Read Online The Truth About Love by Josephine Hart - Free Book Online

of Galway, as I recall. He was speaking to the assembled first-year students. ‘Sin,’ he said, ‘is indeed like getting lost in a maze and each way you turn you can’t get out. That’s the habitual sinner for you: lost in a maze.’ And some bright spark had piped up ‘no sense of direction’ and we all laughed. He did too. Loud, booming laugh as befits a bishop, eh Thomas?”
    “Indeed.”
    “When we’d calmed down a bit the Bishop looked at us all. Right round the room you know—catching each lad’s eye, so to speak. ‘Exactly, gentlemen, exactly,’ he said. ‘Gentlemen,’ that got us, the word ‘gentlemen.’ ‘Bear in mind, my young sports, that you’ve got to have journeyed somewhere before you’ve a sense of direction to lose. You’ve come, most of you, from country towns and villages or farms on the edge of nowhere. You’re barely out of your teens and we’re going to turn you into commanding officers of the souls of others. That’s our task here in Maynooth, to turn a bunch of youngsters into soldiers of the Lord and I’ve as much trouble, I can tell you, as any Sergeant Major.’ We laughed, but we didn’t forget it. We knew we’d have power, great power over men. The greatest. The power of forgiveness or not: ‘Whose sins thou shalt forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins thou shalt retain, they are retained.’ Power! That’s what he was telling us we had. And that people would obey.”
    “Is it not possible that much of the obedience is driven by fear?”
    I carefully position the chessboard between us and set up.
    “Fear and love perhaps, Thomas. Not a bad combination, as Machiavelli would agree. You look surprised. We are not completely unaware of Machiavelli here.”
    “And I would say that God is more feared than loved here.”
    “Do you not fear where you love, Thomas?”
    I pause. I do indeed fear where I love.
    “I see where you have led me.”
    “Checkmate! As you usually say to me.”
    “Congratulations. Do you believe every sinner can be saved and every non-believer is a potential convert?”
    “That’s the business.”
    He parries well. We have got our rhythm now and I enjoy the sparring.
    “Profitable?”
    “Very. Spiritually, Thomas, spiritually. The Irish Catholic Church is not now, nor has it ever been, corrupt. May I just say how I admire your taste in whiskey. You’ve gone native, as they say. Very good. Though I see you keep the other as well. You’re a careful man. I have had a difficult, very difficult, day. I decided to talk to the Brothers Enda and Rory—to others, but mostly to them—at the college. They taught the O’Hara lad. Science and History and English. They teach with passion. Too much, according to some, particularly May Garvey and Bogus Brogan—they’re neighbours of the O’Haras. Do you know them?”
    “I have met Mr. Brogan once—at the funeral.”
    “Ah—well, they’re a bit competitive with each other. May writes a bit. She resented the small success Dennis Brogan had a year or so ago and she started to call him Bogus Brogan, and it stuck. Bogus takes it in good heart. But they’re both on the same side when it comes to the teaching of history. She had to give up teaching when she got married, but does a bit, helping before exams, and Bogus teaches out at St. Patrick’s. Anyway, after my conversation today I think with a few of the Brothers she may have a point. Still, I’m aware that a shadow of shame can fall on men in a country that has been long over-run—a feeling that somehow they should have prevented the humiliation. Such a nation needs its heroes as it builds itself from scratch. Which Ireland has done. You’ll give us that, Thomas—yes?”
    “It is a great achievement.”
    “Yes, we’ve done very well. Church and State have created a philosophically and spiritually united country. Much of that has been achieved in less than forty years. Much of it due to an outstanding education system based on the