Tenison Woods and MacKillop Centre News: Despised in his own country

And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Mark 6:4 - 6

Amazed at their lack of faith. Would he be amazed at our lack of faith? Let’s face it, we put our trust in the things we think might have scientific or even economic certainty. Our secular community easily mocks those who are people of faith, as if placing your trust in God amounts to silly superstition. Christians comprise 33% of the world’s population. There are 2.1 billion of us, and of those 1.17 billion are Catholics, while the other 930 million are divided among almost 36,000 denominations. You are not alone. There are up to 1.57 billion Muslims, 1 billion Hindus and possibly half a billion Buddhists and of course there are folk religions, Judaism and others. 1.1 billion have no religion, are secularists – and even then most of these are in the Western world and China.

We wonder why our world lacks miracles, and Jesus himself tells us it is because of our lack of faith. You may know Kathleen Evans. She toured Tasmania with her husband in 2012. Kath suffered from lung cancer and a secondary tumour in her brain. There were no options left for Kath but for prayer. A friend gave her a picture of Mary MacKillop to which was attached a relic of Mary MacKillop’s clothing. Kath, her friends and her family completed a novena (nine days) of prayer to Mary MacKillop to intercede for her. She grew stronger and within 3 months she was cancer-free. This miracle was the second attributed to Mary MacKillop’s intercession and led to her canonization and our first Australian saint. So yes, miracles do happen, even in Australia.

But would Jesus really find more than a few to lay his hands on to heal them? Would he be struck by our fascination with possessions and our addictive consumerism, do these things prevent us from seeing the miracles great and small taking place before our very eyes?

As part of our Christian faith we believe that hope is ours, that there is something for those who wait, for those who are patient, for those who live out being good news. We also know that it is partly already here and partly yet to come, which means that there will always be tension between them, and that that ‘bridge’ ensures that the miraculous becomes possible and that we can also experience moments of the divine in the beautiful world God has given us.

Don’t be afraid to be a person of faith, even if that means living on the edge. Remember Kath Evans, she was on that edge and that was where she was found and healed.

Peter Douglas

HEAD OF SCHOOL SERVICES, NORTH

On leave

You may have noticed that there have been a few EOs on leave! Gwenda Gregson spent three weeks as acting principal at Sacred Heart Ulverstone, and is now on leave until next term. Leeann Medwin is touring Europe with her husband and she returns to duties next term. Our NW social worker, Amy Sullivan, is taking accrued annual leave and some additional leave to see the world. Her position has been advertised and a replacement will be in place prior to her departure.

Clynton heads off on renewal leave for all of Term 3. All the best, Clynton. Stewart Farr has been appointed acting principal.

Au revoir

The Our Lady of Mercy community will farewell Jo Craddock this Wednesday at a Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Deloraine at 1.00 p.m. All are welcome.

Happy holidays

As Term 2 comes to close, I wish all those who are school-based a healthy and relaxing break. For those who are travelling, be safe!

Losing Is Winning by Richard Rohr

We don't come to God by doing it right. Please believe me on this. We come to God by doing it wrong. Any guide of souls knows this to be true. If we come to God by being perfect, no one is going to come to God. This absolutely levels the playing field. Our failures open our hearts of stone and move the rigid mind space toward understanding and patience. It is in doing it wrong, being rejected, and experiencing pain that we are lead to total reliance upon God. I wish it were not true. But all I know at this point in my journey is that God has let me do just about everything wrong, so I could fully experience how God can do everything so utterly right. I don't know how else I could know that so fully in my gut.

This is why Christianity has as its central symbol of transformation a naked, bleeding man who is the picture of failing, losing, and dying . . . and who is really winning--and revealing the secret pattern to those who will join him there. Everyone wins because if there's one thing we all have in common, if we're honest, it's our weakness and powerlessness in one--but usually many--areas of our lives. There's a broken, wounded part inside each of us.

In a world where imperfection seems to be everywhere, the humble and honest have a huge head start in spiritual matters and can first and always find God in their simple lives. Jesus says, using the present tense, "To the poor in spirit the kingdom of heaven belongs" (Matthew 5:3). It is a now experience, not a later reward.

Entering the spiritual journey through the so-called negative, or what seems like the back door, takes all elitism out of spirituality, which is its most common temptation. We are not to be rewarded for our virtue later; virtue is its own reward--now--for both me and for others. The usual claims which appeal to our ego self ("I am an advanced person") are of no use whatsoever and are actually revealed as much of the problem. The quickest ticket to heaven, enlightenment, or salvation is calmly acknowledged littleness. Then you have nothing to prove, to protect, or to promote. You are already at home base. Our conscious need for daily mercy is our only real boarding pass for heaven. The ego does not like that very much, but the soul fully understands.

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop