Living with Difference will Shape our Future

Even in a world where some prepare for war,
the baby of Bethlehem is a sign of peace

Bishop Paul Colton, addressing the Christmas congregation in Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, said that in Ireland our ability to learn to live with differences based on dialogue and mutual insight will shape our future. “We are no longer the monochrome society we once were”, he said.

“As the process of globalisation continues apace in the midst of us, much will depend on the way we as individuals, as institutions and as societies are prepared to accept each other’s versions of the stories which shape us; and our preparedness to celebrate and be enriched by our differences.

“This will be not only the measure of our maturity, but also how we live with that great variety of cultures, philosophies, and belief systems will determine so much of what lies ahead for a rapidly globalising world. In our global society we have never been closer to one another, and yet still so far apart. Our ability to learn to live with differences based on dialogue and mutual insight will shape our future, not least in Ireland where we are no longer the monochrome society we once were.”

Referring to the fact that one story can be presented in different ways, as was the Christmas story, the significance of Christ's birth is that it is a sign of light in darkness, a sign of God's presence, and, "Strange, naive even, or maybe even idealistic as it may seem, the baby's birth is a sign announcing God's peace and is a challenge to peacemakers, even at a time when troops and armaments are being deployed with such steady intent in readiness for war".