|
Index
Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Preparation for WYD in Cologne The Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit Eucharist and the Mystery of the Cross Journey of the WYD Cross and Icon
|
|
Index Communio - Letter of Appreciation
|
| Heart & Mind of Bishop |
 |
|
BISHOP JUSTIN’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE Not long ago on TV there was a programme called ‘Find My Family’. It proved very popular and many people were touched by the tragic stories of separation and rejoiced with the individuals that discovered each other again. To be without any ancestry can and does have a prevailing effect on the lives of individuals who experience these situations. They hunger to know where they came from, who abandoned them and why. They travel through life with this hidden yearning - perhaps even at times saying it doesn’t matter – but the overwhelming change that takes place in their lives when they are reconnected with their family proves beyond doubt how important family roots are and how it matters to know that you belonged to someone and that you were loved.
Various cultures around the world also find meaning in the connections with their past and often suffer when those connections are severed. It would be fair to say that the cultural existence of the present is heavily influenced by the past, providing reasons why people do the things they do. This is certainly true of the Jewish people. All the traditions and stories (found in the Old Testament) of their culture have given rise to a proud and gifted nation today. In fact it is the power of the past that can cause great strength in a nation as is demonstrated in the nations involved in the Middle East. Unfortunately this strength is also a cause of divide and conflict among these nations.
Recently I was privileged to have been in the Holy Land for two months during my sabbatical. I say privileged because there are so many people around the world that desire, but cannot afford, to see for themselves this sacred homeland, for us as Christians as well as for the Israeli and Palestinian people.
To go there was like reconnecting with the ancient history of the Old & New Testament and the members of our family of faith. It was a tremendous and humbling experience to visit these areas and to contemplate and relive the great moments of the story of our salvation. When God revealed himself by taking on our human condition and experience, he showed us how much he loved us. To experience the culture, the climate and the terrain helped me to tap into the experiences of the biblical characters and be profoundly moved to understand them even more at a deeper level. To enter into the nativity story at the place it actually happened is truly a religious experience. The opportunity to celebrate Mass for the first time there was a unique joy.
One special and powerful time to connect more deeply with family and to rediscover our roots is at Christmas. As we celebrate Christ’s birth in our church we have a deeper experience of belonging to a big family of God – across various races and ages. In Jesus we are all truly sisters and brothers and his Father is Father of us all. St Paul summed it up simply in one line, “all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other” (Rom12:5)
Many families make special efforts to gather at Christmas. We renew our own important and crucial family bonds of love. This is truly human love. Because Jesus coming into the world took flesh in a family, he also took flesh in each of our families. The human love we share, therefore, is also divine love – God’s love.
If for some reason we lack family or can’t be with family this year, Jesus reassures everyone, that we are always part of his family.
This Christmas let us ask for a deeper faith to see and meet Jesus more in our hearts, in our families and in our church where we are helped to experience what is most important, namely, belonging to God’s family.
I wish you and your families a very happy Christmas.
The special Year of St Paul, a master stroke of Pope Benedict 16th, ended with the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 30th. Many around the Globe (scholars and learners ) have invested much more time this year both proclaiming and getting to know Paul, his letters, the impact of his conversion, his passion for Christ, his capacity to love the Churches, his theology etc. I am thrilled that our Priests had some In-service on Paul by Fr Brian Limbourn. Also during June it was wonderful that the whole Diocese for the first time had the opportunity of tapping into a day’s E-Conference on Paul on June 30th, courtesy of the Broken Bay Diocese in Sydney. I too have been caught up in this suggestion of Pope Benedict. I have been able to follow it through in the Holy Land for two months. In June I participated in a Course on the Gospel of Saint Luke at the Centre “Ecce Homo” in the Old City of Jerusalem. May was taken up with the richness of Paul, his letters, his person and Mission. Shortly after arriving in the Holy Land I took part in a Course on Paul at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. This Institute was mainly the initiative of Pope Paul 6th. Apart from a variety of top quality lectures we had excursions to places in the Holy Land Paul had either been to, or like Jerusalem, had lived in. I took time to read, reflect and pray over some books and articles on Paul. This led me to study something of the geography and people Paul journeyed to, with the Good News of Jesus Christ. More importantly it led me to read Paul’s letters again with much better understanding due the background of information with which I had been fed. One of my disappointments in coming to the Holy Land this year was that Cardinal Martini, the previous Archbishop of Milan, was not here. He is a good Scripture Scholar. What I like about him is that he always applies the message of a passage of Scripture to life and encourages one to reflect and pray about it. Cardinal Martini in his retirement had come to live in Jerusalem and I wanted to “sit at his feet” and be guided more deeply into the Scriptures. Illness has taken him back to Italy. Providentially before leaving Geraldton I was given a book of his “The Gospel According to St Paul”. It was as if Martini was with me as I worked and prayed through this treasure of a book. In these few weeks I’ve gleaned a lot from this time of Grace on Paul (enough to fill the Sower!). However here I simply want to highlight two important things about him. Paul had a passion for Christ and a deep love for the Churches, just as they were with their gifts and limits. It was Paul’s love for Jesus, crucified and risen, which inspired him to be a Missionary. He travelled far and wide to share the Good News of this merciful God who makes us His friends, offering His love to all totally and freely. This passion for Christ also inspired him to love the Church, His Body. All this we can pick up from the quiet reading of his letters. An example though of his great love for Christ is PHIL 3:4-14. An example of his love for and appreciation of the Church is 2 COR 1: 1-11 and 3:1-3. Coming away on sabbatical, apart from wanting to be renewed in body and mind, I wanted to be renewed in spirit. In other words I wanted to grow in love of God through Jesus Christ, and in love of the Church. I want to keep playing my part to build up the Church of the Geraldton Diocese. Paul is helping me in my relationship with Jesus as I spend time with Him in the Scriptures and prayer. Also, even though I have been praying for you the Geraldton Diocese daily for many years, I am freshly, and I trust more lovingly, thinking of and praying for you all now. Thank you sincerely for your ongoing prayer for me. It is what calls down the Grace of God needed to do His Will. Please keep praying for me that what I have spoken of will not be a “flash in the pan”, but that it last and grow and sustain me in whatever God Wills for me in my life, in my Ministry and my care of the Diocese. Pray that I will be the best shepherd I can be for you in these remaining years.
Bishop Justin Joseph Bianchini Bishop of Geraldton July 2009
Communio - Letter of Appreciation Dear Reynaldo, I write a midyear letter to bring you up-to-date with some good news about Income and Expenditure from our Christmas Communio Appeal. The last Christmas Appeal was the best ever with a total of $32, 000. I want to thank you most sincerely for your great and growing generosity in this area. Briefly I want to mention where I channeled your funds this last financial year. Apart from printing and sundry expenses we expended $28, 250. This consisted of $13,500 to Centacare, $4,000 to Nazareth House, $750 to a family in Crisis and $10,000 to the Catholic Church Bushfire Appeal in Melbourne. I took an unprecedented step in sending $10,000 to the above Bush Fire Appeal set up by Archbishop Hart in Melbourne for the Dioceses affected by the fires in Victoria. As you know we encouraged our Parishioners individually and our schools to contribute to this Appeal. I also thought that it would be good to contribute as a Diocese to it. It would be Diocese to Diocese or family to family. Though the policy of the Communio Charities Fund is primarily to give support within our own Diocese, my advisors agreed that the devastation experienced by our Victorian brothers and sisters warranted an exception to this policy. It was pleasing to see that other Dioceses in Australia also contributed to this Melbourne Bush Fire Appeal from their own Diocesan funds. I also have a follow up regarding the support we gave last year from the Communio funds in time of drought to our Catholic farming families with young children. We thank God with them that most in our area had a good year and some had a very good harvest. I am aware of the fact that one family contributed double the amount that they had received from this fund to this year’s Communio Appeal. How humbling and how inspiring. Though we have various appeals throughout the year you give generous support to our Communio Appeal. It gives me great heart and enables us as a Diocese to do things that we were not able to do before. The Italians say “Mille Grazie” - “a thousand thanks”. My kindest regards and continuing prayers for you in your needs. Yours sincerely JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD BISHOP OF GERALDTON 6th July 2009 CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF GERALDTON As Priests we are blessed to read or rather pray the Psalms each day. The Psalms are inspired prayers in the Old Testament. They are special also because they tap into all sorts of situations, human conditions, experiences and feelings of people.
For people of Faith it is important to know or sense that God is close and that his loving and saving power is with them in the all circumstances of their lives.
As a result the Psalms time and time again recall and speak to God about how in the past he rescued his people.
Psalm 77 is a cry to God in distress. The Psalmist recalls the great Passover event when God freed his people from slavery in Egypt and says “What God is great as our God? You are the God who works wonders. You showed your power among the peoples. Your strong arm redeemed your people”
The Psalmist goes on to say something so beautiful, real and worth pondering about the way God works in our lives and world in verse 19 “Your way led through the sea, your path through the mighty waters and no-one saw your footprints.”
I mention this at Easter time because as Christians we have so much more to recall about the saving work of our God. The Psalms are true for us too and that is why we can and do pray them. We identify with the Passover of God’s people in the Old Testament. Now however because of Jesus, we have His new Passover. We recall His dying and rising and how He passed from one to the other through the saving power of a loving Father.
This touches our lives so profoundly. It’s because of this we know that we too have been able to pass from the death of sin to the full life in God. We know that through all the hardships and difficulties in life God will bring good. We know that this happens even in the bigger things we have to face such as serious illness (ours and our loved ones), deep grief, hurts or disappointments.
Jesus’ death and resurrection has a huge impact on the greatest event we all have to face, namely our death. In Jesus and in His Passover we know that death is not a dead end. We actually, like Jesus and with Jesus, take a purposeful step. We pass from a limited way of living, thinking and being to a fuller, richer and new way of living and being.
Like the people in the Psalms we also need to recall the Passover of Jesus often and what it did for us.
The Jews make another beautiful step in Faith. As they recall God’s saving action years ago they believe that this saving power is still with them and at work in their present lives.
This is also true for us as well, but even more so in our Eucharist. Our Faith is that with each Eucharist we are not merely recalling His Passover but Jesus renews His saving death and resurrection for us here and now. Here and now He shares His saving power with us.
This saving power accompanies us during that day and that week.
This Easter, and throughout life may we continue to recall and experience the saving power of Jesus in all the situations of our lives.
Heart & Mind of the Bishop Over the past months we have heard much said about the economic climate… We have ridden a roller coaster of ups and downs along the financial markets of the world. It has reminded us all how closely linked all the nations of the world are. What happens in America can cause a tsunami across the economic seas to far off nations. With the economic meltdown comes fears of a worldwide recession. We are told to tighten our belts and prepare for the worse that is to come… the economic down turns will put an end to the good times… jobs will be lost. We have had it too good for too long and now we are going to reap what we have sown.. economic mismanagement. Through all this we becgin to see, or are reminded, just how vulnerable our combat zones are. Looking at the downturn, each one of us can gauge just how much our economic comfort contributes to the foundation of our lives and who we are. We can ask how much of the “who I am” as a person will change if I am suddenly forced to live a more frugal life. For some, sadly, it will mean they lose their very source of income. Thrpough our economic highs, we in the Western culture have put God at the back of the picture. Caught up in our happiness we have forgotten our greatest benefactor. Maybe the unfathomable materialism that has higjacked the spirit of Christmas will now become more practical as we rethink the value of our gifts and return to basics. Maybe the downturn will give us greater opportunities to be present to one another, to serve one another and to love one another. We can go even further. So much is being done through finances by countries and governments to being us out of the recession. If we can fo it for one purpose, we can also do it for the poor of the world, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, the leader of the Catholic Church in the Honduras, recently visited the United Nations to speak. He is the President of Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican based organization for Catholic charities in 162 nations. While he was there he learned of the $700 billion dollars that was being used by United States to prop up companies, and he made the following point. “Seven hundred billion! Can you image that money, and only because people are not able to run their corporations in the right way. How come it is always the money of the poor that is lost? How come the money of the rich is always saved? I am not blaming or accusing; just putting the facts on the table! When it comes to alleviating poverty, there are no resources. But when it comes to saving the rich, there are always resources.” As we close off a liturgical year we hear much of the same themes of gloom… the end is nigh…the Lord’s return is imminent! Stay awake! Prepare yourselves! You may have to reap what you have sown, or failed to sow. It all seems very fearful. Just like the talk surrounding our economic doom. In a more positive light, Christ is coming…. We spend the four weeks of Advent preparing for this great event. One day he will come back as he said he would, but for the time being we are recalling his coming. We are pondering the great mystery of God’s beautiful gift to us. We are examining the foundations of our lives and realigning those parts of our lives that have fallen out of step with Christ and His Teachings. We are looking at the reasons ‘why’ Christ came in the first place… for the love of us. True peace and justice can only come by walking the WAY, living the TRUTH, and sharing his LIFE. After the four weeks of Advent, and with our foundations strengthened by our prayerful preparation and meditations of Scripture, we can celebrate more deeply the birth of our Lord into the very centre of our lives on Christmas Day. Then no matter what tragedies befall us, whether acroos the globe or privately, we can tap into the peace that the world cannot give; the peace that only Christ can give and sail confidently amid the turmoil with our eyes fixed on him. In the readings of the 4th Sunday of Advent, we are encouraged by Paul to be happy at all times and to pray constantly.. and his prayer for you is my prayer for you this Christmas. “May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body for the forthcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he WILL NOT fail you.
Bishop Justin Bianchini Bishop of Geraldton December, 2008
I want to send a message to all the Geraldton Diocese about Sunday Celebrations in the absence of a Priest. However before I do, I want to say a few things about Sunday itself – The Lord’s Day.
For centuries and indeed for two millennia we Catholics have been gathering on Sundays and we do it for a variety of reasons.
The main reason is that God calls us to worship Him. He has told us in so many ways “Remember that you and everything you have is my gift. I love you with an everlasting love”. No wonder then we gather to worship, and pray and thank Him, on whom we totally depend.
God also calls us to his table to be fed and nourished. As the king in the Gospel (Mt 22:2-14) called so many people to his wedding feast, God calls us to the banquet of his own Son.
The reason we gather on Sunday, or as we call it the Lord’s Day, is that it is the day of Jesus’ resurrection. There we meet Jesus, our Risen Lord, in one another, in the Priest, in his Word, and in the Eucharist. At the same time we celebrate and rejoice that Jesus is with us each day of the week. He is with us in fact each moment of the day. Jesus our Risen Lord truly lives within us through his Holy Spirit.
When we gather God says such things to us as “You are never alone. In my Son you are one body.” As we come to Mass we are joined to the strong, the weak, the leader, the lonely, the stranger, the joyful and those who are hurting.
As we gather for Mass God reminds us “You are my child and also my family. I love you as a daughter / son and I also love you as a family”.
These are briefly some of the main reasons why we come together on Sundays. When we do celebrate the Eucharist with the Priest though, this is the ultimate. It is ultimate Worship. It is the ultimate banquet. It is the best way of being the Body of Christ and the People of God.
Now while most towns are blessed with the gift of a priest, unfortunately around our Diocese a number of towns cannot celebrate Mass every Sunday. Some celebrate it fortnightly and others have this opportunity only once a month.
Occasionally there are other times too when Mass is not possible - such as when a priest is sick or away for a good reason such as an annual break or an important meeting.
It is not easy nowadays to find a priest for a supply. In a Diocese like Geraldton with the isolation and vast distances it is becoming almost impossible. Recently we have had a priest from Ireland for two months and a priest from Toowoomba in Queensland for two months. Then another priest from Sydney will be coming for a month. The last two are 77 and 80 respectively.
Five of our Priests will be away for two weekends with 90 of our young people and adults for World Youth Day in Sydney in July this year.
When there is no Mass does that mean we don’t come to church? No. It is still important to gather as God’s family and the Body of Christ. We have opportunities nowadays of Sunday Celebrations in the absence of a Priest. While it is not the Mass, Christ is still present in people as they gather, in His Word and in Holy Communion.
In the early days of our Catholic history when there was no Eucharist and no Communion Services, families still gathered to pray, and their faith grew strong.
My sister Dorina, a Josephite Sister, told me that when she was in Margaret River many years ago Mass was only celebrated once a month. Despite this I can certainly vouch for her faith in God and her wonderful love of the Eucharist. She did have the gift of a Convent Chapel and the Blessed Sacrament reserved. With her Sisters she gathered there daily to pray.
Pope John Paul II wrote an Encyclical in July 1998 on “Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy” (Dies Domini). In it he challenged us to make Sunday the “soul” of our week.
In the encyclical the Pope referred directly to the celebration of the Mass, however much of what he said applies also to the “Sunday Celebration of the Word and Communion”. Sunday itself, he reminds us, is a day of rest, joy and worship. Our Risen Lord is with us. The Pope wrote “Time given to Christ is never time lost, but is time gained” (n.7)
Around Australia, especially in rural areas, many people gather where there is no priest on a Sunday for the Celebration of the Word and Communion. The Australian Bishops have made provision for this and have issued a Pastoral Handbook for Australia called “Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest”. In it the principles are outlined on when such a celebration could take place as well as the format for the celebration.
People in our Diocese have been trained to lead such a celebration and others will be trained in the future. Apart from being a responsibility it is also a special privilege to lead these celebrations. With the appropriate training people have the confidence to do that.
To come together each week to celebrate Mass is the call of Jesus, our Lord and God, and the call of our Church. In line with this I echo the same call when there is no priest present, “Come together each weekend to Celebrate the Word and Communion”. When such celebrations take place they begin with these words – “Welcome to this Celebration of the Word with Communion. A priest is not available for us to celebrate the Eucharist today. We are grateful for the gift of the Eucharist that was celebrated here … Saturdays /Sundays ago when bread was consecrated for us today. We hunger for the next Celebration of the Eucharist when we can feast again on God’s Word and Food at this table. In the meantime, we have assembled as the People of God to be nourished by God’s Word and to share Holy Communion”. Here we see the sense of being united with the wider worshipping church. There is also the desire and the longing for the next opportunity to celebrate the Mass.
Please continue to support our Priests and love them as they happily serve you and stretch themselves quite a lot for you, the People of God.
Let us continue to pray regularly that we will have the Priests needed in our Diocese and Church to celebrate the Eucharist and to be good Shepherds for you the People of God. We long and pray also that one day we will have the ideal, namely that each member of our Church and Diocese have the opportunity to celebrate the Mass, the Sacred Eucharist, each week.
Justin Joseph Bianchini Bishop of Geraldton
30th May 2008
Soon we will celebrate again the most important event of the whole year, namely the Paschal Mystery.
In our Priests Retreat early in January we were led by our Director, Fr. John Chalmers, to reflect more deeply on this Mystery and its meaning for our lives.
Fr John began by enlarging our understanding. He helped us see that while the Paschal Mystery was basically the Dying and Rising of Christ – the passing of Christ from Death to Life - it was also much more.
Putting it in terms of days it meant not only the prominent days of Good Friday and Easter Sunday but Holy Saturday as well. It also included the Ascension and the days leading up to the Ascension. As well it encompassed the coming of the Holy Spirit and the days of waiting for that Spirit at Pentecost.
A strong point that our Director wanted to make was that Jesus didn’t pass immediately from Death to Life. There was the waiting time for him, for his mother and for all his followers.
It is the same for us. Things don’t change overnight. While the Cross is there in various forms in our lives, it will in Christ certainly lead to life. There needs to be the patient waiting first. Then when life does come it is not yet full and perfect. Any eventuating life and growth that does come is special in itself and gives joy. It also brings with it the future promise of life without end in Christ.
In the meantime there is more waiting. There are the forty days before Jesus Ascended to his Father in Heaven. This too is a time of waiting.
The waiting, although it calls for much patience, it is not just passive. Encouraged and taught by Jesus’ Ascension what we can do is day by day bring our crosses, our hurts, our limits and frailty (as well as our gifts, joys and hopes) to our God. We can as it were let them Ascend to our God – to God’s loving embrace.
We wait again then as Mary and the Apostles waited. And just as surely as it was for them it is also with us. The Holy Spirit comes to keep drawing life and good from what is happening to us and in us.
I want to add something about the Holy Spirit and the image of the Holy Spirit right at the beginning of the Bible in the first two verses of Chapter one of Genesis. These lines speak of the formless void, the chaos and darkness of initial creation and how the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters.
Our Retreat Director used another word which is pregnant with meaning. He spoke of the Holy Spirit “brooding” over this water and chaos. What a wonderful image! As hens and birds brood over their eggs and bring forth life, so too the Holy Spirit brooding over us and our world will certainly continue to bring forth life and goodness and hope.
So the Paschal Mystery speaks of the power of Jesus and his Cross and Resurrection. It also speaks to us of the power of the brooding Holy Spirit.
As I’ve tried to emphasize the Paschal Mystery also speaks of waiting – both waiting patiently on the Lord as well as with that Lord.
Understanding the Paschal Mystery in this way has been much more complete for me, much more hopeful and hope filled. It is the big picture of Jesus’ saving work. It is a total and wonderful framework for our lives. It has been a help to me since that Retreat and I trust even more into the future.
I send my Easter wishes to one and all. I pray this Eastertide (which is the fifty day period including Pentecost) that Jesus will reveal to us all even more of the meaning of this great Paschal Mystery.
Recently I visited the Stella Maris Centre in Fremantle W.A. and with the help of the Chaplain Deacon Patrick Moore updated myself with the work of the Apostleship of the Sea there. While we were chatting we both focused on a large picture in the Centre of a seafarer at the steering wheel of a sailing ship with Jesus behind and around him with his hands also on the wheel. There was a storm at sea and waters lashed over the ship. Patrick said “The Seafarers really like that picture”. I can see how they would resonate with it. It portrays the dangers of the sea and at the same time the strong and comforting presence of Christ with them. This Faith (and our Faith in any time of danger or difficulty) is well founded because of Christmas – the Incarnation. The Incarnation, God’s son taking flesh, means many things. It means that the Son of God took a human nature. God’s Son became a human being. This in itself is so extraordinary that for many people it is unbelievable. Incarnation also means that God the Son in a new way became part of human nature – every human being. Jesus Christ is truly a brother to each of us. He identifies with everyone. Furthermore when the Creator became a creature for us in the person of Jesus it meant that God’s Son became part of our world in a new way. While nothing had its being but through Him, in the Incarnation God’s Son entered into a new relationship with the whole of creation. In fact what does all this simply mean? It means that Jesus Christ is intimately connected to us and to all of creation. Jesus is deeply within each one of us as well as around us every moment of every day. What a wonderful truth and belief! Someone who had a strong Faith in Jesus Christ both within and around him was St Patrick. We still have the beautiful prayer that he prayed of St Patrick’s Breast-plate…. “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.” This is true for everyone in the “good and bad” times of life. It applies also to those who serve them in the A.O.S. as well as to every human being in the vicissitudes of life. This Christmas let us ask Jesus for a deeper Faith in his Incarnate presence within me and all around me. We ask Jesus in other words to build on the faith that he has already planted there. I wish a very happy Christmas to all readers and families and people of good will. My prayer for you is that the Faith we have in this wonderful reality, or rather in this wonderful person of Jesus, will give us in all situations of our life the courage and calm that it gave St Patrick.
SPE SALVI, THE POPE'S ENCYCLICAL ON CHRISTIAN HOPE VATICAN CITY, NOV 30, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI's second Encyclical, "Spe Salvi" which is dedicated to the theme of Christian hope, was published today. The document - which has an introduction and eight chapters - begins with a quote from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans: "spe salvi facti sumus" (in hope we are saved). The chapter titles are as follows: "1. Faith is Hope; 2. The concept of faith-based hope in the New Testament and the early Church; 3. Eternal life - what is it?; 4. Is Christian hope individualistic?; 5. The transformation of Christian faith-hope in the modern age; 6. The true shape of Christian hope; 7. 'Settings' for learning and practicing hope: i) Prayer as a school of hope, ii) Action and suffering as settings for learning hope, iii) Judgement as a setting for learning and practicing hope; 8. Mary, Star of Hope." The Holy Father explains in his Introduction that "according to the Christian faith, 'redemption' - salvation - is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey." Hence, "a distinguishing mark of Christians" is "the fact that they have a future: ... they know ... that their life will not end in emptiness. ... The Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known - it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life." "To come to know God - the true God - means to receive hope." This was well understood by the early Christians, such as the Ephesians who before encountering Christ had many gods but "were without hope." The problem faced by Christians of long standing, the Holy Father says, is that they "have grown accustomed to, ... have almost ceased to notice that we possess the hope that ensues from a real encounter with this God." The Pope recalls that Jesus "did not bring a message of social revolution" like Spartacus, and that "he was not engaged in a fight for political liberation like Barabbas of Bar-Kochba." He brought "something totally different: ... an encounter with the living God, ... an encounter with a hope stronger than the sufferings of slavery, a hope which therefore transformed life and the world from within, ... even if external structures remained unaltered." Christ makes us truly free. "We are not slaves of the universe" or of "the laws of matter and of evolution." We are free because "heaven is not empty," because the Lord of the universe is God "Who in Jesus has revealed Himself as Love." Christ is the "true philosopher" Who "tells us who man truly is and what a man must do in order to be truly human." He shows us "the way beyond death; only someone able to do this is a true teacher of life." He offers us a hope that is, at one and the same time, expectation and presence because "the fact that this future exists changes the present." The Pope remarks that "perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive. ... The present-day crisis of faith," he continues, "is essentially a crisis of Christian hope. ... The restoration of the lost Paradise is no longer expected from faith," but from technical and scientific progress whence, it its believed, the "kingdom of man" will emerge. Hope thus becomes "faith in progress" founded on two pillars: reason and freedom which "seem to guarantee by themselves, by virtue of their intrinsic goodness, a new and perfect human community." The Pope mentions "two essential stages in the political realization of this hope:" the French and the Marxist Revolutions. Faced with the French Revolution, "the Europe of the Enlightenment ... had cause to reflect anew on reason and freedom," while the proletarian revolution left behind "a trail of appalling destruction." Marx's fundamental error was that "he forgot man and he forgot man's freedom. ... He thought that once the economy had been put right, everything would automatically be put right. His real error is materialism. ... Let us put it very simply: man needs God, otherwise he remains without hope. ... Man can never be redeemed simply" by an external structure, "man is redeemed by love," an unconditional, absolute love: "Man's great, true hope which holds firm in spite of all disappointments can only be God - God Who has loved us and continues to love us to the end." The Pope then identifies four "settings" for learning and practicing hope. The first of these is prayer. "When no one listens to me any more, God still listens to me. ... When there is no longer anyone to help me, ... He can help me." Alongside prayer is action: "Hope in a Christian sense is always hope for others as well. It is an active hope, in which we struggle ... towards a brighter and more humane world." Yet only if I know that "my own life and history in general ... are held firm by the indestructible power of Love" can "I always continue to hope." Suffering is another of the "settings" for learning hope. "Certainly we must do whatever we can to reduce suffering," however "it is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, Who suffered with infinite love." Another fundamental aspect is to suffer with others and for others. "A society unable to accept its suffering members ... is a cruel and inhuman society," he writes.
Finally, another setting for learning hope is the Judgement of God.
"There is a resurrection of the flesh. There is justice. There is an
'undoing' of past suffering, a reparation that sets things aright." The
Pope writes of his conviction "that the question of justice constitutes
the essential argument, or in any case the strongest argument, in favor
of faith in eternal life." It is, indeed, impossible "that the injustice
of history should be the final word. ... God is justice and creates
justice. ... And in His justice there is also grace. ... Grace does not
cancel out justice. ... Evildoers, in the end, do not sit at table at
the eternal banquet beside their victims without distinction, as though
nothing had happened."
The call and responsibility to witness to the Love of God is for everyone in the church. Each of us through baptism and confirmation have received the love of God through the outpouring of the Holy spirit. In line with the nature of God who constantly reaches out, we also individually are called to share the love we receive. I want to make a few comments on the call we have as a Church, as an Organisation to witness to love. Pope Benedict in his only encyclical so far "Deus Caritas Est" has written so inspiringly of love. He said that love is at the heart of the Church. If justice is so important and needed in our world, so also is love. It is the role of the Church to offer needy people the service of love. It is easy to see that "Caritas" is a work of the Church. It is an organisation which is under the direction of the Bishops of Australia. The money gathered is spent on development as well as emergency relief in various poorer countries of the world. Likewise, the 'Vincent de Paul' Society whose special concern is service to the poor is clearly seen as a work of our Church. It is run by Catholic groups and supported by our Church members. It offers help to anyone, irrespective of race or creed. This too is very Christian and Catholic. Sometime, for some people, it is not easy to recognise "Centacare' as being Catholic. Some feel that because a great deal of money comes from the Government in the running of it that it is more like a government agency than a catholic orgnisation. I can assure everybody that our Centacare is truly an organisation of our diocese. Archbishop Hickey, then the Bishop of Geraldton, began it and I have encouraged its development over my time as Bishop. Sr. Mary Ryan, Director for over ten years, not only operates it as a diocesan organisation, but clearly promotes it as an arm of the Church in the area of caring services. Those employed by Centacare must be supportive of the Catholic ethos and understand that it is an agency of the Catholic Church. The Mission Statement explicitly states; "As a Catholic Agency we promote professional assistance in a manner which promotes human dignity and enhances growth and development". While Centacare, like our Catholic schools, receive much government funding, it cannot survive on this alone. Centacare depends on contributions from the Diocese, especially 'Communio' and other fundraising sources. These funds are needed for staff to provide services to the unemployed and those requiring emergency money for food, for baby requirements, for their Christmas lunch and other small projects for which they have no funds and no other services in Geraldton. In his encyclical, Pope Benedict writes in section 31 about the distinctive qualities of a catholic organisation.
A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak". Our Centacare, as well as Vincent de Paul and Caritas fulfil these criteria. Furthermore, Pope Benedict in section 28 state this about love: 'This love does not simply offer people material help, but refreshment and care for their souls, something which often is even more necessary than material support". Centacare through its various counselling and caring services offer this care of souls as well. I conclude with an appeal for prayer. Pope Benedict reminds us of the need for it in section 37. It is important that all those involved in Catholic organisations pray about the special work they do. Let us who support them pray for God's blessing on their special mission. All our Catholic organisations are the work of God and "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it". Psalm 127:1 Bishop Justin Joseph Bianchini, DD Bishop of Geraldton
At the end of July, we held a Cross Cultural conference in the diocese. Those who participated were our Priests, Religious sisters working either in parishes or at diocesan level, as well as Lay leaders from such places as Nazareth House, St. John of God Hospital and some of our schools. What triggered the Conference was the changing face of the Church and society in Australia and our Diocese. The Priests and Religious first appointed, like the early settlers in the region, genertally came from Ireland and some from England. In more recent times, following the pattern of change within the Australian population, some of the men and women appointed to meet the needs of this vast Diocese have come from diverse cultural backgrounds. At present we have Priests from the countries of Poland, Philippines, Tanzania and Nigeria. We have seminarians from Vietnam. Apart from a warm welcome, such priests need a good programme of orientation, inculturation, and ongoing support to help them make the big cultural adjustments. The welcoming group needs also to be prepared to understand and to work with the cultural background of these priests. I am grateful to the steering committee from the conference who volunteered to carry forward the important recommendations of the whole group. We shared and learned much at the Conference. One thing that struck me was how important it is for each of usAustralians and other local people - i.e. all members of the diocesan community - to know and to respect our own cultural background. This is necessary in order to respect the dignity and culture of the newcomers. The culture of each group has both positives and negatives. When this is understood, it will help us see the positives as well as the negatives of other groups and individuals. I went from our Cross cultural conference to a meeting of some 80 Oceania Bishops in Fiji. For some time now Bishops from Papua and New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia have been meeting every four years. A special time was when we met in Rome in 1998 for our Oceania Synod and Pope John Paul II wrote his document "Ecclesia in Oceania" (The Church in Oceania) from the input, discussions and outcomes of the Synod. Our Oceania gatherings are times to meet one another, share pastoral experiences and discuss how the Church is going in this vast area. There is the opportunity to offer moral support and, sometimes, practical support to each other. While some of the Pacific Islands are so different we face similar challenges in spreading the Gospel and helping people come to know and love the person of Jesus Christ. In the Oceania Conference there are indigenous Bishops as well as Bishops from many parts of the world. It is a special experience of how we, though different, share so much in common and are one in Faith and in the Body of Christ. As in Rabaul four years ago we had special experiences of the local people and cultures. We visited parishes for the Eucharist and a social celebration. There was local food, entertainment and, of course, the famous "Kava"! The faith of the local people and they way they celebrate it joyfully was an inspiration for all of us. At times like this I realise the truth of the saying "None of us has it altogether, but together we've got it all". As I write this, I am travelling around the Pilbara on my six weeks visitation/confirmation round. This always helps me to be aware of the many cultures in our diocese. I have been told that in Port and South Hedland there are some seventy different cultural backgrounds. On this visit to Karratha I met new migrants and workers especially from the Philippines and India. There were families, young married couples and singles. As they come for work and a better future, they enrich our Church with their faith and our Country. When you think of it, apart from the Aboriginal People, the traditional owners of this land, we are all migrants. It behoves us to welcome the newly arrived. In getting to know them, we can easily see how they truly are a gift to our church and wider society. Our common Faith and relationship with Jesus in our Church unites us all across cultural differences. If any group can live as a multi-cultural society, it is Roman Catholics. Our common Faith, some shared knowledge and understanding of each other as well as good will, are the ingredients necessary to make it happen. Justin Joseph Bianchini DD Bishop of Geraldton September 2006
Recently we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I have been thinking, recently, on how Christmas has an extended period in the Church’s year. We prepared for it the whole of Advent. We continue to drink it in for a couple of weeks, because on New Year’s Day, we celebrate the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and later still, the Epiphany. It is the same with Jesus’ death and resurrection. We spend the whole of Lent preparing for these central events in Jesus’ life for us. We have some forty days to absorb a little more of the reality of the resurrection. While we have a short ten days from the Ascension to prepare for Pentecost, this great event and feast seems to come and go. In the Liturgical Year we are back immediately into Ordinary Time. And yet, is Pentecost just one day in the year or a flash in the pan? It certainly is not. God’s Son came and lived among us in the person of Jesus. In turn, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live within us. This is not just for a day, or for any day, but, in fact, for every day in the whole year. Pentecost may be a once off event, but the Holy Spirit, who come to dwell within us, affects us each day for the rest of our lives. One of the privileges of being a Bishop is sharing the Holy Spirit with so many, especially our young people, each year. It helps me to think more about the Holy Spirit and pray to the Holy Spirit daily. This privileged gift of the Holy Spirit is what we all share. It is within our power to be aware of God’s Spirit living within us all the time and to turn in prayer to that Spirit. In our recent Pentecost Sunday gospel, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be His witness and that we, in turn, would also be His witnesses. In simple terms, Jesus was saying - " the Holy Spirit willl tell you of Me... the Holy Spirit will make Me more real to you.... just as I have shared with you the love and power of God, now the Holy Spirit will share with you that love and power". We do well to tune into the Holy Spirit ever present within us. The Holy Spirit shares with us also many gifts and those special fruits of ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self control" (Gal. 5: 22-23) While I am enriched, personally, by the Holy Spirit’s gifts, I am also called by Jesus to be outward going and be His witness. I don’t have to speak in tongues, as the Apostles did; or go to various countries, as they did; or be a martyr, as they were. One very important way of witnessing to Jesus is by sharing the fruits of the Holy Spirit and living those fruits. Living as a person of love, joy, peace, etc., is not something dramatic and won’t make the headlines. It can be done, though, and is something very powerful. The more people who do so, and the bigger number of people who do so, the more powerful the effect it will have on others. When it is continuous and constant, it is very powerful and can help change the world. We can tap into the Holy Spirit every day in our own way. We can use a prayer inspired by the Confirmation ceremony - "Holy Spirit, be my help and guide". The Holy Spirit will slowly but surely transform us and work in us to transform the world around us. This transformation is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s witnessing and our witnessing. Justin Joseph Bianchini DD Bishop of Geraldton
The Extraordinary of the Ordinary "Religion" is a much discussed subject in recent times - frequently for all the wrong reasons. The result is division and hate amongst people to the neglect of the good constantly being achieved in its name. I would like to single out the World Day of Youth, the Holy Father's Encyclical on "God is Love" as more recent events reflecting the ever present benefits being achieved by Families and Individuals throughout the world in the name of God. They all bear witness to how much the ordinary is quite extraordinary. Pope Benedict XV1, in the short time that he has exercised Supreme Authority, has already impressed with his quiet diplomacy and down to earth contact with people, particularly the youth. Constantly drawing on the example of earlier witnesses of the Faith. he continues to remind people of their Christian heritage. Two such witnesses come readily to mind - Mother Teresa of Calcutta, recently declared Blessed, and St. Therese of Lizieux. They both bear witness to how much the ordinary is quiet extraordinary. Mother Teresa started in a very simple way gathering some Sisters around her to care for the poor, the sick, especially the dying. She and her sisters could offer most of these people no hope of extra life. She offered them the greatest gift of all, namely, the gift of love and compassion. The ordinary gift of love made a powerful impact on the people themselves, on the country of India and on the world at large. She certainly brought them the love of Christ and at the same time saw Christ in each sick, poor and dying person. How truly she lived the gospel. Henri Nouwen put it in these words -"When the Christ in me needs the Christ in you, the ground between us is holy ground". St. Therese didn’t do anything extraordinary but tried to do the many ordinary things of life extraordinarily. Like Mother Teresa, what enriched those ordinary actions was the love she put into them. She offered her life to God with great love. She offered her life lovingly also for the Church. The Church in australia recognised the value of her ordinary life by making her one of australia’s Patron Saints. Although St. Therese died at the age of 24 without stepping outside of Carmel, the Church affirmed the profound effect of her ordinary life well beyond the walls of the Monastery. Family Life also highlights the value of the ordinary. It is generally in ordinary ways that members of families love one another. Mostly, families live out their lives doing ordinary things, yet families have a powerful influence on one another and on the development and qualities of the children. In one of their frequent exhortations for stronger family ties, the Australian Bishops challenged all families to make the most of the family meal. The power for the good of the family meal, especially on the children, can never be over-estimated. The family meal is a special time to bond together, to listen to one another and brief though it may be, to pray together. What has given this value-added quality to Mother Teresa, St. Therese and to families? No action of any Christian, however simple and small, can ever be ordinary now, because it is done for Christ. No person can be ordinary having been created in God’s image and identified with and united to Jesus. It is Jesus Christ who gives added value to the Saints and to every person and action we perform.
|
|
Over the past twelve years, a momentous project has been progressing here in Geraldton with the amalgamation of our two Catholic Colleges - Stella Maris College conducted by the Presentation Sisters and St. Patrick's College, served by the Christian Brothers. Both Colleges had histories of strong traditions. Stella Maris was the college founded by the Presentation Sisters who came to Geraldton well over one hundred years ago. Its motto was "Pro Deo Et Patria" - For God and Country. The Christian Brothers have been in Geraldton for over eighty years. They founded St. Patrick's College and its motto was "Certa Certamen Bonum" - Fight the Good Fight" (2 Tim. 4:7) Both traditions have been combined in Nagle Catholic College. I am very happy that boarding facilities are still available for over 100 students from near and distant towns, farms and pastoral stations. The motto of the College is "For Others". This motto is quite a simple but deep one. It is most Christ like since Jesus was and is a Person for others. The generous love and kindness of our God in Jesus is the inspiration and source of our being for others in whatever walk of life we are. This motto came from the writings of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ. In the latter part of the 20th century, he became the Superior General, or World Leader, of the Jesuits. He was highly regarded by them and others who knew him. Nagle College is in its twelfth year and in that time has witnessed a substantial growth with many new facilities constructed in that time. At a blessing ceremony of these buildings, I quoted a passage from the writings of Pedro Arrupe. It is about finding God and falling in love with God. It is something very practical and profound. To highlight this I quote it in block form below:- |
|
I have been reflecting and praying recently on some words of St. Francis de Sales. Francis was Bishop of Geneva, 400 years ago, for some twenty years. He could speak to all people - lay people as well as religious and priests. The book he wrote "Introduction to the Devout Life" has words of wisdom for all. He writes about anxiety and worry. He says how important it is (while being careful and conscientious oneself) to let God do His part. In the diocese my cares, concerns and sometimes worries and anxieties centre on personnel, practice of the faith and finance. Recently I made a quick trip over a week around the diocese with Fr. Morrissey and Mrs. Gwen Voigt. It was mainly to look at financial matters and some of our buildings. It was, as it were, a quick swoop of the diocese. While going for a couple of main things, other things emerged. You can't travel this diocese without meeting people. What came to the fore again in this short time were the dedicated personnel we have in our diocese who are priests, laity and religious. We caught up, also, with our two Redemptorist missioners, Fr. John Martin and David Hore. I saw again much ministering and committed giving to our young people and parishioners. This is being done in a generous and life-giving was. In other words, I saw various people at work. It was obvious, though, that God was also at work through doing His part. The practice of our Faith is also a concern to me. The numbers of people who regularly celebrate the Eucharist on the week-end have decreased over the years. Looking at this from another angle, it never ceases to amaze me that the ones who do practice their faith are doing so, as it were "against the tide". They still do so with great conviction. In these times, people are still being attracted to the Church. They are still being influenced by others who live their faith. And in this, I see God at work again. As we lay people, religious, priests and bishop continue to deepen our relationship with God and live our own faith, God will use that to keep influencing others. Finances in our diocese at various times cause me more or less concern. Generally we manage. This is due to the generosity of our local people and of the wider Church of Australia. When there is a particular need beyond our resources, support can generally be found from elsewhere. I see this as God saying "I will provide the Diocese with what it needs to do the work I want it to do". Recently, I celebrated my 13th anniversary as a Bishop. I celebrated Mass in St. Cecilia's Church, Port Hedland, Present at the Mass with Fr. Des Reid, PP., were some parishioners as well as a few school staff including some of the children. It was a very different celebration from thirteen years previously in St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral. It was, however, very special. It brought home to me in a real way that I am a Bishop for the whole of this vast Dicoese of Geraldton. I do pray daily for all of us in this Diocese; however, this simple Mass gave me a physical sense of praying for the people from the north to the south. That day and celebration of the Mass in St. Cecilia's was a time to recommit myself with all the wonderful laity, religious, and priests of the Diocese to to my part. It was also a time for me to renew my trust that God is working for us all and will do His part. Justin Joseph Bianchini Bishop of Geraldton.
|
| Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Visitors returning to Geraldton after an absence of two or three years all make the same comment - "Geraldton is on the Move". They point to the foreshore development, new housing estates, the re-routing of the train line and so on. And the Church, too, is part of this transformation with the extensions at Nazareth House, amalgamation of St. Patrick's and Stella Maris, and the newly approved facilities for Centacare. This growth and development, like the current good season, bring life to the area and, more importantly, to our people. More employment for our people is assured; this brings peace and security to individuals and families. People are able to remain in an area that they like and not be forced to look elsewhere to live. There are some more opportunities now, and families stay together. All this is just so good. It is easy to see it as the goodness of God at work in our local community. For all these things we thank God. As I reflect on this, I also turn my attention to our Church and the Diocese of Geraldton that we belong to. I wonder -"is our Church on the move or not?" The answer to this question is a complex one. We see many good things happening and many things now developing. Among all the many good things happening, there are many that we will never know. However, the more we look, the more we see. In turn we will be led to rejoice in good things. What are the good things you notice in our Church? In other words, where is God at work in our Church and beyond? The more we do this, the more our Faith and Hope in God will grow, so that we can face the next question with confidence - "how can things be better? How can we as a Church keep on the move?" Things will improve when we look to ourselves and the Holy Spirit. As in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us -"don't worry about what others are doing or not doing. It is important that you follow me'. In other words, things will improve in the Church and society when we develop our relationship with Jesus, our God and Friend and live out that relationship well. It is crucial that we rely on the great gift of the Holy Spirit within us. In the Eucharistic Prayer #3 we pray -"all holiness comes from You through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit". We need, constantly, to deepen our understanding and the awareness of the power and love and life of the Holy Spirit within us. This Holy Spirit has given us the gifts we need to change ourselves and make things better. The Church has moved, and will keep on moving, only by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is easy to see the woes in the Church and society these days and be weighed down by them all. When something is wrong or lacking, instead of feeling heavy and sad, I am beginning to see this as a call from the Holy Spirit to action with and in, of course, the same Holy Spirit. I pray that I and all of us will become more aware of the presence and the power of God's spirit within us, and that we will regularly call on that power. Bishop Justin Bianchini |
|
|
|
The greater part of my time as Bishop is shared with people - my pastoral family- priests, religious and parishioners-, family gatherings, catching up with friends and, at times, in contact with total strangers. There are joyful times and there are sad moments. Reflecting on all of these events and praying about them, one thing that comes through most of all is that Jesus is present in all these happenings. In the happy times, Christ was there in the very real way, showing the goodness and closeness of God In the sad times, Jesus, at first glance, could have seemed to be absent. Here also there were real signs that He was close, loving and offering the strength of His unfailing support. Jesus' name means Saviour. He saves us in so many ways. Sometimes He saves us from things. At other times it is in and through the very things that we continue to experience that He saves us. For example, Jesus saves us from sin, whether it be personal or collective. He saves us from such things as fear, anxiety, anger and resentment which cripple us and impede us from being free to serve God better and love each other more truly. He certainly saves us from death. While it comes to us all, it certainly is not the last word. It is conquered by Jesus death and resurrection. Some things don't change though, for example, illness, disability, broken relationships and grief to name a few. Where can Jesus save us here? While He may not save us from these things, He is able to save us in and through what is happening. In these situations, He is with us and truly offers us His peace and courage. Above all, He shares His wonderful spirit who, in turn, gives an inner strength and freedom to people who may be in what we call 'impossible' situations. Yes, as we read in the letter to the Hebrews, "Jesus power to save is utterly certain". Jesus' life was one of joys, sorrows and triumphs. His mother Mary shared very closely in these times. When we go through such times in our lives, Jesus is with us and shares our joys, sorrows and triumphs. I believe it is important to reflect on the joyful, sad and glorious times of Jesus' life and to become more familiar with him and these occasions. Jesus and each aspect of His life has much to say to all of us at stages and in each circumstance of our lives. Each Liturgical Year the Church helps us reflect on and experience the joyful, sorrowful and glorious aspects of our Saviour's life. It is important for us to do this also in our own quiet time. Some use the rosary through out the year to do it. As we reflect on and pray about Jesus life in the course of the year, Jesus speaks to us and gives us more meaning to the joyful, sad and special times we, others and our world experiences. Bishop Justin Bianchini
|
|
At the insistence of the webmaster, I wish to open up to you my thoughts and different aspects of our shared faith. This short reflection seeks to focus on, reflect on, pray about and deepen our appreciation of our wonderful God who thought so much of us to take our flesh and dwell among us. Only Christianity has an enfleshed God – a God who made the move, emptied Himself to become one of us and one with us. No other religion has this truth. All Religions have belief in a Supreme Being, but none have this unbelievable reality of our Supreme God taking flesh. In the early centuries even strong Christians found this hard to believe. Some said Jesus was a true man alright, but only a man, and because he was such a good man was elevated to a higher status as a special “Son of God”. Others believed that it was unthinkable for God to become truly man also. They said that God’s Son took on a human appearance in Jesus but wasn’t really human. Such people were in heresy, and I wonder how many people there are like this nowadays. Some would think of Jesus more as a man and neglect the Godhead in him. Others concentrate more on the Godhead without believing how this God really mixed it with us and every aspect of our messy and broken world. It is very hard to hold in balance and harmony both the Transcendental God (the God infinitely above us) and the Incarnate God (the God truly one with us). We have all this in Jesus, and it is to Jesus we must go at this time and ask his help to understand it a little better. The next step we need to take is to see how Jesus takes flesh in my life. He is very close to me and part of my life and everything that happens. We take a step further. We can stand in amazement at how Jesus identifies himself with each human being. He takes flesh in each person especially the least – the poor, unemployed, homeless, hungry, dispossessed, despised, refugees, outcast, imprisoned, sick, suffering, needy etc. Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta inspired and influenced many in her lifetime, and from her place in heaven, continues to be a shining light for us all. It is said of her (who with her Sisters, spent and hour in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament each evening) that when she looked at the Blessed Sacrament, she saw the poor. When she tended to the poor and dying she saw Jesus. |
|
Since, as the Vatican Council said, "the liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the source from which all its power flows", I am very keen that in our diocese we have ongoing liturgy education and formation. Sometime ago we had liturgy seminars for the whole diocese on two weekends. Recently, Sr Elizabeth Murray sgs, has returned to further our understanding and appreciation of the Liturgy. She began in Geraldton itself with the formation of liturgical ministers. At this stage she is in the eastern part of the diocese visiting our small country towns, helping them to grow in appreciation of the value of gathering on Sundays. The Eucharist is certainly the centre of our lives as Catholics. It is the centre of our spiritual lives. In other words I believe our basic spirituality needs to be Eucharistic or centred on the Eucharist. Because of this, in future Sowers, I would like to write briefly on various aspects of the Eucharist relating to our lives. This reflection is about Eucharist and Thanksgiving. I want to begin these reflections with thanksgiving, because Eucharist itself means thanksgiving. Thanksgiving also is such an important quality in people’s lives. When we gather on Sundays for Mass, the main reason we do so is to worship God, praise God, say, "how wonderful you are God"; give thanks to God. We come for many reasons, but to come and do something for God, or to honour God is the most important reason. All this presupposes that we have grateful hearts. In other words it presupposes that we are aware of God’s unending goodness, lavish love and glorious power, and untiring compassion shown to us and our whole world each day. By saying thanks we acknowledge all this. We know our "thank you", is so limited. We know though, that when we come to the Eucharist, we come to God through Jesus and so can offer fitting praise and thanks to our wonderful God. In Jesus, and in the Mass, our thanks is perfect. It is summed up so beautifully in what we call the Doxology, "Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours Almighty Father, forever and ever." Our response "Amen" is so short, but is full of meaning. It means, "Yes, we want all that". Each Eucharist celebration fosters gratitude in our hearts. The Mass is peppered with words of gratitude and praise. "Glory to God in the highest", "Thanks be to God", "Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ", "Blessed are you Lord God of all creation", "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God", "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts", "The Doxology", "Hallowed be thy name", The Eucharistic Prayer, introduced by the preface of course, is a total prayer of praise and thanks. To be truly a Eucharistic people means that not only do we praise and thank God through Jesus at Mass, but also that our lives during the week are filled with gratitude. It means that we use them as our prayers. It means that, "our work bench, office, kitchen etc., are altars where we offer love". It means everything that we do during the week, viz our living, loving, time with our family and friends, rest and recreation etc., all give glory to God. St Paul said "whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do at all, do it for the glory of God". 1 Cor. 10:31 A good number of years ago a lecturer once described a Christian as "someone who goes through life thanking God". I invite you to join with me in reflecting on how we give thanks to God both at Mass and in our lives during the week. JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD BISHOP OF GERALDTON August 2001
|
|
|
Preparation for WYD in Cologne
These thoughts I write before leaving for the WYD
Pilgrimage on August 4th. .gif)
Our eight young people from the Diocese and myself, are joining the Salvatorian Father’s group from Perth, Bunbury, Broken Bay, Sydney Diocese. The Geraldton group are Francis Jadzinski, Priscilla Jadzinski, Nathan Danker (South Hedland); Simon Wilkinson (Karratha); Stella De Gouveia Ryan Atherton (Carnarvon); Jason Morrissey (Tardun) and Hoanh Hoang (Geraldton). One thing that has really impressed me about this pilgrimage is the fact that we have all received materials to prepare. The most important materials were the prayer and reflections over a period of ten days.
It was made clear that this was much more than a trip, tour or a holiday. It is all that, but very much a spiritual journey – a Pilgrimage. Hence the prayer material we received.
The theme of the WYD pilgrimage is “We have come to adore the Lord”. They are the words of the three wise men in search of the Infant Jesus. Tradition has it that the relics of these men are in the Cologne cathedral. Fact or symbol; it doesn’t matter. We are all on a pilgrimage to Cologne from countries all over the world. We all have the one purpose, namely, to find Jesus and worship him.
The first three reflections were on the WYD logo. The cross is a powerful symbol of Jesus who loved us to the limit, and whom we want to come to know and love more. The cross is part and parcel of his life and it is likewise of ours. He is always with us though in any and every difficult time.
The star led the wise men to Jesus in Bethlehem. It is the symbol of the guidance of God. In many ways in life, God guides us and points us in the direction of Jesus. We need to be alert to those guiding signs.
The two spires represent the graceful spires of the Cologne cathedral. Our meditation here focused on the church. The people of God are the living Church. The building is only important insofar as it houses the Lord and his People. We were called to reflect on what the Church means to us and how we belong to it.
The other meditations were the Emmaus Story (Lk Ch 24). Jesus walked and talked with the two disciples, and yet they failed to recognise him. They were sad, downcast and heavy with worry. How true it is that Jesus is our constant Companion on our journey of life and we fail to recognise him.
This meditation opened us up to look for the many ways Jesus is with us. Apart from his abiding presence within us through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to us in the people around us. Those who work with us, talk to us, help us or who are helped by us are all Christ. He comes to us in them. I am sure that now we will be more aware of Jesus and in all those forty eight with whom we travel on this pilgrimage.
These prayer times were a help to me to remember that I am never alone. Each day in whatever I do, whether it be office work, meeting people, visitation of the parishes, meetings etc, I have a silent companion. We all do. Jesus is always within us. He keeps surprising us by also coming to us in the many good people he puts around us.
Another beautiful truth from this gospel was brought home to me through these meditations. The two disciples invited Jesus in and he immediately accepted. We were reminded that this is all we have to do – invite Jesus into our lives. He always says “Yes, certainly!” People around us quite often say that they haven’t got time for us. They have many things to do. This is never the case with Jesus.
When Jesus blessed and broke the bread and gave it to them, they recognised him. We recognise Jesus and believe that he is with us in the “Breaking of the Bread”, the Eucharist. Along our pilgrimage we will be celebrating the Eucharist in special places – St Peter’s in Rome, Assisi, Padua, Prague, Czestochowa and of course Cologne with our Pope Benedict.
The eight young pilgrims from our diocese are a constant reminder of you, my whole diocesan family. You were prayed for in all these special places and each day of our pilgrimage. One of my prayers is that we will all come to find Jesus more and share him more with others.
JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD
BISHOP OF GERALDTON
Occasionally in this column I have written on some aspects of the Eucharist. There is so much we can say and reflect about on this rich gift that we have in our Catholic Church. Some time ago I received a letter of appreciation about one of these articles. The person asked if I could one day write something on the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
As a result I would like now to write briefly on the Eucharist as Presence.
In the Mass and later in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle, Jesus is truly present. St Thomas Aquinas (whose feast day we celebrate on the 28th January) teaches us that under the form of bread and wine Jesus is truly present with us in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
In other words, Jesus who is both fully God and fully human is truly present in the Eucharistic species.
What an unspeakable gift! The same Jesus, born in Bethlehem and who walked the breadth and length of Galilee doing a power of good and bringing the good news that our loving God was close to us, is with us now by his presence in the Eucharist.
When I was a child it seemed as if the only real presence of Jesus with us was in the Eucharist species. It was not taught but the impression was given.
Then along came Vatican II and reminded us that even in the Eucharist Celebration of the Mass, Jesus is truly present in other ways.
I would like to quote briefly from the Vatican document on the Sacred Liturgy in section 7.
"Jesus is present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his minister,…but especially in the Eucharistic species. He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Lastly, he is present when the Church prays and sings……"
So the Vatican Council, while affirming the presence of Jesus especially in the Eucharistic species has also very importantly reminded us that it is the same Jesus who is present in the Priest, the People and the Word. In other words Jesus is really present in these different ways.
So too, we know that Jesus is truly present with us in daily life through His Spirit in us and others. His risen presence is in all the good people around us and in our world. Jesus is present to us in the events of life. At any moment of any given day Jesus our risen Lord is with us – truly present to us.
The more sensitive we are to one of these ways that Jesus is present and with us, the more I believe we will be to all the rich and many ways he is there, including and especially the powerful Eucharist.
Regarding the generous gift of himself to us in all these ways, let us tell Jesus often "we believe, help our unbelief".
Let us also stop and ponder, like Mary, all these things in our hearts.
One comforting conclusion we all come to is "don’t we all matter to our gracious God?"
JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD
BISHOP OF GERALDTON
The Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit
For more than a year those involved in World Youth Day 2008 have been using the catchy buzz word Activ8. It refers to verse 8 from chapter one in the Acts of the Apostles.
‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.’(Acts 1:8)
Our young people, organisers of WYD08 and many others I am sure have been reflecting on this very special verse. Since we are in the Season of Pentecost it is well that we give some time to reflect on the meaning of this special verse.
Presence of the Holy Spirit
While we truly believe in the Holy Spirit and know that Spirit lives within us it is important from time to time to let the implications of this truth sink in. When Jesus ascended to heaven it was not an abandonment of his people. He did it so that he would continue to be present to them in a new way – through the Holy Spirit. It brought about a new and deeper kind of presence.
When Jesus was sent by God into this world, his visible presence within the world was temporary.
The Holy Spirit is sent by God into this world to be with us, within us, at our side, on our side. That’s what “Advocate / Paraclete” means. The Spirit does not become incarnate but truly dwells within us. And his presence is not temporary. It lasts forever.
The presence of the Spirit is not a second-rate presence either. It is the presence of God. It is a real presence.
Power to witness
I like to think of witnessing to Jesus as pointing others to him as John the Baptist did.
There are many ways of doing this. Having the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I believe, are very practical and special ways of witnessing to Christ.
When I show others, the love, joy and peace of God I witness to Christ.
When a person exercises patience, kindness and self-control, that person witnesses to Christ.
When people show goodness, trustfulness and gentleness they witness to Christ.
When you display courage and wisdom and make good choices you witness to Christ.
When knowledge is shared and others are helped to understand, this is witnessing to Christ.
Every display of reverence for God and others and a sense of wonder and awe is witnessing to Christ.
These fruits and gifts are not only given to us by the Holy Spirit but also the ability to live them comes from him. In other words the power to use these fruits and gifts comes from the Holy Spirit.
Let us then activate the Holy Spirit more by thanking the Holy Spirit for being present within us, asking the Holy Spirit to use well the fruits and gifts and so witness better to Jesus, pointing others toward him.
EASTER MESSAGE
Easter is so rich, and so deep, and in connection to our lives it is so varied that it is not easy to write a short message.
We are truly blessed, because year after year as we celebrate the great mystery of Easter in the Liturgy, we become slowly and surely more immersed into this saving action of God. In this way Jesus himself can do more for us than any words could teach or persuade.
I was reading recently a reflection on a phrase Blessed Mary MacKillop wrote to her Sisters in 1884, “admire the Goodness of God”. While she was not referring to Easter, I’d like to connect it to Easter and our lives.
Firstly, let us keep in mind that Easter is not only Sunday or the Resurrection. It is also Good Friday or the suffering and death of Jesus. In fact it is the passing of Jesus from Death to Life that we recall and celebrate.
Here truly, is the goodness of God to admire.
The resurrection shows that goodness of God powerfully. Jesus had come so that we might have life and have it to the full. He wants us to have a full life now on earth, however we will truly have life to the full when He raises us up to eternal life.
The resurrection gives us a sure and great hope and a perfect future.
Admire the goodness of God in this for a few moments.
We look also at Jesus, God’s Son on the Cross. In suffering and dying for us all, he showed, “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.”
Jn. 15:13
Again, could we pause and in our own human way, admire the goodness of God.
Likewise in our life when we stop and think, we see more clearly the good things that have happened to us and through us. We can do this at any time, but a good time would be at the end of the day. This leads us to thank God and here again we can quietly admire the goodness of God shown on a daily basis.
Mary MacKillop’s name in Religious Life is Mother Mary of the Cross. Even if she had not taken the name she was in fact a woman who bore a fair share of the cross in her life. In 1884 when Mary wrote, “admire the Goodness of God”, what was she referring to? The cross was very much part of it.
The growing Community of Sisters in Sydney indeed had much for which they would be grateful. They were living in a time when the Sisters of St Joseph were expanding rapidly in a city and a Diocese which welcomed and supported them.
At the same time, to put it mildly, they were experiencing difficulties in Queensland. As well there were still troubles in South Australia.
Mary saw the seeds of sorrow sown in these other places had sprung into new life in Sydney.
In asking the Sisters to admire the Goodness of God, Blessed Mary was reminding them to see the Goodness of God in what had been painful experiences.
In good times and in bad therefore, there are opportunities to admire the goodness of God. If we have any doubts we go back to the core of our faith, Easter, which is both the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here we can’t but admire the goodness of God.
Happy Easter to one and all in our vast Diocese of Geraldton
JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD
BISHOP OF GERALDTON
Eucharist and the Mystery of the Cross
The tragedy in New York and Washington on September 11 was immense. Paradoxically so, too, was its effect for good in the Untied States and the World.
Countless people displayed moral courage and selflessness in a world where there is also so much self-centredness. People in the States and around the world were united by heartfelt prayer.
Counties are coming together and collaborating in a way we have never seen before. We know Russia and NATO had some 30 years of cold war. Apparently in the last ten years they have been tiptoeing around each other. Now they are allies against terrorism. The need to stop terrorism and work for peace and the security of its citizens is galvanising many nations.
We all have read so much in recent weeks and have our own examples and reflections on how good has come from this terrible suffering.
THE MYSTERY AND THE CROSS CONTINEUS TO EXPRESS ITSELF AGAIN IN THESE EVENTS.
The suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross brought us immeasurable good. It brought life to the world. It reconciled us with God and one another. It gained for us forgiveness of our sins. In forgiving us we are empowered to forgive each other.
The Mystery of the cross is celebrated in each Eucharist. The Eucharist is just so rich and has many aspects to it. one aspect or part of the Eucharist is that it is the Sacrifice of Christ. Each Eucharist is a renewal and celebration of Jesus’ life given for us. As the words of the consecration say, “This is my Body given for you …. this is my Blood shed for you….”.
What are the ‘crosses’ in our lives? We each have them. They show themselves in the burdens, hardships, stresses, sufferings and sorrows of this life as well as in the efforts we make to live the Gospel and work for peace and justice. From them, Jesus wants to draw so much for ourselves and others. He is with us totally and therefore with us in our ‘crosses’.
What can help us in our living, our giving, and bearing our crosses and what can bring good out of them is to unite our cross with that of Jesus. Rather, it is consciously to remember that Christ and his cross, is one with us and our cross.
The Eucharist is most powerful here. In the Eucharist Jesus is with us fully. Here the one great giving of the life on the cross is renewed in our midst – made present for us.
What will help us to draw on the power of the Eucharist as we go through life is to listen and linger more and more on the words of consecration, “body given for us, blood shed for us”. These words will deepen our faith to know that Jesus is with us in every difficulty and even in what we might call catastrophe. He will give us the strength we need in those times. He will also draw so much good from these occasions as he did for the whole world from his own cross.
JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD
BISHOP OF GERALDTON
October 2001
For sixteen years now I have been visiting the Pilbara Parishes bi-annually, being away for some six weeks at a time. I have just returned to Geraldton from one such Pastoral Visit.
The development in the north continues – oil, gas and iron ore production keep growing at a phenomenal rate as well as allied and other industries. Connected to this are the inevitable long working hours. The hours have grown to the limit. While there are many variations of working shifts, the hours of work are still long.
Then we also have the “FIFO” generation. People are flying in and out of all our northern towns. They travel to and from destinations across our state, country and even overseas.
This has dramatic and many negative affects on family life and relationships in the home.
Towns also have suffered. While there is still some community life in our towns it has decreased markedly over these years.
From the economic point of view alone, living with one’s family in the place where one works makes sense. Recently Andrew Forrest of FMG commented on how important this was for continuity with and loyalty to a company. One of his initiatives therefore has been to build houses for his workers in Hedland so that they can be there with their families.
We know how the practice of the faith in our Church has decreased in recent years across Australia. The conditions in the northern towns of our Diocese have seen this practice take a dive. In our small towns this decline is quite noticeable.
In all this though there are many reasons for and signs of hope.
The people still committed to practicing their Faith are wonderful. They encourage one another and are certainly an inspiration to me and to the Priests and Religious who minister to them.
While very busy some people still offer themselves for liturgical and catechetical ministry and for the various organizational matters and material aspects of Parish life.
I marvel at all this. While they live in a time where there is a huge counter-tide of indifference, different attitudes and even bewilderment, these good people still continue to live and practice their Faith.
The evidence of hope that such people give is a tribute to their goodness and how they allow the Grace of God to touch and affect their lives deeply.
In two of the northern towns there are RCIA groups with some ten people preparing to become fully part of our Church. Elsewhere individuals are joining the church as well or being nurtured back to practicing their Faith.
The Port Hedland Seafarers Centre is a combined one with the Anglican and Catholic Church. The Staff and Management Committee run a very good centre to welcome and offer hospitality and the spiritual ministry of our churches, when requested, to all Seafarers.
World Youth Day 08 is still alive and affecting our young people and Parishioners. There was enthusiastic sharing of the experiences of our young people back to the Parishes and schools who supported them. Time and time again people spoke of the great and positive coverage by the media of the Liturgies and events in Sydney. They spoke with appreciation of and affection for Pope Benedict XVI, his words and his obvious joy.
Young people want to carry forward what they experienced in Sydney as well as prepare already for World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011.
There are less young people for Confirmation these days. The ones who come forward are well prepared by family, Parish and school. Even though many candidates and families don’t regularly come to Mass what I read recently of Pope Benedict XVI in The Record (20th August issue) gave me great hope also.
The Pope was having a break in the northern part of Italy and had an informal meeting with the Priests in the area. One priest asked whether pastors should administer sacraments of Communion and Confirmation to young people who aren’t really aware of their significance.
The Pope, in a moment of self revelation that’s become typical of these encounters, said he used to be more strict about administering the sacraments, but he’s come to see that it’s more important to be generous if it can encourage a even a “glimmer” of faith.
Journey of the WYD Cross and Icon
Wherever you go in our country you see the big “M” sign for McDonalds. Today I saw a sign on a bench seat, by a roadside “M – 2 mins”. It is always so simple, and yet so effective. You are easily tempted to drive the two minutes to sample something from this worldwide chain of fast food.
I think from time to time “If only we could market our faith and church as effectively”. We certainly would have our young people coming in droves.
The WYD Cross came to our Diocese in the week July 10-17. The Cross is a simple, yet powerful sign that we’ve had for 2000 years. The next issue will be totally dedicated to the Journey of the Cross and Icon in our Diocese. I trust that the impact of this once in a lifetime experience we had in our Diocese will continue through the whole of our lives.
It took the genius envision of Pope John Paul II to unlock for us again something of the meaning of the Cross. This almost 4 metre high Cross was in St. Peter’s for a whole year in 1983. John Paul declared that year a Jubilee Year of our Salvation. It was 1950 years since Jesus’ saving death for us all.
In that year the Pope decided to invite the young people of the world to Rome for a big Youth Day. Sceptics said that they wouldn’t come. In the following year of 1984, 350,000 young people came! At the end of the gathering the Pope gave the Cross to them and said, “Take this to the whole world as a sign of God’s love for humanity”.
And they did. The rest is history, and history will document that no other one object has been gazed upon (let alone prayed before and touched) by so many millions of people from every corner of the earth.
It’s on occasions like this that I would like to be God who knows our hearts and knows how the Cross would have affected so many people of our Diocese in different ways. I had the privilege of journeying with the Cross right throughout the Diocese to Port Hedland. I took part in all the liturgies and events organized so well by generous and keen people. It was easy to observe how so many across the whole spectrum of ages were affected. Some actually recounted their moving experiences to me.
What it did for us all was, as I said before, unlocked again something of the limitless meaning of Jesus and His Cross.
The Cross has become so much part of our lives and this is wonderful. We have the Crucifix/Cross in our churches, schools, hospitals and homes. So many of us wear it around our necks. I wear a small one on my clothes and as a Bishop I have a big one – the Pectoral Cross. While we are comfortable with the Cross and are proud of it, at the same time isn’t it so easy to become accustomed to it, so that a lot of its impact at times is lost on us?
For many reasons – the huge size of the Cross itself, the wonderful Pope who gave it to us, the millions of people (on sad occasions as well as happy ones) who have venerated and prayed before it, this Cross has meant so much to many.
A few days after the Cross had left Port Hedland parish I was speaking on the phone to the Parish Priest, Father Des Reid. He was speaking about the positive experience it had been for Port and South Hedland. In a sentence he said, “The people here were just so grateful that the Church had brought this powerful symbol of goodness and hope to them”.
The Icon of Mary in recent years now accompanies the Cross. In it we see Mary holding Jesus who, in turn is blessing us. I’m sure that Mary played her part in leading us to her Son in this special time.
Around Australia a Message Stick from the Aboriginal people of Sydney now accompanies the Cross and Icon. It is a message of goodwill and an invitation to come to WYD. While a quarter of a million will take part in the week and perhaps a half a million will take part in the final Mass at Randwick, most of us cannot. I’m sure though that many will witness much of it on television. Nevertheless the Journey of the Cross and Icon through our Diocese has given us all an experience of a very special bi-product of World Youth Day.
A young Aboriginal lad, Darcy, who carried the Message Stick into the Geraldton cathedral and around the town in procession, at the end of the day said to his mother, “I am just so proud to be a Catholic Mum”. I’m sure he echoes the sentiments of many of us.
The Journey of the Cross in our Diocese and around Australia has helped the Cross as it were, come alive again. May we keep looking at the Cross or Crucifix with new eyes of faith and love.
The Cross is also in other people’s lives and our own in many ways. When it is so, may we also see with the eyes of faith that Jesus is truly there as well with His love and strength.
Mystagogia is a strange word that is gradually returning to the Christian vocabulary. (it means “going deeper into the mysteries” – that is, into the truths of the faith).
Mystagogia described the ancient custom of spending the first week of Easter with the newly baptised, helping them experience the depths of the truths they had accepted in their Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
RCIA Candidates, that is adults who were baptised or fully received into the Church at Easter time go through this process. Over many weeks and months leading up to Easter, through the reflection on the Word of God and prayer, these people grow in faith and in a personal relationship with Jesus.
Recently, I celebrated Mass for our RCIA group in Geraldton and their families. We talked about the fact that their journey of faith is ongoing. They realised that their appreciation of Jesus and the riches he as given us in the Church are things which will continue to grow throughout the course of their lives.
Great painters and great musicians can study the principles of art and music, but the beauty they produce doesn’t come from being able to recite principles. Artists have to take these principles inside themselves, and also be taken by them, so that the principles live in ways that no one could put into words.
Well-prepared seven-year-olds who receive first Eucharist have much, much more to learn about what they are receiving. One would hope that the growth would last a lifetime.
The Easter season is a time of “mystagogia” for everyone – new Christians and old Christians. The season has just concluded with our recent feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is a special time of celebrating the great gift of the Holy Spirit who is our Helper and Guide for life. This is why the Church’s liturgical year is so wonderful. Each year we celebrate the same mysteries and feasts of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. Each year though we are offered the grace of going more deeply into those mysteries.
The God-life given as a gift by Christ has inexhaustible and enjoyable implications.
May 2004
HEART AND MIND - November 2008
For sixteen years now I have been visiting the Pilbara Parishes bi-annually, being away for some six weeks at a time. I have just returned to Geraldton from one such Pastoral Visit.
The development in the north continues – oil, gas and iron ore production keep growing at a phenomenal rate as well as allied and other industries. Connected to this are the inevitable long working hours. The hours have grown to the limit. While there are many variations of working shifts, the hours of work are still long.
Then we also have the “FIFO” generation. People are flying in and out of all our northern towns. They travel to and from destinations across our state, country and even overseas.
This has dramatic and many negative affects on family life and relationships in the home.
Towns also have suffered. While there is still some community life in our towns it has decreased markedly over these years.
From the economic point of view alone, living with one’s family in the place where one works makes sense. Recently Andrew Forrest of FMG commented on how important this was for continuity with and loyalty to a company. One of his initiatives therefore has been to build houses for his workers in Hedland so that they can be there with their families.
We know how the practice of the faith in our Church has decreased in recent years across Australia. The conditions in the northern towns of our Diocese have seen this practice take a dive. In our small towns this decline is quite noticeable.
In all this though there are many reasons for and signs of hope.
The people still committed to practicing their Faith are wonderful. They encourage one another and are certainly an inspiration to me and to the Priests and Religious who minister to them.
While very busy some people still offer themselves for liturgical and catechetical ministry and for the various organizational matters and material aspects of Parish life.
I marvel at all this. While they live in a time where there is a huge counter-tide of indifference, different attitudes and even bewilderment, these good people still continue to live and practice their Faith.
The evidence of hope that such people give is a tribute to their goodness and how they allow the Grace of God to touch and affect their lives deeply.
In two of the northern towns there are RCIA groups with some ten people preparing to become fully part of our Church. Elsewhere individuals are joining the church as well or being nurtured back to practicing their Faith.
The Port Hedland Seafarers Centre is a combined one with the Anglican and Catholic Church. The Staff and Management Committee run a very good centre to welcome and offer hospitality and the spiritual ministry of our churches, when requested, to all Seafarers.
World Youth Day 08 is still alive and affecting our young people and Parishioners. There was enthusiastic sharing of the experiences of our young people back to the Parishes and schools who supported them. Time and time again people spoke of the great and positive coverage by the media of the Liturgies and events in Sydney. They spoke with appreciation of and affection for Pope Benedict XVI, his words and his obvious joy.
Young people want to carry forward what they experienced in Sydney as well as prepare already for World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011.
There are less young people for Confirmation these days. The ones who come forward are well prepared by family, Parish and school. Even though many candidates and families don’t regularly come to Mass what I read recently of Pope Benedict XVI in The Record (20th August issue) gave me great hope also.
The Pope was having a break in the northern part of Italy and had an informal meeting with the Priests in the area. One priest asked whether pastors should administer sacraments of Communion and Confirmation to young people who aren’t really aware of their significance.
The Pope, in a moment of self revelation that’s become typical of these encounters, said he used to be more strict about administering the sacraments, but he’s come to see that it’s more important to be generous if it can encourage a even a “glimmer” of faith.
