Since agreeing to write occasional opinion pieces for the new-look Impartial Reporter, I am frequently asked: “Will it be a religion column?”

Well, yes and no!

I will have something to say about religion, but I won’t be writing about it every week, even though I believe religion permeates all of life.

As they say, “Invited or not, God is present”.

If I’m writing about sports, for example, strong ethical and human values have to be considered – and that’s religion.

This week, however, religion is at the forefront because I have been asked to expand on the comments I made at the very successful re-launch of The Impartial Reporter at the Killyhevlin Hotel last Thursday night.

I said that the older institutions – like religions, politics, banks etc. – are not capable of dealing adequately with today’s fast-changing world.

That’s one of the reasons why many people, both young and old, don’t pay much attention to what religions say; they have found a way to relegate God as well.

Unfortunately, we clerics make it easy for people to reject ‘God’.

We create gods in our own image, meaning we communicate a God who is dictatorial, manipulative and oppressive. The result is that God and religion become easy to walk away from.

As a result, when people think about religion, they conclude that ‘religious’ people are narrow-minded, misogynistic, judgemental, and homophobic spoilsports.

That’s the image we portray, and it is well documented in the calls and emails I receive.

The tragedy is that people not only walk away from religion, they needlessly turn their backs on God as well. They are so focused on this life that they don’t see the need for a higher power.

On the other hand, genuinely religious people will be gentle, selfless, helpful, encouraging and optimistic.

The problem is that those believers are invisible in a society that is becoming increasingly secular.

It’s not that there is an antipathy to religious values – it’s just that the way we live out our faith is not relevant in these fast-moving times.

Faith is not something one loses; rather, we lose the ability to shape our lives by it.

In short, the old ways no longer work. We need to be open to new ways to make God present in ‘the bits and pieces of every day’. That’s what happens in other walks of life.

When I reflect on the world around me, I often ask myself: what’s life all about? Is this all there is to life?

I am certain that question is asked by most people who take the time to reflect on where they’re heading. There is a built-in longing to make sense of what we are about.

From experience, I think this is a question not just for believers, but for agnostics and atheists too.

But isn’t it perfectly reasonable to consider the possibility that our longing to live with meaning is itself, not just a longing for God, but a practical relationship with God?

I believe this is how we discover a God we can have a healthy relationship with. The God of forgiveness, the God of mercy and love – the God who walked the earth reaching out to everyone in trouble in the person of Jesus.

In other words, we meet a God who understands our humanity, walks with us and leads us through the troubles of life.

That’s why the search is itself our journey to God.

Sadly, this is precisely the kind of God church people fail to understand.

When I studied in the United States, I lived in a retreat house; there was a large plaque on the wall which intrigued me.

It read, ‘That Which You Seek is Seeking You’. It told me that the honest desire for meaning and fulfilment is, in fact, my desire for God – and furthermore, my desire for God is God’s desire for me!

People today are more impressed by the integrity of leaders’ lives than they are by dictators laying down outdated rules.

The younger generation has a much healthier view of sex and sexuality than in the past. Most couples today live together and have children before marriage.

They don’t recognise sin in their honest, committed relationships.

Established religions still insist that sexual relations outside marriage are wrong. There is no discussion about it. The young don’t see it that way, and the elephant in the room is ignored.

These days, it is futile to attempt to prove God’s existence by philosophical arguments. It is far better to accept peoples’ experiences and help them to recognise God in the ordinary events of their lives.

I force myself to stop and think about the many times in my life when I felt close to some higher power.

Did I realise this was God’s way of reaching out to me?

Faith is not a set of dogmas to argue about; it is accepting God’s generosity to us in the experiences of daily life.

Faith is a personal relationship with a loving, merciful God who loves me exactly as I am.

Therefore, I find it more respectful to encourage people to share their personal experiences. I can then assure them God is blessing them through those experiences.

God is already in our lives if we take the time to count the many blessings we enjoy.

Faith is both a one-to-one relationship and a communal experience. For example, those who enjoy the wonderful camaraderie of a live music event remember how the experience was truly spiritual.

Think of the atmosphere there was during those Garth Brooks nights in Croke Park. That was a rare example of a happy, uplifting community experience, which took us beyond ourselves to a higher awareness. The Holy Spirit meets us where we are.

The Christian religion is not a series of rules and regulations. It is certainly not an argument about which religion is better.

It’s about a person: Jesus Christ, who saved us from sin and death.

We do not earn salvation, and we don’t deserve it. We accept it with gratitude.

That’s what religion is supposed to do – gently lead us to God.