Homily for Feast of Blessed Mary MacKillop 2009

One of the important things for me about Mary MacKillop and her impending sainthood is that she is Australian. That is, the stuff of her Australian life, can be the stuff of holiness. An ordinary Aussie battler can be a true disciple of Jesus. We are so familiar with many saints from Europe whose names are scattered throughout the liturgical calendar. That Australians can take their place as well is important. It affirms once again that holiness of life is possible for any of us.

Pope Benedict said this of her last year:

"Mary MacKillop's perseverance in the face of adversity, her plea for justice on behalf of those unfairly treated and her practical example of holiness have become a source of inspiration for all Australians." Pope Benedict XVI, 17 July 2008.

The 8^th August, is the date of her death and her feast day. This year it is 100 years since her death. This year she has been proclaimed patron of the Brisbane Archdiocese. For all these reasons it is particularly important celebration. However, because she is Patron of the Archdiocese her feast this year has been moved to this Sunday the 9^th August so that she is put before the people of our Archdiocese in a special way.

These days one does not necessarily have to found a religious order to do the kind of things Mary did. One does not even have to be a Christian to have her love for justice and promote opportunities for the disadvantaged. In her day, however, religious life was a powerful way in which women could fulfil their vision of life for themselves and others. It was one way in which they could act independently. Many women of that era were bound in obedience to a husband. They were dependant financially, emotionally and socially. There were few other ways in which women could excel independently than in a religious order.

It was this independence which inevitably, I suppose, led to her conflict Bishops and her subsequent excommunication which caused her so much distress. But that is not what she focused on. Her obedience was to God's will not her own. Her own dreams and ambitions were always subject to God's overriding love. For her even her own mistakes and failures paled into insignificance before that love. Furthermore, God's will meant she had to carry the crosses that came her way. It was through those crosses that one learnt to love. Not love in general but especially love of the very person who may be causing the pain. This is something that can inspire us in our troubles and relationship conflicts. She was sustained through it all by her awareness of God's love for her which would provide whatever happened. This heart of her spirituality is expressed in the name she took in religion, "Mother Mary of the Cross".

As Pope John Paul said of her at her beatification, "Mother Mary's life speaks eloquently because it was firmly anchored in something which every human heart longs for: inner peace, that peace which comes from knowing that one is loved by God and from the desire to respond to his love" (Sydney 1995).

The Book of Judith from which we read today tells of the widow, Judith. She, like Mary MacKillop, was a prophetic woman who challenged the leaders of the people for not trusting God. The Assyrians had surrounded the town of Bethulia and cut off their water supply. They faced death. The people demanded that Uzziah, one of the town magistrates, make peace with the enemy rather than let them die of thirst. Uzziah said that if God does not help within five days we will submit to the invaders as they asked. Judith saw this as a betrayal. God is not to be put to the test. They must let God be God. This story from the Old Testament is chosen for this feast in line with the Gospel's emphasis on trusting divine providence first of all and not our own plans. This, too, was Mary's way even as she spoke with a strong voice on behalf of the poor before Church leaders.

This feast then affirms that ordinary people like you or I with all our faults and failings need not be far from the Kingdom of God. It affirms also that in our problems and suffering we are assured of God's care for us. As surely as Mary MacKillop sought out the needs of those early Australians so even more does God seek our good. An oft repeated phrase of hers is a mission statement we could all take to heart: "Seek first the poorest most neglected parts of God's vineyard".

Fr Graham