Rev. Julian Hamilton | Trinity Methodist and Presbyterian chaplain.
There are never two days the same. In being a Chaplain for five years in this wonderful institution, no two days have ever been the same.
The reason is simple. People. People make Trinity what it is, and people are different. We all have different needs, different perspectives, different gripes, different pains, different hopes and different dreams. More than the distinctions in our minds and spirits however, we then wear distinct masks in order to hide our difference from each other.
These are questions of real life. Authentic living and breathing – questions of joy and heartache, achievement and failure, meaning and purpose. And this is why no two days of my Trinity experience have been the same.
The Trinity College chaplaincy, located in House 27. Photo: Owen Bennett
My life has indelibly changed since taking up this post. Now, I cannot hear reports of a road accident anywhere in this country – or read the news of a tragic death of another young adult – without automatically thinking “I hope it’s not one of ours?” That may be a shallow response. I don’t mean it glibly. I mean it sincerely because I have sat too many times with groups of students who have lost a classmate or colleague. And I have experienced the confusion that concerns life’s crazy contours oozing from professors and admin staff, as well as from students, in the face of such loss. Life is not simple, and more often than not, it throws curveballs our way. Tough questions of existence must be honestly faced by us all at various times in our lives – and I, honestly, feel deeply honoured to work in a place where questions are encouraged and explored. Religion, after all, should be more about the questions, than the answers. Faith, at its best, promotes pondering, raises awareness, extrapolates exploration and heightens hope. Faith, at its worst, deadens the senses, kills questions, eradicates evaluation, and overthrows opposition. God help us have faith at it’s best – God preserve us from it at it’s worst.
The depth and length of the questions a chaplain gets asked in this institution vary wildly. To quote a few personal examples, questions ranges from, “But why shouldn’t I sleep with her?” to “Why did God kill my father” to “Why would you base your life on something so stupid” to “Why do I have to lose my faith if I continue to study theology.” Oh yes, and I have also been asked if I could pray about the lottery numbers and pass them on – seemingly without a hint of suspicion that should I ever receive a revelation concerning the Euro Millions, I will be acting on that revelation myself.
Whether it be the Christian denomination that I represent, the ecumenical chaplaincy I am part of, or another member of the world faiths that have representation throughout the community of Trinity College, questions of destiny, purpose and meaning find the reverence they deserve.
For the Christian faith in Trinity, the ecumenical chaplaincy plays it’s own part – being the official arbiter of hundred’s of years of Christian tradition on campus. It’s role varies from the pomp and circumstance of traditional memories being re-enacted, through to the feeding frenzy of Tuesday lunches in house 27. It also is one of the first calls on campus when something is going/has gone terribly wrong. Working closely with the Senior Tutor’s Office and College Counselling Service, amongst others, it demonstrates the commitment that all of the chaplains have to serve whoever, whenever, however. We are not a proselytising presence, we provide a peaceful panacea for anyone who needs it. We hope.
And so we live in the questions. Where every new days brings surprise – some welcome, some unwelcome but must be faced. We swim in the genuine experiences of day by day, facing whatever comes at us, as best we can. And in so doing, we build the Kingdom of God bit by bit, in order to encourage the faith of all the Saints (whether they know they are or not!) who walk this treasured campus.
