Dear Friends,
Saints should excite us because this is our story and our call too. The great feasts of All Saints and The Faithful Departed are about our bonds with all who are part of the Church’s story from the beginning - about all that we share in family life, the joys, the struggles and the losses, united as we are in the Communion of Saints. I’m glad that we begin with the Feast of All Saints because it reminds us of our destiny to be with God. Mary MacKillop’s naming in the Canon of Saints has sharpened our focus on this union and there are other Aussies, including Eileen O’Connor, under consideration as we speak.
Thankfully, saints emerge in every age and, last month, we celebrated the Feast of the Korean Martyrs, 103 in all, most of them lay men and women catechists in the mid-19th Century. This past Tuesday was the Feast of St John Stone, Augustinian Friar, martyred under Henry VIII for refusing to sign the Act of Supremacy granting the King spiritual supremacy over the English Church. A light note in all this was that John’s execution in 1539 probably coincided with the visit to Canterbury of Anne of Cleves, destined to become Henry’s fourth wife, and became part of the festivities. The bill for the paraphernalia needed for the execution amounted to £15/9/11 (equivalent to £11,069 in 2021), rather than the usual execution cost of 6 pence! Interesting comparative figures at Budget time! Fr Dave
The Liturgy expresses our connectedness with one another in the Communion of Saints and the Body of Christ. Many will recall the Canonisation of Mary MacKillop in 2010. I remember feeling a bit anxious, lest some enthusiastic Aussies break into one of our popular chants we hear at sporting and other events. Now St Peter’s Square isn’t the MCG but nevertheless the spirit of celebration and joy was obvious and, I understand, some exuberant Aussie chants drew a wry smile from the Holy Father at the time.
So, who needs saints? ABC religion presenter Rachael Kohn once suggested that we all do, though only the true believers will admit it. In a world where humans sometimes behave badly, we need ‘to look up to someone who not only presents a worthy ideal to emulate, but also brings you comfort when the chips are down… Though fully human, saints help the faithful, especially by acting on their behalf in the divine realm.’ I enjoy spending time at the tomb of Pope John XXIII in St Peter’s Basilica and that of St Mary MacKillop in North Sydney. The following quote from the LTP Liturgy Sourcebook may help:
‘The Communion of Saints, the Body of Christ, can be described and illustrated in many ways. In Christ, this body can be expressed in the unending relationship between the living faithful, the departed awaiting purification, and the blessed already in the bosom of God, what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls “the three states of the Church” (CCC n 954). Yesterday they were what we are today, and tomorrow by the grace of God, we will be what they are now. We, the living, ask for prayers of and for one another, pray for those who have died, and ask for prayers of those holy ones already beholding God’ [2010 278].
The feasts of All Saints and The Faithful Departed connect us with Faith and Family who have touched and continue to touch our lives. May the Body of Christ become more so!