Blessings on the Feast of St Mary of the Cross

Icon of St Mary of the Cross, St Benedict's Narrabundah ACT

On Monday I was able to go to St Christopher's Cathedral, Canberra ACT and sit with the Icon of St Mary of the Cross on her first feast day.

I then went to St Benedict's Narrabundah, where a copy of the image is enthroned. When I arrived the church was quiet, several people were present and the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for adoration. St Benedict’s is a Eucharistic Centre in Canberra. The parish is administered by the Missionaries of God's Love under the guidance of Fr Ken Barker. It has a very prayerful presence. It is a place of devotion, adoration, praise and peace.

As I gazed at the image of St Mary of the Cross the rope hanging from the stump attracted my attention. The rope breaks into the gold background. The gold is representative of heaven. The rope signifies the activities of St Mary - she travelled the country on horseback, buggy and boat. She broke into the poverty of people’s lives and brought hope - she broke into heaven by her love in action. She cared for the sick, the uneducated, the poor and destitute, she stepped out of her comfort zone and made a difference. It is not rocket science – but it does take courage, determination and TRUST. As Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water, we too are called to step out and keep our eyes fixed on Christ, trusting in him as we journey through the challenges of each day.

Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne (Australia) in 1842 and died in Sydney on 8 August 1909. She took the religious name Mary of the Cross. Responding to the isolation of colonial families, she pioneered a new form of religious life to provide education for their children. She and her sisters shared the life of the poor and the itinerant, offering special care to destitute women and children. She is remembered for her eagerness to discover God's will in all things, for her charity in the face of calumny, and for her abiding trust in God's providence. From the Text of the Mass for the Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop: first feast day, August 8th

As you all know today is the first official feast day of our Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. We all recall the excitement of the canonisation in Rome a year ago. I was fortunate enough to be there and experience the unique blessing of the moment when the world recognised an Australian as a saint. Over the past year there has been much talk and excitement about Mary and who she really was. People have been interceding and saying we will do novenas to Mary for all sorts of people who are sick. Have they been answered?
You tell me? My question today is, what has Mary meant for you in these past 12 months? What has changed in your life because of Mary? I know some things have changed in my life. When I see the icon of Mary in St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra my spirit soars and I have a real connection to this woman, who walked on Australian soil.
I know many people who have told me they go into the Cathedral and talk to Mary as I do. She had a real connection with the poor, the sick, the orphans; she wanted to make a difference in people's lives and to lift them up from the lowly status they were in so they could be the people God wanted them to be.
So, again, what has Mary meant to you in the past year?
Please write a comment and tell me, so we can inspire other women to tell their stories. That is what Mary of the Cross would want.

Morning Prayer by Jacob Ashley

Footprints in the sand - at Surfers Paradise

A number of years ago my uncle-

Brother Baptist Will, a De La Salle Brother,

gave me this morning prayer -  it is quite beautiful.

Oh Lord

Help me today to realize that

you will be speaking to me,

Through the events of the day,

through people, through things and through all creation.

Give me the ears, eyes and heart to perceive You,

however veiled Your presence may be.

Give me the insight to see through the exterior of things to the interior truth.

Give me the spirit of discernment.

Oh Lord,

You know how busy I must be this day,

if I forget You Lord, do not forget me.

Jacob Ashley, 1579-1652

“Who am I to stand in God’s way?”

St Mary of the Cross, Feast Day 8th August - “who am I to stand in God’s way?”

Dear Children,

Mother Mary MacKillop is quoted as saying – “who am I to stand in God’s way?”. Her feast day in the 8^th August. The great feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Mary the Mother of God is the 15^th August. These two women are models for us; they listened to the still voice of God within and followed. 

Who do you know who has listened to the voice of God directing their lives and followed humbly the paths by which they have been led?

You and I can hear the voice of God speaking into our lives. God is love and to follow God is to love as he loved. 

The prophet Jeremiah 7:1-11 reminds us - How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, mighty God! When we live in the love of God we find peace and can be peacemakers in our world. God wants to dwell with us and in us. So children remember to speak to Jesus often, and spend time listening to hear his voice in your life – Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

God bless you

Sue

Inspiration from Thomas Merton

"Love winter when the plant says nothing" (Thomas Merton)

Icon of Our Lady of Tenderness



Icon Our Lady of Tenderness

Writing this image of Our Lady of Tenderness began in March when we first took possession of our  property in the country. We have enjoyed the "retreat" time that we have found as we escape the city.

I have discovered several aspects of this embrace of the Mother and Child that I had not noticed before.

The left arm of Christ it raised to the Father, in an attitude of praise, longing, love, reaching and sheer joy.

The right arm of Christ is around the neck of his mother. This speaks of  love, embrace, a need to be held, protected and cherished.

Do these gestures speak to us of the divinity and the humanity of Christ?

The Mother of God caresses the child and protects him with the strong gentle hand.

In an icon there is usually a place of the viewer to enter.  I feel the black area under the arm of Christ is the place I can enter into the embrace of the Mother and Child. I invite you to enter into the embrace and find the love of Christ and His Mother for you.

St Francis de Paola



St Francis de Paola at the Church of the Trinity of the Mounts  - at the top of the Spanish Steps, Rome

I have just discovered this amazing saint - St Francis de Paola. I took this image at the Church of the Trinity of the Mounts, at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome. He is the patron saint of mariners. He was a vegetarian, a hermit and was founder of the Order of the Minims  - the least. The image depicts his hidden life as a hermit. He decreased so that Christ could increase.

Trinita' dei Monti is a famous church in Rome, well known because of its location just above the Spanish Steps that descend into the Piazza di Spagna. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was built near the monastery founded by St. Francis di Paola in 1493. In the square at the bottom of the Spanish Steps is a fountain shaped like a boat. I wonder if that is because of one of St Francis of Paola many miracles, the one when he walked on the waves?

Here is a letter written by him -

St. Francis of Paola, Vatican Website, Prepared by Pontifical University Saint Thomas Aquinas

A reading from the letters of St Francis of Paola, Hermit (Letter AD 1486)

Turn to the Lord with a pure heart"May our Lord Jesus Christ, who repays most generously, reward your labour. You must flee from evil, and drive away dangers. We and all our brothers, although unworthy, pray constantly to God the Father and to his Son Jesus Christ, as well as to Mary the Virgin Mother, to be with you as you seek the salvation of your souls and your bodies.

Brothers, I most strongly urge you to work for the salvation of your souls with prudence and diligence. Death is certain, and life is short and vanishes like smoke. Therefore you must fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ who so burned with love for us that he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sakes he suffered all the agonies of body and mind, and did not shrink from any torment. He gave us a perfect example of patience and love. For our part, we too must be patient when things go against us.

Put aside hatred and hostility. See to it that you refrain from harsh words. But if you do speak them, do not be ashamed to apply the remedy from the same lips that inflicted the wounds. In this way you will show each other mercy and not keep alive the memories of past wrongs. Remembering grievances works great damage. It is accompanied by anger, fosters sin, and brings a hatred for justice. It is a rusty arrow spreading poison in the soul. It destroys virtue and is a cancer in the mind. It thwarts prayer and mangles the petitions we make to God. It drives out love and is a nail driven into the soul, an evil that never sleeps, a sin that never fades away, a kind of daily death.

Be lovers of peace, the most precious treasure that anyone can desire. You are already aware that our sins drive God to anger, "so you must repent of them, that God in his mercy may spare you. What men conceal is open to God. Turn to him with a sincere heart. Live in such a way that you bring upon yourselves the blessing of God, and that the peace of God our Father may be with you always."

Born at Paola in Calabria in the year 1416.  He died at Tours in France in 1507.