Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1988 - A funeral procession carrying the body of IRA member Caoimhín Mac Brádaigh (Kevin Brady) passed somberly through the streets of Belfast. Brady was one of three people killed in a violent loyalist attack on those grieving at another funeral just days before. The atmosphere was tense amid the weight of years of sectarian violence and the fear that another attack was imminent.

“The Troubles,” as those years came to be called, is the name given to a span of about 30 years between the late 1960s and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 in which loyalists who wanted Northern Ireland to retain its status as part of the United Kingdom (mostly identified as Protestants) clashed with Irish nationalists who desired for the north to leave the UK in favor of a united Ireland (mostly identified as Catholic). Irish nationalists were led in part by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who exchanged acts of brutal violence with loyalist paramilitary groups and British security forces resulting in over 3,500 deaths.

What should have been a peaceful day of mourning was suddenly upended when a car carrying two British Army corporals wearing civilian clothes took a wrong turn and mistakenly found themselves in the midst of the crowd. Thinking that this was an attempt at another act of terror, funeralgoers quickly circled around the car in anger, smashing the windows to get at the soldiers. Outnumbered and surrounded, Corporal Derek Wood (24) drew his service pistol and fired a shot in the air to disperse the crowd. What seemed as a brief moment of hope for the two corporals turned south fast as the crowd instead rushed forward. Wood and his comrade, Corporal David Howes (23), were pulled from the car and beaten to the ground. The crowd of mourners, now seeing red, dragged them to a nearby sports park where they were stripped and searched for identification.

It’s in this terrifying moment in the midst of political violence that we see Father Alec Reid emerge in a courageous attempt to intervene and save the soldiers from public execution. Horrified by the situation at hand, the Catholic priest stepped forward and called for an ambulance. Then, in what can only be described as an act of profound self sacrifice, Reid laid his body between the two men on the ground, putting his arms around them to protect them from further harm. The crowd did not relent. After physically removing Reid, the soldiers were rushed to a nearby vacant lot where they were both shot multiple times in the head and chest. Unwilling to be pushed aside, Reid ran toward the sound of the gun shots. When he arrived at the bloodied bodies of the young men, he thought one of them was still breathing. Bending down next to him, Father Alec attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but to no avail. Both soldiers were already dead. The grieving priest, remaining true to his call, administered the last rites.

As he looked up, a photographer captured the scene of sorrow and blood on Reid’s face with the body of Corporal Howes stretched before him. This iconic photo would go on to become one of the most poignant images of the Troubles, perfectly framing the madness of sectarianism alongside the natural conclusion that it leads to.

In our present time of political violence and divided ideologies, there is much to glean from history. We do not have to wind back the clock too far before we arrive in a moment packed with similar volatility. Those that read this story will agree that the courage and heroism with which Father Reid acted is admirable. His willingness to step forward when others would not is a quality to which we all should aspire. But for those who claim to follow Christ there are deeper lessons to be learned.

The story begins at a funeral, in which those present were already grieving more lives lost to violence. Father Reid was there and, had more violence not occurred, this day would have faded into history. Reid did not attend the funeral with the intent of stopping violence but attended in his role as a priest. He was there to comfort Brady’s mother and to be a living reminder of Christ’s presence in our suffering. He was there to mourn with those who mourn. For the Christian, the call to be in proximity to the pain and suffering of others is our first lesson. We cannot hope to be peacemakers without first drawing near to those who are hurting.

After the violence erupted, those witnessing it responded in a variety of ways. Some participated in the brutality. Others encouraged it. Still others stood by and watched it unfold while others turned away and fled. Only the priest stepped forward in defiance of hatred. Though vastly outnumbered by members of his own faction, Reid’s uncompromising faith caused him to immediately recognize the cruelty of the situation. Only a man driven by the Holy Spirit could witness such great evil and have the audacity to respond with such bold love.

When Father Reid put his arms around the two beaten soldiers, he put his body in the way of harm to protect a perceived enemy. He did not stop to ask if the soldiers held views he disagreed with, if they had said things that were problematic, or even if they had physically harmed anyone in his Catholic community. He did not question the crowd to determine if these men were worthy of his intervention, or even if their intent was to do harm that day. He stepped forward because to follow Christ’s example means to love both enemy and friend. Though many in the crowd saw them as enemies, Father Reid saw them as worthy of love. Corporal Wood and Corporal Howes, like the ones perpetuating violence against them, bore the image of God.

Even though the shots had already been fired, we see Reid again rush toward them in an effort to bring a dying man back to life. It’s as if he was not just trying to save the man but also to lessen the sins of those responsible, to save them from the harm they had committed against themselves as well as others. In this moment it’s as if everyone else was watching the country slip off the edge of a cliff and this one man was trying to pull it back to solid ground. He was not casting blame on others to diminish or excuse the violence, he was putting himself in the midst of violence to expose its true harm.

In the immediate aftermath of the murders, Father Reid was photographed as he administered the last rites to the victims, a prayer for the dead. This final act of compassion serves as the most compelling witness to us all. Even though these men could not be brought back, Reid still dignified them with this sacrament in public view of all who stood by, and in doing so reminded the world that all life is sacred.

What may be most remarkable about this story is that this event was neither the start nor the conclusion of Father Reid’s efforts to bring about an end to the violence of the Troubles. On that very day he carried with him in his pocket a letter, now stained with blood, between two opposing political leaders outlining a plan for peace. His determination to bring about a resolution to the conflict would later prompt his selection as one of two trusted clergy members to oversee the decommissioning of IRA weapons after the signing of the peace deal that would ultimately mark an end to the Troubles, known as the Good Friday Agreement.

It’s easier today to ignore the suffering of others, to turn away from the violence as if it is not happening. It’s easier to search for someone to blame instead of a solution and to let cynicism prevent us from taking any action at all. But followers of Jesus are not called to ignorance nor are we called to cynicism. In moments of violence we are called to mourn injustice, speak love, shield others from harm, and pray for peace. As hatred continues to simmer underneath the surface of our culture and political violence begins to boil over, let us as Christians remember the nonviolent legacy of Father Alec Reid and choose instead the same response he stood for, radically defiant enemy love.

The Legacy of Father Alec Reid in Response to Political Violence