Homily for St John's College Opening Mass 2009

The Bushfires in Victoria and the Floods in the north have been on everyone's mind over the last couple of weeks. Those who died and those who survived and those who risked their lives to try to save them are very much in our prayers tonight as we gather for this celebratory Mass.

The Gospel tonight might seem an unlikely reading to celebrate an opening Mass (Mark 8:34-9:1). But it has much to say to us. The bushfires and their devastating results highlight the truth of what Jesus said. Everything can be taken from us, including our lives, in a very short space of time. Nothing is certain. You can have everything but end up losing it all. Seek what is most important first of all. Seek life.

When we hear Jesus say “deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow me”, it goes over our heads a bit because it is familiar religious language we take for granted. We might think of it as taking up the cross of our studies, or giving up something for Lent. Yet the reality of those words is at another level as well.

For Jesus and Mark's listeners, the meaning of those words was unmistakable. To speak of the cross was to speak of the horrendous punishment meted out by the Romans to violent criminals and those who opposed Roman rule, particularly the poor and powerless. The public display of the naked crucified bodies beside the road told everyone who was in charge. It was not a pretty gold cross around our necks that Jesus hearers would have thought of. In that context, to deny oneself was the consequence of professing faith in Jesus in those days of persecution. The early Christians knew very well what that meant. You either denied Jesus or denied oneself. The end result of denying oneself for the sake of the Gospel was often death.

The question for us always is, what is it that we live for. What is it that we would be prepared to die for? Do we love anyone enough? The firefighters, perhaps were faced with that question as were people caught up in the flames. Will I stay with my family or not?

This Gospel of denial of self and taking up the cross is not about making life miserable for oneself and others at all. It is about calling from us the best, the most heroic, the most creative, the most loving response we can to the challenges of life. If we do give up something for Lent it is but a token of the direction we want our lives to take: follow Jesus whatever the consequences. This ultimate act of faith can only be taken out of love. It is the kind of love Jesus has for us. It is that love revealed in Jesus we celebrate in Eucharist.

Only in that light could we repeat Isaiah's words from our first reading to the fire victims. Otherwise they would offer only a false hope: “They will neither hunger or thirst, nor will the desert heat or sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water” (Isaiah 49:10).

Finally, I would like to repeat something of what I said at the St Joseph's opening Mass last week.

For us as Catholics our school is also a participation in the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News of God's love for us revealed in Jesus Christ. The school has a teaching role to support parents in the education of their children in the ways of faith.

Tonight at this Mass to celebrate the beginning of a new school year I would like to affirm and support parents and teachers in this important role. I invite you all to pray for our teachers. We sometimes forget that as teachers they not only are registered by the government to teach but have been delegated by the Archbishop to teach, to catechise, the children in the Catholic faith. In this way teachers do share in a some way in the magisterium, the teaching role, of the church. In that role I know they take their task seriously. I would pray tonight that they be confident in that task. And like you parents, not to be intimidated by the apparent difficulty that handing on the faith tradition seems to be, in our secular world. If we are motivated by love for God and each other the Holy Spirit will guide us. This ministry of teaching is a key one in the church. I have confidence in our teachers who have made our school are wonderful place for the children and their parents.

May you all have a wonderful year working together in 2009.

Fr Graham