Faith, Formation and Mission
This year the theme Marist Schools Australia (MSA) has spread amongst it’s schools association, is the theme Full of Grace. Staff undertook a Spirituality Day to unpack the theme and develop a deeper understanding of how the theme can apply to us and our vocation in education.
MSA Director Tony Clarke wrote the following message about the theme:
Full of Grace
“Now is the hour of love!” – Pope Leo XIV “
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth” – John 1:14
What if the world’s peace and flourishing began not with grand gestures, but a humble yes? Grace is that yes.
It is God’s love, freely given, undeserved, unmeasured, and without conditions. It is offered to everyone. When we receive it, something begins to change within us, reshaping our actions, our capacity to love, and how we engage with the world.
Grace, like love, is always a gift. Once accepted, it overflows from our hearts and radiates outward, moving us to share God’s love with others. Grace is not abstract or distant; it is the living presence of God in the ordinary: a word of encouragement, listening with patience, a hand extended in peace. In these small acts, God’s love moves through us, shaping us into instruments of grace.
Mary shows us what this looks like. When the angel greets her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28), her yes was not timid or passive. It was bold and courageous. Her trust let God’s love shape her life, her choices, her relationships, and her very being. That yes changed everything.
So what about us? What does saying yes look like today?
We live in a world that longs for peace and understanding, where fear and division can often overshadow hope. Yet grace shows us another way. It invites us to be bridge-builders where there are walls, to show understanding where there is judgement, and to choose love even when it feels easier to walk away. Grace is God’s love in action: listening deeply, serving humbly, washing feet, kneeling in honour of the dignity of others, and rising with the conviction to stand for those who are powerless.
The challenge stands before us:
What kind of community are we becoming?
Are we willing to love beyond comfort, to forgive beyond fairness, to serve without counting the cost?
Who will we walk with, and what will we stand for?
Today, the question is simple and profound: Will our yes be bold? Will it be courageous?
This is not easy work, but it is holy work; the work that feeds our hearts and souls. Abbot Jamison captures its power beautifully:
“Grace is God’s way of restoring our trust in the goodness of life. The relationship between goodness and grace can perhaps be understood by analogy with food. If food is nourishing, then it’s considered to be full of goodness. Similarly, grace is a goodness that nourishes the soul; it feeds the good in us so that we can trust each other and flourish together.”
Through grace, our yes becomes nourishment, not only for ourselves, but for the world. At his inauguration Mass, Pope Leo XIV reminded us:
“Now is the hour of love. The heart of the Gospel is the love of God that makes us brothers and sisters. We are called to offer God’s love to everyone…”
He went on to stress: “Our world, wounded by war, violence and injustice, needs to hear the Gospel message of God’s love and to experience the reconciling power of Christ’s grace.”
Let us be that message.
Be that grace. Now is the hour. Transform the World with God’s Love.
Mr Tony Clarke Director, Marist Mission and Life Formation
Upon reflection of our staff Spirituality Day and Twilight Formation session:
The Spirit Within has reminded us that each of us is called to transform the world through God's love. Yet that calling can sometimes feel overwhelming. It can be confusing, frightening, and leave us wondering if we're truly capable or if we're even heading in the right direction.
The truth is that the disciples felt exactly the same. They were uncertain, afraid, and unsure of what laid ahead. But they were never alone.
Too often, we forget that while we have been entrusted with the power to make a difference, we have also been given a guide, a companion, and a constant source of strength. In every moment of doubt, every challenge, and every dark place we encounter, the Holy Spirit is with us, leading us, comforting us, and giving us the wisdom, courage, and grace to continue the mission entrusted to us.
When we need examples of what this looks like, we can reflect on Mary’s “Yes” it was an act of love. Love for God. Love for others. Love that moved her beyond herself and opened her life to God's purpose.
This same invitation is extended to each of us. Through allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the way, we all have the opportunity to reveal something of God’s love to all we encounter.
The world often tells us that love must be grand or dramatic to matter. Mary teaches us something different.
Love is found in the daily "yes."
The yes to being present.
The yes to listening.
The yes to serving.
The yes to choosing kindness.
The yes to seeing Christ in the person before us.
When we do this, we become people who are truly full of grace. Not because we are perfect, but because we allow God's grace to flow through us and into the lives of others.
As we continue this day, perhaps we might ask ourselves:
Who needs my love today?
Who needs my patience?
Who needs my encouragement?
Who needs me to be a sign of God's grace?
For in the end, the greatest witness we can offer as people of faith as students, staff, family members and living disciples, is a life lived in love!
Mr Gabriel Abdala
Leader of Faith, Formation and Mission