• image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image
  • image

Fourth Sunday of Advent

At that time, marriage was celebrated and formalised very differently from our time. Engagement or betrothal was taken very seriously and acknowledged to have legal consequences. Normally these engagements were arranged by the elders of the family. The engagement took place at the home of the father of the bride where she was to stay after the engagement ceremony. During this ceremony the husband presented the wife to be with the marriage contract and the so called bride price. One or several years might separate this ceremony from the actual marriage ceremony. This consisted in the transfer of the bride from her father’s home to that of the groom’s house or that of his father. During this period of waiting to take Mary to his home, she was found to be pregnant. What is he going to do. Being a man of compassion he did not want to shame here. This is very different from the attitude prevalent today of “Name and shame”. His compromise solution was not to marry her but to let her go in the hope that the person responsible would marry her. Yes divorce might have salvaged his honour but this would have left Mary pregnant and unmarried. The best thing to protect her was to forget all about his honour and go ahead and marry her.

Where did Joseph get all that strength and courage to do this? it was only because his heart and mind were deeply seeped in the way of God. He would have recalled very vividly that the story of his nation was one of constantly betraying their trust and faith in God. His own nation, even though it was chosen by God in a very special manner, had a history of turning away from the trust and mercy of God. Yet God never gave up on His people. He forgave them over and over again. God loves His people into life. God constantly reminded His people of His love and care and kept on invited them and welcomed them back. St Joseph was this type of person. He thought differently. He acted differently. He acted and thought like God. As a result, he left an incredible mark and presence over so many centuries.

We are called to be different. We are called to make a big difference in our society because we are called to think like God. My heart is full of gratitude for all those who through many sacrifices have lived and continue to live according to the way that Jesus taught us. I think of our parents, members of our immediate families, volunteers, members of different church and diocesan organizations, people in our parishes, people involved in education, in health care and in social services. So much is being done. So much is being achieved because it is animated and empowered by the Spirit of our God. Let us never underestimate the work that we do. Let us never sell ourselves short. The more we journey into a deep relationship with our God, the more we become conscious of the opportunities that come our way through which we can make a difference in the life of so many.

I just mention a couple of examples. It is a well known fact that in our city there are a number of young people who cannot cope and cannot fit in within a normal school program. The reasons for this are varied. What is going to be our response? Simply to say bad luck. They have to fend for themselves or else they need to change their attitudes and way of thinking. As Christians, we need to think differently. We need to think like Jesus Christ. Some people in our education office, together with the Marist Brothers and the Doxa Foundation, who work tirelessly to give every young person with behavioural problems the opportunity to get an education, put their talents and their values together. We now have established in the Diocese a school with special educational programs, geared for young people who at the present time find it very difficult to benefit from the normal school education program. The purpose is for these people to use their talents in an environment which gradually helps them to continue their studies in our secondary schools. Similar schools are being planned in Shepparton and in Wangaratta. Some days ago, I went for the graduation ceremony and while some of the young people have still a bit of a way to go, I could not help but be impressed at the respectful manner in which they are responding to the efforts of the teachers.

Schoolies Week very often attracts bad publicly. After VCE exams thousands of young people travel to the Gold Coast to celebrate the end of formal schooling. I am sure that for many it is a positive and restful experience. However, we are also conscious about the rampant anti-social behaviour that seems to be ever present during this time. Moreover, it is a well known fact that many of our young people are enticed to adopt a way of living and acting that is far removed from our Christian values and beliefs. So what are we going to do? This year Catholic College Bendigo have instigated an “Alternative Schoolies Year”. Young people were invited that instead of going to the Gold Coast, to volunteer to go to the Philippines so that they can have an opportunity to help people who are much more in need financially than we are in Australia. This year’s program has been a success. It is a start but I am sure that it will continue to give opportunities for our young people to celebrate well by using their talents for their own growth through helping others. This is a direct answer to the selfishness and the “me” philosophy that we are being bombarded with all the time.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are truly invited to make sure that instead of always concentrating on what is lacking, to use what we have and to never cease to explore what can be done. It is far better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. The closer we are to our God, the more conscious we become to be the light in the midst of darkness.

God bless.

More in this category: Third week of Advent »