03 August 2014

To Feast Week with Faith-filled Energy & Holy courage

It is only 10 days now until the opening faith event of our Parish Feast Week, the Candle-light Procession and Rosary, at 7pm, around the Church grounds concluding with Mass at 8pm. I really encourage all to look forward with joy and make time to participate in this opening event and all the events of our Parish Feast Week.

If you want to be informed (and entertained a little) you can check out the Feast Week YouTube promo video, put together by our Media Committee and starring Fr Tony and Fr Raphael, explaining the meaning of our Feast Week and all the events. Also you can go to the Parish website to see the program and subscribe to the newsletter.

In the next 10 days to help us prepare we can take the themes of the next paragraph of our prayer, with Pope Francis, to Mary in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. These themes are (1) to have a new ardour [faith-filled energy] born of the resurrection and (2) to have a holy courage [to stand firm despite our fears and uncertainties] to seek new paths to spread the gift and joy of our faith. Often in our lives we do not feel comfortable with new people and new ways of liv-ing the joy of the unchanging truth of the Gospel.

Nobody more than Mary responded with faith-filled energy when she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth after being called to share in bringing the One who is the fullness of love and truth into our world. Nobody more than Mary stood with holy courage in the face of fears and uncertainties she would have experienced in her Son’s suffering and death on the Cross. Because of this faith-filled response and holy courage we will celebrate in our Feast Week that she was taken body and soul to share in the fullness of her Son’s resurrection.

Faith-filled energy and holy courage is built up in us when we commit to Our Lord and His mission like Mary and we pray and work in love together like Mary and the Apostles in the early Church.

Let the joy of the Gospel radiate from us as we participate and help out in Feast Week. To help us we pray with Pope Francis:

Mary, through your prayers,
Obtain for us now a new ardour born of the resurrection, that we may bring to all the Gospel of life which triumphs over death. Give us a holy courage to seek new paths, that the gift of unfading beauty may reach every man and woman. Amen. Alleluia!