Keith’s Blog

Discovering what it means to be Catholic

Road trips have been an integral part of life here in MCC ever since the beginning of our church. Over the past four years we’ve done almost a dozen of them and I have enjoyed every one. Basically, a ‘road trip’ is when a number of us head off together to take a service or speak at an event somewhere else in Ireland (usually far away!) as part of our role in the wider Presbyterian Church. A few weeks ago fifteen of us headed up to New Row congregation in Coleraine, Co. Derry, and last night four of us went to a special event held in Annalong, Co Down.

Whilst the format is usually the same – we do some interviews, sing some songs we use in worship, share a bit about what’s going on here in Maynooth and try to encourage folks to get more involved in mission – we never know in advance how people will respond to us or what their response might have to teach us. Very often we have been surprised by the amazing warmth of welcome we have received from those our society would tell us are ‘different to us.’ Very often we have been just as surprised by the depth of insight and breadth of understanding we have been able to glean from meeting up with these ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ in distant places and listening to their story about what following Jesus has meant. Many of the very best discussions and learnings we have ever had in MCC have come in the aftermath of these trips.

Sometimes we go to huge churches who seem to have every resource imaginable. Other times, like last night, we go to smaller churches who, like ourselves, are still having to work hard to get themselves established and find the resources they need for the task. In every setting, in whatever political or social environment we have found ourselves in, it has been a tremendous privilege to be able to share something of what God has been teaching us in MCC and to hear something of what He has been doing there. There really is something incredibly powerful about looking at your own activities, beliefs and understandings in the light of a context totally different to your own. Its why experiencing, as well as professing our belief in, the church catholic is so important.

These ‘road trips’ provide a living reminder to us of what it means to be part of the wider ‘Body of Christ.’ If you haven’t yet been on one of them, let me say that you don’t know what you have been missing! And let me encourage you to try and come along to one in the near future. Who knows? It could easily lead you to an insight or understanding that might radically change the way you live the rest of your life. I kid you not!