In the early hours of Ash Wednesday morning I had a vivid dream in which I was standing in a room with a glass wall looking out into the night, when from the darkness a life-size statue of Jesus emerged (the Sacred Heart one in the Augustinian church in Galway). As it moved towards the glass wall it came alive. He spoke but I don’t know what He said. His face was very kind - as in Divine Mercy - and with His right hand he touched the wall and it disappeared, like it dissolved. Then He touched me and I cried and asked Him to help me. I felt overcome, overwhelmed, startled and afraid. Our faith, our religious experience can be like a statue – lovely but lifeless and unconnected with our lives. But our faith can come to life when we see it, not as a thing but, as a person, the person of Jesus who approaches us, reaches out to dissolve the barrier that separates us from Him, reaches out to touch us and His touch can cause all sorts of reactions in us. The approach of God can...
