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By Kathy Horan  After attending two preparation sessions, 21 adult candidates from throughout the Archdiocese received the Sacrament of Confirmation recently. Of those, 16 candidates also received their first Communion during a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Patrick O’Regan in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral on Saturday July 29. Throughout the liturgical year we celebrate many feast days in honour of Mary, days that acknowledge important events in the life of Mary and Jesus, and in the early days of the Church. They remind us of many of the admirable qualities of Mary while also reminding us that Mary was an ordinary woman who placed her faith and trust in God at all times.
At the heart of our Catholic faith is Jesus Christ, born of Mary, at a particular moment in human history amid troublesome and challenging times. Luke’s Gospel gives us a glimpse of the extraordinary role of Mary in becoming Mother of Jesus and Mother of God. Mary is described as blessed among women, and the child she bore is also blessed. (Luke 1:42) In Luke’s account of the Annunciation, we hear that God looked with favour on Mary, and that she responded favourably and wholeheartedly to what God was asking of her. Mary’s close relationship with God resulted in her placing her trust in God’s words and responding: ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ (1:38)
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By Kathy Horan  In our Christian story, down through the ages the idea of vocation is centred around the notions of being called to be, to listen and discern, and to respond by acting out of a particular view of life or context that is grounded in the life of Christ. Often in the past, the term ‘vocation’ was understood by many to refer to a particular calling to priesthood and religious life; these callings are still an important part of the Christian response to God, and they continue to be important expressions of vocation, or call and response to God, for today.
Following the Second Vatican Council, the Church reminded us that we are all called to the fullness of life and holiness in whatever role we undertake in life. Since the time of Jesus we have heard of many who were called by Jesus to ‘come and see’ what Jesus was on about. He called particular individuals to discipleship, including them in his ministry of hope, healing and liberation: a challenge to all of them to be willing to stand alongside the poor, the marginalised, the outcast. By Dr. Jenny O'Brien  According to Luke’s Gospel, it is immediately after her conversation with the Angel Gabriel that Mary sets off ‘with haste’ to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth in the hill country of Judaea. The beautiful image chosen for this year’s Marian Procession features the encounter between the two women – the older woman heavily pregnant and the younger still in the earliest stages of pregnancy.
The meeting between these two women is quite extraordinary at more than one level. First, the voices in this story are purely female. Even though the women are meeting in Zachariah’s house, Elizabeth’s husband is not present and even if he were he would not be able to speak, having been struck dumb after doubting the angel’s message that his aged wife would bear a son. No, here are two women who are both playing central roles in the story of redemption – Elizabeth preparing for the birth of the precursor of the Messiah, known best to us as John the Baptist, and Mary carrying within her the very son of God. By Dr. Jenny O'Brien  My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour, for he has looked upon his handmaid in her lowliness; and from this day forward For the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age for those who fear him. He has made known the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those who are lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, mindful of his mercy, even as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever. “A pregnant woman is not the usual image that comes to mind when one thinks of a prophet,” writes the American theologian Elizabeth Johnson*, yet in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel we come face to face with two Spirit-filled pregnant prophets doing exactly what prophets do: speaking aloud God’s truth. We refer, of course, to Mary and Elizabeth. Both were grappling with how to deal with their newfound circumstances: Elizabeth as a first -time mother in her old age and Mary as the unmarried, pregnant bride suspected of infidelity to her betrothed. However, both shared the distinction of being ‘mothers of redemption’ since Jesus was to be the Messiah and John the Baptist his herald.
Author: Kathy Horan On Sunday, May 19 this year, many communities within the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide will gather to take part in the annual Marian Procession and Peace Rally. This year’s procession is the 70th in the series and will be a public honouring of Mary, the Mother of God and Mother of the Church.
For centuries, Mary has captured the hearts and imaginations of Christians all over the world as they reflected on her role and importance in the life of Jesus and of his followers. Litanies of Mary attempt to honour various aspects of Mary’s life: she is named Mother of Mercy and Compassion, Our Lady of Grace, Queen of Heaven, Star of the Sea, to name a few. Qualities such as patience, acceptance, forgiveness, understanding and love are honoured in her. All of these titles and qualities, and more, enable us to reflect on the importance of Mary, the woman who gave birth to Jesus and whose faith and trust in God enabled her, at the Annunciation, to say yes to what God was asking of her. |
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Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide
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