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I grew up in Catholic Ireland

My Bible: reasons to believe in the power of the Bible

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‘I grew up in Catholic Ireland and the Scriptures played a very limited part in our lives. The story that I love from the Bible is Jesus meeting the woman taken in adultery (John 7.53). We were in St Petersburg and there was a massive painting of it that was so theatrical and dramatic. 

‘I used to teach sixth formers Catholic religion and ethics in the European School, once I’d retired. I did it for six years. I used to talk to them about this story, because it really shows the person of Christ. They couldn’t help but be awed by this story. We used to have terrific arguments about this and how it contrasts with the way that David treated Bathsheba and Uriah. They were touched by these stories. 

‘I suppose what I learned about Christ from this story was his intense humanity. He had an extreme generosity of spirit. He didn’t forgive the woman in a condescending sort of way, he understood her. What moves me about Christ, what absolutely moves me to tears, is that we can go and talk to him, as the people in this story did.’

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