St Mary MacKillop

[cappie]

The feast of Mary Mackillop in Australia is treated as a Solemnity as so be celebrated on a Sunday

Pope St John Paul II, speaking of the Eucharist said “The Eucharist is the sacrament of the presence of Christ, who gives himself to us because he loves us. He loves each one of us in a unique and personal way in our practical daily lives: in our families, among our friends, at study and work, in rest and relaxation. He loves us when he fills our days with freshness, and also when, in times of suffering, he allows trials to weigh upon us: even in the most severe trials, he lets us hear his voice. To celebrate the Eucharist, “to eat his flesh and drink his blood”, means to accept the wisdom of the Cross and the path of service. It means that we signal our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for others, as Christ has done.”

I think if you look carefully at Mary MacKillop’s life, you can see the values  mentioned above by Pope John Paul of the wisdom of the cross and the path of service characterised in the way that she made her decisions and in the things that she did.  Mary was a friend of God and a friend to all the people who came into her life. Even to those who didn’t treat her well.
 
Like Jesus, she was a person who had nothing to hide and to be open completely, because of the great love that characterised her life and that is seen in every element of her life, in every way that she acted in all the different circumstances of her life. So we should be comforted at the thought that when we come to her, we will find a warm welcome and that she will answer our call and be with us in our lives to help us and to look after us.

Like Jesus, we have to understand that for her, there was never anybody who wasn’t significant. So all of us, no matter who we are and what we experience in our lives, it is possible for us in the midst of our lives today as they are, to reach out to her and understand that what is important to us, is important to her. What gives us joy, gives her joy. What causes us pain and fear, elicits her love and compassion for us as we live in the world today. 

So whether we are young or old, whether we are sick or well, whatever the circumstances of our lives, if we come to her, we will always find her love and her care.

Mary in her whole life, wanted to lead people to Christ. Everything about her life and all the choices that she made, were made because, she had an incredible awareness of the presence of Christ in her life, but especially in the Eucharist, in the celebration of Mass and in the Blessed Sacrament.

 So I think that if Mary had a word for us today; the word that she would give was to understand how important it is for us to be engaged in the celebration of the Eucharist and to be aware of the overwhelming fact that when we come to Mass, Jesus becomes present for us in His word and in the bread and wine that had changed in His body and blood.  And that she is willing to lead us deeper into the mystery of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist if we’d only ask her and if we ask her and she does, then we will discover how wonderful it is for us to say, as we live in the world today, that Jesus is with us and supports us and loves us.

There is a very real sense in which the Church is one huge family that stretches through history. We are all very different. The Church goes through different epochs and ages and yet there is this incredible bond between us all that leads back to Jesus. But for us in our community, some people in that family are really special; the ones in our community who are  such a wonderful example to us of what happens when you love Christ and give your life entirely to Him. For us in a very special way in Australia , Mary MacKillop is that person. The route that she has carved out in her life; the faith by which she lived and the love that characterised her life are special for us as we live in Australia,  

So as we honour her today, let’s pray to her for all of our needs and ask her to help us to live in close union with her in our lives. That not only will we be able to receive a warm welcome from her and her help, but in the end that she will lead us all to be closer to Jesus.  
 

[Mercedes]

“When I could not see my way God kept my heart full of trust to make all come right.” Mary MacKillop, 1885

[Guest]

"Do what you can and then leave the rest to God" - St Mary of The Cross MacKillop