Even the feet of the peacemakers are weary, and yet now is the time when their leadership and our cooperation is most vital. The call to the ministry of reconciliation and to the belief that such a journey is possible is so deafening that it is not heard by many. Yet it is incumbent upon us that we listen, that we hear and that we join in. Everyone has a part to play, no matter how small. Sometimes it is the small things that have the most effect.
That's why I wrote this book, A Song For Ireland – Journeying Towards Reconciliation. From the broken places of these more recent years, and from the deep wounds of our anguished history that has so many grey and shadowy areas, I believe that Ireland still has an opportunity to fulfil its destiny, still has a song to sing. That song will come from the restoration of relationships, not only between ourselves and God, but as we seek to welcome back the alienated parts of our own individual and collective beings and as we reclaim from folk memory that title that once was ours, the land of 'one hundred thousand welcomes' – especially for the stranger and for those who are 'different'. But, first of all, perhaps we need to unlearn some strident notes and learn to sing our song for Ireland, before we can authentically sing that song from Ireland that the world so desperately needs to hear.
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Reviews'This is not a theoretical account of why Christians should
engage in reconciliation, but a guide as to how to go about it. Ruth Patterson
blends scripture with life, life with prayer, insight with inspiration and
reflection with a call for action.'
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
This book holds together the wisdom, inspiration, vision, biblical reflection and prayer that emanate from that special sanctuary that is Restoration Ministries. Ruth illustrates new ways to understand the complexity of reconciliation by telling the story of their journey as community, weaving together scripture and experience. The words written in this book have been lived out in the lives of the many people who have turned to Restoration Ministries in search of hope, justice and reconciliation. But it is not simply a diary recording their unique journey. Ruth argues that the wounds of division and prejudice can be healed and that trust and respect can be part of the new song of reconciliation we might sing.
Music is the metaphor for the journey of reconciliation. It begins with a reflection on Psalm 137 and the challenge to the Children of Israel to 'sing a song to the Lord in a strange land.' At this special point in our history Ruth asks, 'How can we sing in and from a situation like ours?' From here there is time to hear the songs of sorrow and suffering that come from those who have experienced personal loss because of the 'Troubles.' The journey then takes another turn causing the reader to think about an inner, more personal journey of reconciliation and at this point the 'road' felt a little steeper when I considered my own comfort with the way things are and my fear of learning a new ‘song.’ As the chapters increase in number the book expands into the area that characterises Restoration Ministries and is the heart of reconciliation as presented in this book. It is the gift of welcome, of generosity, of hospitality and of the restoration of relationships. These seem to be the melody of the new song of hope that Ireland might sing. Finally Ruth throws out a challenge to the church, 'What song have we to sing from Ireland for the rest of the world because of the way we ourselves have travelled?'
There is a deep vein of truth and wisdom embedded in what Ruth has offered us in this book. It is written as Ruth might say it and I could almost hear her pause to make sure that I had grasped all before moving on. Indeed, the 'song' echoed long after I turned over the last page as I found myself re-reading the Scriptures and using the prayers at the end of each chapter for personal reflection.
This is a book of possibilities, written with the sceptics and
weary in mind. These are not hollow words nor is the idea of a new song simply
an aspiration. These words are rooted in real lives and experiences. We are
invited to embrace a hope that is to be lived out through ordinary people
taking small steps to change our world – this is what makes it inspirational,
believable an doable!
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The Books Page.
Review by Fr Paul Clayton-Lea
Journeying towards Reconciliation – A Song For Ireland
Ruth Patterson the first woman to be ordained in Ireland, is by the author’s own admission ‘ a gathering of the thoughts and experiences of having worked in a ministry of reconciliation for about ten years. She is well known and admired in ecumenical circles for her full time work in Restoration Ministries, in an ongoing effort to restore the ruined walls of relationships between the two communities in the north of Ireland. The earlier part of her story – ministering in working class loyalist Belfast – and her initial involvement with Restoration Ministries, is told in her first book, A Farther Shore (Veritas 2000).
The theme of ‘singing a new song’ resonates throughout this new book, as Ruth weaves together the experience of biblical peoples and those who continue to live with the painful legacy of ‘the troubles.’ The wounds inflicted during these decades require spiritual as well as physical healing. Ruth Patterson believes that everyone can contribute to this reconciling process: her reflections in this volume provide some practical guidelines to bring this vision to life.
Despite the pain-filled past, her vision is one of real hope for the future. She bases her gentle optimism upon the lessons of the scriptures (of which examples abound throughout the book) and the rich spiritual traditions of Ireland. To paraphrase a well-known expression of US president Bill Clinton. Ruth Patterson believes that ‘there is nothing so wrong with Ireland that cannot be fixed by what is right with Ireland.
An inspiring read for those who sometimes wonder if the full
restoration of shattered human relationships really is possible.
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A SONG FOR IRELAND
‘The Song for Ireland’ being referred to in the heading over this piece is part of the title of a wonderful book just published by Veritas. Journeying Towards ……… Five years after the beginning of the Peace Process, the book examines the possibilities of real healing and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Great progress has been made, but much remains to be done if genuine reconciliation is to be achieved.
While reconciliation in Ireland, North and South, is the main
concern of this book, insight after insight into what it is to live the Christian
message are to be found in these pages gleaned undoubtedly from the author’s
many years of reflection and ministry.
There is so much to ponder in this inspiration book; the author’s thoughts
on reconciliation are especially noteworthy. The essential elements of reconciliation,
Ruth Patterson believes, are justice, mercy, truth and peace. You cannot
have genuine reconciliation without all of these.
I was particularly struck by what the author has to say about hospitality – its importance in the Christian life and in the pursuit of reconciliation in particular. The significance of hospitality is captured in a piece entitled, ‘Please Sit Down,’ one of a number of reflections to be found in the book. ‘To be asked to sit down is to be recognised as unique, important, special, that you are someone worth listening to…’
Ruth Patterson notes that the name of Ireland is almost synonymous with music. But our songs, beautiful and compelling as many of them are , often focus on our sad and divisive history. They reveal ‘old wounds that have never been healed’ and are an expression of ‘a deep inner lack of freedom that causes us to scuttle back to the womb of our own particular tradition or culture each time we feel that our security or identity is threatened.’
As a people we seem to spend much more time looking back than we spend looking forward. But the challenge facing the people of Ireland now, according to Ruth Patterson, is to build our tomorrows together, so that the song of future generations might not be one of tragedy and division but ‘one of glorious harmony, one that sounded the notes of unity in diversity, of a mutual hospitality, of a place where there is room enough for all.’
The Song for Ireland and the song of Ireland for the world can be one of reconciliation. Each of us, by being committed to living in reconciliation with others, no matter how small we consider our efforts to be, can contribute to the composition of this song.
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Ruth Patterson writes as she speaks, with gentleness, humility, and compassion allied to passion to get her message across, which is always worth listening to.-
In a land where many have grown weary, even after only five years into the peace process, she still remains faithful to God’s call to all Christians to be instruments of reconciliation. She correctly diagnoses the fact that, in spite of all the optimism and goodwill which greeted the Good Friday Agreement, there still exists a level of hatred and mistrust which will take many years to heal. Yet she fervently believes that Ireland can be an example of reconciliation throughout the world, which is a vision that all of us who are church leaders need to hold onto. She shows a refreshing love for Ireland which transcends all cultural and denominational barriers, and an openness in seeing God at work through many aspects of our culture. She is a great example of someone who is not afraid to cross barriers, and who has been willing to suffer misunderstanding for that cause.
She gives us a very telling image of the Irish Church as a tired old man, which is still a male dominated institution, caught in the grip of the fear of change. She has reflects on the fact that the churches are also experiencing decreasing numbers which may well be a wake up call to us to return to our true calling as those with a real message of love and hope, which is relevant to the world around us.
She turns to the Old Testament as giving us an example of an
enslaved people who come to believe that God is with them and who begin to
journey towards their true identity. Ruth draws on the experience of Israel
in captivity in Babylon, on the life of Zechariah and Jeremiah as prophetic
figures that God used to steer his people along the painful path to freedom.
This path to freedom is both personal and corporate, and Ruth is extremely
honest in sharing some of her own journey, and in encouraging us to make
that same journey. It can be all too easy and tempting to stay where we are
in our denominational and cultural comfort zones, but we are gently reminded
that this is not what God is calling us to do. In that sense Ruth is prophetic
in what she says and in the vision she draws out what she believes God is
saying to us today.
At the end of each chapter she has a prayer or meditation which reflects
what has been said and draws it together. I was particularly struck by her
reflection entitled Bridging the Gap, which is a sobering challenge to those
of us who like to cling to our own denominational doctrinal position as if
the Lord Himself had given it to us!
I was also struck by her illustration of the meaning of love as drawn from her Nigerian friend Rose, who translated the word for love in her language, which is ifunanya as the way I see you through my eyes. Ruth drew from this that God’s love for us is the way He sees us through the eyes of Jesus.
Ruth also reflects on the Irish gifts of welcome, Cead Mile Failte, and of song as qualities which cry out to be used by Irish Christians, as means of fulfilling God’s call to his people to be instruments of reconciliation on the whole of this island.
The fact that Desmond Tutu wrote the preface to the book is high recommendation indeed, and a complement to the work of Restoration Ministries.
I could say a lot more about this book but I would simply
encourage you to buy the book, and read it for yourself. It contains a
message that all Christians need to hear, no matter what part of this island
they hail from.
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BiographyRuth Patterson was born in Belfast in 1944. Her father, a native of Co. Donegal, was a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. She attended Queen's University from 1962 - 1966 graduating in 1965 with a BA in Spanish & Politics & a Diploma in Social Work in 1966. While at Queen's she was very involved with the work of the Presbyterian students' centre, whose chaplain, Ray Davey founded the Corrymeela Community (for reconciliation).
This and other associations such as the Iona Community (Scotland) and Servizio Cristiano (Sicily) nurtured Ruth's interest in Christian community. In 1966 she was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to the University of Toronto Canada, where she did a two year Master's Degree in Social Work, specialising in Community Development. In the summer of 1967 she worked in a community project on Vancouver's Skid Row for 3 months. On returning to Ireland in 1968 she began work as assistant to Ray Davey at Queen's.
From 1968-71 (the very early years of the troubles) she worked with students of all denominations at Queen's. In 1971 she went to Edinburgh University to study theology, at the same time applying to be a candidate for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. She graduated with a 1st class honour BD. in Ecclesiastical History in 1974. In 1976 she was the first woman to be ordained in Ireland. She worked as an assistant minister in Larne until the end of 1977, when she was called to the congregation of Kilmakee, Seymour Hill, Dunmurry, where she served as parish minister for nearly 14 years. In April 1991 she left this work to be full-time with Restoration Ministries (which had been born out of the parish situation). She enjoys walking and reading. Her mother a medical doctor is still alive & she has a sister and a brother, both married with families.
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Purchasing
Information'Journeying towards Reconciliation' can be ordered directly from Veritas via their web site.
£8.30 / € 12.95
Email: sales@veritas.ie
Tel: 00353 (0) 1 878 8177
Fax: 00353 (0) 1 874 4913