Parish Chaplain - Fr Christian

Friends, last Wednesday while waiting for my first lesson in the morning, I could hear some vibration coming from our school hall and chapel, and it was the voices of our students singing and dancing to the tune of ‘Joyful Generation’ the popular song for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival that was held last December. The students that attended that event only gave us a glimpse of the joy, the love, the life and the peace they experience there. It goes without saying that, there is no one who comes in contact with Jesus in all openness who will not truly feel and experience joy.

This year has been set out as the ‘Year of Youth’. It is a time we as young people rediscover the friendly face of Jesus. It is a time we rediscover his presence in our lives, his blessings and the life that he brings to us every day through our prayers, reception of the sacraments and reading of the word of God from the bible.

We may need a reminder that Jesus has a special interest in each one of us. He knows us all by name. He wants us to know that we are beautiful, we are special, we are incredible. We are gifts from God and we are made for greatness. And to that, I leave you with the words of Pope Francis:

“My friends, Jesus is the Lord of risk, he is the Lord of the eternal “more”.  Jesus is not the Lord of comfort, security and ease.  Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage, a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and uncharted paths.  To blaze trails that open up new horizons capable of spreading joy, the joy that is born of God’s love and wells up in your hearts with every act of mercy.  To take the path of the “craziness” of our God, who teaches us to encounter him in the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the friend in trouble, the prisoner, the refugee and the migrant, and our neighbours who feel abandoned.  To take the path of our God, who encourages us to be politicians, thinkers, social activists.  The God who encourages us to devise an economy marked by greater solidarity than our own.  In all the settings in which you find yourselves,

God’s love invites you to bring the Good News, making your own lives a gift to him and to others.  This means being courageous, this means being free!”.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

FR CHRISTIAN