Chaplain's Reflection

Log In The Eye

The “log in the eye”(Luke 6: 39-45) is one of Jesus’ most memorable images. Obviously ludicrous, so everyone gets it. Someone with a great lump of wood in their eye is in no position to be pointing out another’s speck. 

Along with Jesus’ other witty examples here: the blind leading the blind and students leading teachers, this gospel has been instructive for delegates at our Australian Plenary Council, at Pope Francis’ global Synod of Bishops and at our own Sale Diocesan Assembly last week. 

On reflection we have realized that we can all be a little like scribes and Pharisees – striving to keep the letter, rather than spirit, of the law and to make sure others do as well. Living sinful spiritual pride, assuming they are better than those who think differently (or propose reforms to the church), is a log in their eye. So too might those with radical solutions to the church’s problems, who breezily dismiss the law and tradition, sure they are better than traditionalists. 

We must never lose sight that we are all part of the one Body of Christ. Our diversity is what makes the Church work. We should strive to listen humbly and respectfully to sincerely held views, even when they are frustratingly different to our own. Praying for and recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit in our deliberations, we must be wary of potential logs of convenience and familiarity, bias, and prejudice. 

The circumstances we find ourselves in as Church are so different to any that have gone before. We are in uncharted territory, called to courageous, prophetic action. Rather than simply pushing our views, we must strive to move beyond our logs of comfort, convenience, familiarity, bias, and prejudice, discovering common ground with the rest of the Body of Christ; discerning and responding to the questions, “What Would Jesus Do?”, “What Does God Want of Us in Australia at this time?”, what is God asking of our universal Church? How does God want me to engage young people in our parish? 

Synodality, Co-responsibility & Discernment of the Signs of the Times

Our Diocese of Sale, under the leadership of Bishop Greg Bennet, have just completed our 2025 Diocesan Assembly. An absolute success, the Assembly was held over two intense days at the Federation University Auditorium at Churchill and at Lumen Christi Church. Our second such gathering in modern times, our 2019 Assembly outcomes greatly assisted the diocese in addressing the challenges of Covid 19. This time we discerned our top priorities for the next five years.

Alongside our national Plenary Council and the global Synod on Synodality, our church is exploring how to engage the wisdom of all our people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

“Synodality as Pope Francis understands it captures Vatican 11 “in a nutshell”. With his notion of a synodal church, Pope Francis is wanting to continue the reinvigoration of the Catholic Church as envisaged by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).” [1] 

“All the baptized are called to regularly discern the “signs of the times” in the light of the Gospel, because the world within which the church fulfils its mission is constantly changing. The hierarchy (pope, bishops, priests, deacons) are dependent on that wisdom coming from the whole community; the hierarchy don’t have some special access to the mind of God regarding the world in the 21st century; often the holiest person in the back pew of the church has the best access to that divine wisdom.”[2] 

Following extensive conversations among Catholics in the pews across the diocese, priorities were sorted, Assembly delegates were selected, and the great event played out. Prayerfully open discussion, deliberation, reflection, and discernment among delegates resulted in twelve priorities (all worthy ideas) from which the Diocesan Assembly eventually recommended to the Bishop and his Diocesan Mission Council that our intense focus for the next five years will be on youth. Our recommended priority will be engagement of youth and nurturing the future church, particularly through building stronger Parish-School Collaboration and Partnership. We need prayers and wholehearted parish engagement to bring this to fruition. 

[1] Fr Ormond Rush (Associate Professor ACU) February 2025 blessing for the Sale Diocesan Assembly

[2] Fr Ormond Rush (Associate Professor ACU) February 2025 blessing for the Sale Diocesan Assembly

Deacon Mark Kelly

College Chaplain