Fr Alan Hilliard may well be familiar to many readers who are out of bed early enough through his contributions to RTÉ’s ‘A Word in Edgeways’, 3 minute long broadcasts at 6.15am in the mornings from which the pieces in this new book of his derive.
Having got up that early he spends much of his days as the administrator of the parish of City Quay, University Church and Westland Row – churches which historically had much larger congregations than they do today. His career has been spent, he says, in the world of migration, working too with prisoners and as college chaplains. A man then of wide and varied experience, used to exchanges in curious out of the way places. In this book they range from remarks made by a First Nations chief in Canada to attendees at the Willie Clancy Summer School.
Being designed to catch the ear at a certain time of day these pieces are very personal, crisp and focused. They are all the better for it. There is little wandering about seeking a way into a theme that you so often find in sermons these days. These are not sermons indeed, but reflections.
He also provides the photographs that illustrate the pages. Several of these are photos of a Chicago landmark, a polished steel work of art called ‘The Bean’ – highly suitable for a book of reflections one might think.
It is a difficult thing to catch the particular tone of his voice, but they are all so packed with observation that they will bear a lot of rereading. One piece called simply “Nobility” from the middle of the book is what you might call a parable to an apprentice stone worker in 12th century Paris teamed with his two uncles. One who was gruff and hasty and ruined many pieces of stone with his rushed work.
The boy asked each in turn what they were doing. The hasty one replied, “Are you stupid, don’t you see I’m cutting stone.” The second, calmer, uncle responded, “I’m building a cathedral”. Now there is food for thought.
On a different note he describes his first visit to Dachau concentration camp. It was opened in March 1933, for the enemies of the Reich. He remarks that the first thing that an authoritarian regime does is create enemies, Jews in one case, perhaps emigrants in another.
“Don’t let them get away with it — don’t become like them. Whether a Christian or not, be less afraid of the enemies, and more afraid of those who have created them.”
This is a book to buy and read, to ponder not first thing in the morning perhaps but in the quiet of approaching night when their fullness can be appreciated, free of the morning rush.
