Serious Sounds

The great Irish writer John Moriarty died recently, and this short book was one of his last. He felt that we live in a time of ritual deprivation, and here he uses the example of his own life and understanding of Christian sacraments to take people through the journey of life from birth and baptism to the final rites. We are baptised into newness of life, a newness that embodies the principle of transformation and metamorphosis as we set out on our return journey to God. In the middle of life we become intensely aware of our shortcomings; here the sacrament of confession can bring inner peace, as John himself attests. The liturgy is infused with the book, which builds on its already considerable poetic power. The last part depicts the dying process of a neighbour where he embarks on the next stage of his journey. As with all John's writing, there are evocative images, for instance the sacraments as both shelter and seal's breathing holes which enable us to breathe transcendentally, to come to life while moving past the limitations of form.