I’m not who I was
As 2011 draws to a close I’ve been reflecting on the events of this past year. New people have entered my life and some have left it. There have been fights and reconciliations. There has been the opportunity to go on some wonderful adventures as well as the chance to be still, to sit and listen and to reconsider my life’s vocation.
All of these things have changed me in some way. There is a proverb which I believe is attributed to E.E. Cummings which says “To grow is to change and to have grown often is to have changed much”. All the events of this past year have helped mould me, for better or worse, from the person I was at the end of 2010 to the person I am now at the end of 2011.
The more I’ve considered this, the more comforting I’ve found it. It means that there is always a dynamism. There is always hope. Things are not set in stone. The person I was in the past is not necessarily who I am now or, indeed, the person I will become.
Last week at Theology On tap we had Cy Kellett spoke to us on 
Today I wanted to talk about an apologetic strategy I use a lot: asking questions. You see, regardless of the topic, be it abortion, Christianity or Catholicism, there is always the temptation to spend most of your time telling someone what they should believe. People are rarely very receptive to being told. When I’m in that mode, it becomes very easy for me to become pompous and prideful. Questions help prevent this.
