Monsignor’s inspiring New Year’s Rotary Club address

"I get to mark two New Years. Both of them mark a beginning. Both of them mark a work in progress. Both of them mark a due by date and a finishing line. One of them is in September, when the new school year begins; and the other is the one that starts on 1st January," remarked Monsignor O'Reilly on Monday, setting the tone for a reflection on the journey of personal growth and the role of challenges in shaping individuals.

Speaking about the universal nature of personal development, the Monsignor drew parallels between individuals and school pupils: "Each of us, like any school pupil, is a work in progress. And, though we may not like them any more than school pupils, it is the challenges that make us grow."

He drew a poignant analogy between personal development and pruning: "Plants get pruned. And so do we. And we’ve all seen the spoiled child who got everything wanted more and gave nothing. So challenges are important, though they are difficult and unpleasant."

Delving into life's challenges, he presented a comprehensive list of things that ‘prune’ us, explaining how life’s main challenges "might include loneliness; maintaining healthy relationships; mental well-being; money worries; work-related stress; bereavement and traumatic events; mental health and physical illness; the changes that come, unbidden and unexpected, in life; the addictions: smoking, drinking, drug use, gambling, pornography and whatever". "Remember: addictions are always telltale signs of pain," he added.

Identifying a common thread among these challenges, Monsignor O'Reilly highlighted the formidable task of mastering one's mind.

"And within all those various challenges runs one that is common to them all: mastering our mind is one of the greatest life challenges of all. Our mind controls our perspective. It shapes how we receive & process, how we interact with the world around us. Our mind is the place where we hold our ideals and our fears. The mind(as a whole or in part can take a lifetime to free up.

"We don’t manage this task on our own. We are going to need something to help settle and sustain our mind. That ‘something’ can be described in diverse ways. That ‘something’ is a reason for doing things. That ‘something’ is the something that is worth going after. That ‘something’ is a perspective on our lives. That ‘something’ is what this life is all about."

Defining this elusive "something," Monsignor O'Reilly honed in on the intangible aspects of life that resonate with individuals on a profound level. "That ‘something’ is about the real things what we cannot see or measure and yet the things we most strongly respond to: love, beauty, peace, justice, equality… It is the thing that gets us up in the morning and helps us to eventually close our eyes at night. I would give that ‘something’ a name. Whatever it might be, I think it is fair to call it faith."

Monsignor O'Reilly delved into the deeper implications of faith, explaining: "The things that move our hearts, our minds, and our wills: these things run deep and I see the hand of God in them, but I’ve met lots of people who don’t. So I don’t expect others to sense God with and within through the things that draw and move them. And, I personally don’t think that God minds either. What I think God wants like anyone who gives a gift is for the gift to be enjoyed, to be used, to be a plus."

Transitioning to the collaborative nature of overcoming challenges, he dispelled notions of self-reliance: "If I stopped here, you might be pardoned for thinking that I believed we can sort ourselves out or in ‘religious speak’, that we can ‘save’ ourselves. We can’t. We all need the human helps of support, help, hope, encouragement, trust, example, wisdom and teaching.

"We need a wider connection. It’s not an optional extra. It’s essential. The wider connection can come in a variety of ways and it needs to come in a variety of ways."

Speaking in the religious context, he said if "we confine ourselves to church going and church connecting, we can become so ‘heavenly bound’ that we are no ‘earthly use’."

"And ‘earthly use’ is the ultimate litmus test, touchstone, proof of the point, the value, the need and the benefits incoming and outgoing of our human connections."

He added: "Even Jesus said: I was hungry and you … I was thirsty and you… I was a stranger and you… Our connections to each other are best not considered optional in the project that is our lives: the project that the new year reminds us of the project that the passing of time shows the direction and development of."

"While we benefit from connecting to others in our journey of personal development; it is equally true that others can benefit from us. Others need us in the world today. The news, the internet, the newspapers: these remind us of the challenge to the whole human family. While others help us in our challenge to manage our lives in general, and in the managing of our minds in particular, others need us as they face their challenges."

Highlighting the interconnectedness of global challenges, Monsignor O'Reilly said: "A list of the challenges faced by the whole human family might include: climate change; destructive artificial intelligence; environmental disaster; nuclear holocaust; another pandemic; societal collapse."

In his New Year message, Monsignor O'Reilly urged collective action, stating, "So my word to you, at the start of the new year, is this: the project of your life is ongoing, the clock is ticking, and it’s the same for everyone on earth. In the challenge of helping ourselves, one of the best ways is to help others. It keeps us going forward. It keeps us motivated. It keeps us real.

"The challenges of others puts a perspective on our own. Our own troubles can sensitise us to the troubles of others. And in both regards, the connection to a group like the Rotary Club is wonderful," he said.