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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  The season of Easter that we have been experiencing for several weeks is known in Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) terms as a time of Mystagogy – a time for post-baptismal catechesis.This is a time for both the local parish community and the ‘neophytes’, or new Catholics, to engage together in savouring the wonders and mysteries of our faith and deepening our understanding of what it means to be followers of Jesus in our world today.
It is a time for appreciating a renewal of our faith and hope, and our love for the risen Lord. Throughout this season of Easter, our gospels call us to reflect again on images taken from daily life that impress on us the nature of what it means to be identified with Christ. Some of the images used are the vine and branches, the good Shepherd who knows the sheep, Jesus as the way, the truth and the life, and Jesus who is the bread of life, broken and given for us. By Kathy Horan  The season of Lent is a time for reflection on the gospels, renewal and conversion of mind and heart to a gracious God who desires to come close to us. This God, as shown to us by Jesus, is full of compassion and tenderness, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
The Scriptures during Lent resound with messages along the lines of: ‘Come back to me with all your heart; …return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.’ (Joel 2:12,13); and ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near: repent and believe the good news.’ (Mark 1:14) For those in our parish communities who have recently been named as the ‘Elect,’ the season of Lent is a highly significant journey of conversion that will reach a high point at the Easter Vigil when they will receive the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation and first communion. During this time, they, and we, will journey together with Jesus, encouraging one another and supporting one another by reflecting on our faith, taking time to pray and deepening our relationship with the Lord. By Kathy Horan  ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
These final words of Jesus to the disciples provided them with a significant challenge, a way forward, and the promise of his abiding presence with them for all time – and no handbook of procedures to follow! A concern of the early Christian community was to find a way of sharing their faith in the risen Lord with those who came to them, seeking to become part of the group. In a time of uncertainty and confusion, the disciples and other early Christians knew their need of banding together as a community for support and encouragement to carry out the Lord’s mission. By Kathy Horan  Since the earliest days of the Christian community, there have been ordinary women, men and children who have made a significant impact on the lives of those around them. The reason they have made an impact is because of their witness to faith in the risen Lord and their desire to be faithful followers of the Lord.
Among those ordinary, everyday people were the first apostles, including those closest to Jesus who denied knowing him, doubted him, ran away from Golgotha when Jesus was dying on the cross, and seriously questioned him in the light of the events of those last days we have recently commemorated during the Easter Triduum. And yet, their failures and shortcomings were deemed unimportant when they experienced the peace of the risen Lord and the knowledge that they were deeply loved and forgiven. Author: Kathy Horan We have now moved into the season of Lent, a time of renewal where we consciously set our hearts and minds on the liberating message of the gospel that we are called to have life to the full.
We do this in the context of a believing community, and for all of us, this season of Lent is another invitation to see Jesus more clearly, to love Jesus more dearly and to take Jesus’ message of care and concern more seriously. The process of conversion involves the whole community, no matter how long we have been part of it or if we are seeking to find a place to call home within the community. Each year we are graced with this time of personal reflection on our lives in the light of the gospel and we are reminded of our role in the mission of Jesus, to bring good news to the poor. Author: Kathy Horan During our current extraordinary time of social distancing, health consciousness and concerns, and attempting to deal with many unknowns related to the present health pandemic, our most significant celebration of Easter has taken place.
Under normal circumstances, we would have celebrated together the ceremonies of the triduum, welcomed our RCIA candidates and renewed our own commitment in faith to the risen Lord. Those sacred days – Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday – have still been observed and we have participated, but differently, from our own homes. Author: Kathy Horan Our Church is currently still basking in the surge of newness of life and purpose ushered in with the celebration of Easter.
The joy of the risen Lord is with us and before us as we come together as communities to remember that goodness has overcome evil, light shines forth and dispels all kinds of darkness, joy takes the place of sadness and hope urges us on as God’s people, called to see life differently. At the Easter Vigil, many candidates who had come inquiring about what it means to become Catholic were formally received into the Catholic Church. They were fully initiated into the Church through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist. Several others, baptised in other Christian churches, were received into full communion with the Catholic Church, being confirmed and then celebrating first Communion. |
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Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide
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