Mission

As a Catholic community, we are now deep into the Season of Lent and it seems like the whole world has joined us. On Ash Wednesday each of us committed ourselves to the three traditional practices of Lent: fasting, almsgiving and prayer. We responded to the questions:  what should we fast from, how can we support our neighbours in giving and how can we become more prayerful. Less than a month later, many of us have been forced into isolation and within that space, the Spirit is at work allowing us to use this time to practise these forms of penance even more.

• Fasting: Many in our community, particularly the elderly, are fasting from the presence of their families and friends as they practice social distancing. As businesses close, many are left without work. The Churches are closed, so even this place of protection and calm is lost.
• Almsgiving: This time will allow goodness to flourish as small deeds of kindness. In my suburb, people are shopping for elderly neighbours, previously strangers. People are checking in on each other by phone or text or video.
• Prayer: Faith communities globally are responding in prayer and there is much to pray for. We pray in gratitude for our health workers, for those who are working to develop treatments and vaccines, for the world leaders who have responded courageously and made difficult decisions which have not always been popular. And we pray for the people in our community – our leaders who make decisions affecting us, our families who are experiencing hardship and anxiety, the young people who are trying to continue their learning.

Pope Francis said, “today we have gathered together, all the Christians of the world, to pray together the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus taught us. As trustful children, we turn to the Father. We do it every day, several times a day; but right now we wish to beg mercy for mankind, so sorely tried by the coronavirus pandemic. And we do this together, Christians of every Church and Community, of every tradition, of every age, language and nation.

We pray for the sick and their families; for health workers and those who help them; for the authorities, law enforcement agencies and volunteers; for the ministers of our communities.

Today many of us celebrate the Incarnation of the Word in the womb of the Virgin Mary, when her humble and total “Behold” reflected the “Behold” of the Son of God. We too entrust ourselves, with full confidence, to the hands of God, and with one heart and one soul we pray:

"Our Father..." (Vatican News).

I share with you an article published in Crux on March 19 which suggests how Catholics can turn a tragic situation into an experience of faith and hope as we celebrate Easter without parish liturgies.

Easter at home ‘an opportunity for faith’

Pope Francis celebrates the Easter Mass in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican last year (CNS/Paul Haring)In an interview with Vatican News on Tuesday, Cardinal Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, said that while the current lockdown in Italy will keep thousands from celebrating Easter in Rome, “today there are still possibilities to transform this tragedy into an opportunity for faith.”

“I believe that today, technology truly allows us to live a communion that would seem virtual. But, in fact, it is not just virtual, because I believe that the Holy Spirit also passes through these new things in today’s world and speaks to hearts, speaks to consciences, speaks to little ones and speaks to great ones,” he said.

When asked about the many Christians who will be unable to celebrate Easter at the Vatican, Cardinal Stella said that the timing of the lockdown during the Lenten season is a call to prepare for Christ’s resurrection in their own homes.

“I believe that all these pilgrims who were on their way to Rome or to the shrines must think that their Easter and their call to conversion must take place in the family, in their small environment, where the Lord calls them to live the mystery of Easter in this time,” the Italian cardinal said.

Cardinal Stella said he believed the Holy Spirit would give the grace to all Christians so that they may experience a “beautiful and profound” Holy Week, “even in the sadness of mourning, illnesses and a tragedy of which we do not know the extent and, especially, the duration.”

Citing an excerpt from Alessandro Manzoni’s experience about the plague in his book The Betrothed, Cardinal Stella said he personally found comfort in the author’s statement that “God never disturbs the joy of his children except to send a greater joy.”

“I found this expression truly consoling for our lives,” he said. “I believe that in the absence of rites, of physical participation, we must find in these circumstances a profound way of greater intimacy with the Lord to communicate with the church, with the sacraments.”

Our College community will have the opportunity to pray together for Easter. Working together we have produced a liturgy which will be uploaded as a video to all Pastoral Care classrooms on Wednesday April 8. I encourage students to watch this and participate respectfully. I also encourage families to join us in prayer and song.

Lent will soon come to an end, and in time this pandemic will end as well. As a Catholic community, we are Easter people, people of faith and hope. May Mary our Good Mother walk with us as she walked with Jesus.

Cathie Clarke

Director of Mission

Novena of Prayer 

Dear Marist Friends

We are living through an unprecedented period. Not since World War II has there been such global dislocation of life. The pandemic is taking lives across the world. Pervasive fear and anxiety accompany it.

As a faith community, we know that our response needs to be grounded in Jesus’ message of compassion, courage and faith. “Fear not” he tells us repeatedly in the Gospels. We hold in our hearts and in our prayers those who are suffering, grieving, pining under the weight of pressure. We do what we can to alleviate distress and be of service to others, even if it is only staying in contact from a distance.

It’s, for this reason, I invite us all to participate in a Novena of Prayer. A Novena is an ancient Catholic practice – nine days of prayer. If we start this Thursday 2 April, our last day of the Novena will be, appropriately, Good Friday. Traditionally the novena prayer is said at the same time each day over the nine days; so, if you are to participate please select a time that suits you (and possibly your family) and say the prayer each day at that time.

The Prayer for the Novena is one composed by Pope Francis to Mary – who “shines continuously on our journey”. Some weeks ago the Pope suggested, during this period, we ask for the protection of Mary ‘who has a proven track record of healing, protecting and watching over her people’.  As Marists we can well understand the Pope’s words and confidence in ‘Our Good Mother’.

So, the invitation – over the next nine days, from 2 April to Good Friday, 10 April, is to take one minute (or longer) to pray the Covid-19 Novena Prayer which you can access here.

Do we expect miracles? No. Do we wish to express our sense of community, solidarity and faith? Yes. And if a miracle comes along…

Br Peter Carroll

Leader, Marist Association of Saint Marcellin Champagnat