I went to see the movie ‘Small Things like These’ which was released last week. The movie is based on a novel by Claire Keegan who is a brilliant writer and observer of real life in a small community. Her first novel ‘Foster’ was translated to film as ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ and  received a number of awards.

The latest novel “Small Things”, set in the 1980s, tells the story of a coal delivery man called Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) living in New Ross Co Wexford. Bill who was shocked and disturbed by what he saw going on in the Magdalene Laundry Home when he was delivering bags of coal and turf. Bill was a quietly spoken, inoffensive, sensitive man. He was himself treated with disrespect by some of the nuns when he went looking for his money.

When on one dark evening he found an expectant girl locked in the coal room he became alarmed. She was in a distressed state. He was not sure what to do. On that occasion he brought her back to the convent. What he saw that dark evening kept him awake at night and caused him great anxiety every day. His wife (Eileen Walsh) could not understand what was happening to him. He was not willing or able to tell her at that time. Like most people, she did not want him getting involved. It could damage the prospects of their children- who would soon be looking admission to the overcrowded school in this large town which was also run by the same order of nuns.

This Magdalene Laundry was just one of many in Ireland run by the Church for girls (all from poor and deprived backgrounds) who became pregnant. At the end of the film it was stated that 56,000 pregnant women had passed through these horrible places from 1920s till the 1980s.In Holy Catholic Ireland!

The cruelty that went on in these Mother and Baby homes in Ireland saddens me and challenges me. Thanks to the research of Catherine Corless, we have heard about the shocking deaths in the Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway. How could religious people treat young women so cruelly? How could bishops and priests oversee and go along with this cruelty? Many children died. Most were taken from the young women and given up for adoption. And this in Holy Catholic Ireland!  What got into these people? They were supposed to be practicing the love of God and love of neighbour but they did neither.

Some will say it was part of culture of that time -young people were often beaten in schools and colleges for the slightest misdemeanour. There was no mercy shown to the women who became pregnant. What a distortion of the Christian Gospel!

This whole story of the abuse of women in Magdalene laundries and other institutions is shocking and the complicity of the whole Church and society is just as shocking. It is part of our history and it should never be forgotten or ignored.

 

Children should always be loved and cherished and never abused. Women should always be treated with the utmost respect .It is a lesson that all young men have to learn.

 

I read recently a suggestion that the word ‘Love’ should be replaced with the word ‘kindness’. The word ‘love’ has become devalued and has lost its radical impact. Kindness towards the marginalised and the poor conveys that real human quality that should be the mark of every human being and especially of every Christian. Kindness towards those in trouble is based on Respect. Jesus taught that it even includes people you regard as ‘enemies’. Love involves kindness and respect towards people who are different. It does not ever mean ignoring those who cause pain and suffering to others. 

 

There is still a lot of cruelty in our world towards the poor and oppressed. It exists in many institutions like prisons. There are still prejudices against women. If we are going to change the world, we must begin where we are –by changing our own attitude and thinking. Much cruelty went on in the Magdalene laundries because people turned a blind eye or ignored it and even excused it.

 

There is no excuse for ignoring injustice and cruelty in any institution or society. We all can do something about it -and must -if we have the courage of our convictions.

 

Courage and radical love go together. We need courage to challenge injustice and cruelty. Bill Furlong, the Coal-man, in the story showed courage. 

 

Cillian Murphy has shown courage in making this film for world-wide distribution. He has contributed, in no small way, to a better understanding of our past and the hypocrisy that has existed in Holy Catholic Ireland. He involved a talented Director, the Belgian Tim Mielants, and an experienced Scriptwriter Enda Walsh. He persuaded Matt Danon and Ben Affleck to produce the film and he employed a wonderful cast of actors-including Eileen Walsh. All the cild actors are superb as is the young northern actress Tara Devlin. 

 

This is not a film to enjoy. It is a film to make us think about what we can do in small ways to make this world a kinder and more caring place. The film and the novel challenges us about the radical meaning of love as preached by Christ –a meaning that needs to be rediscovered and put into practice in every part of Ireland and in every Christian institution today. This is a film that will disturb anyone who sees it. It should disturb all involved in the life of the Catholic church. It is a reminder that in life ‘the small things’ matter and the way we treat the downtrodden and poor matters a great deal- if we are to be true witnesses of the Gospel.