EASTER

Those of you who are regulars here and who followed the God Interviews will know that I am a believer but also that where religion is concerned, I do it my way. I admit this sounds arrogant but I'm willing to be humbled anytime. The Catholic schools I attended gave me familiarity with Catholic tradition but never marked me as deeply as the sound of my father's voice praying quietly and passionately, alone behind his bedroom door. Possibly this was what shaped my conviction that a direct, open-hearted, self-stripping conversation with God is the only religion I can practice. 

Wherever it takes place - alone in a room or in a field, in a cathedral, a mosque, a synagogue, or on the street - that one-to-one dialogue between the human and the Divine is the essence of faith as I understand it. All the arguments pro and con religion are swept aside when that most intimate of connections takes place and - sorry for the cliché - you just know it's real. My culture has given Christian form to my belief and it's the basic teachings of Jesus which I find most inspiring, preferably without the Church's interpretations and adornments.

Many years ago, I did thirteen pared-down ink drawings on the life of Jesus. Here are five of them. Sad to say, I don't think I could do better now.