This is Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s homily from the Mass for the Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross in St Stephen’s Cathedral on August 8.
IN what we have just heard from the lips of Jesus himself, the word “worry” in one form or another occurs no less than five times.
He says: “I am telling you not to worry about your lives. Can any of you for all your worrying add one single cubit to your span of life? Why worry about your clothing? So do not worry, saying what are we to eat what are we to drink. So do not worry about tomorrow.”
Jesus, it seems, is worried about worrying.
It’s alright for Jesus to say, “Don’t worry”; but the fact is Mary MacKillop had plenty of worries.
At times, she seems almost worn down by worrying – not unlike the widow we heard of in the First Book of Kings. She had worries too.
All she had was a little bit of meal and a little bit of oil. She was going to bake a scone with the little she had, eat it with her son and then curl up and die: now that’s a big worry.
Mary MacKillop had worries with bishops, one of whom lies buried in this cathedral – the first Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn.
Bishop Quinn fought dreadfully with Mary, as did his episcopal brother Matthew, of Bathurst.
The issue was not personal; it was more a question of how best to use scant resources at a time when the Church was coming to birth in this country.
For all that they fought, I’m sure Bishop Quinn would be delighted, in fact is delighted, with the celebrations here today and is with us spiritually: so good morning, Bishop Quinn.
But Mary had troubles and worries not only with bishops. She also had worries with Fr Julian Tenison-Woods with whom she founded the Sisters of St Joseph – and I greet the Sisters who are here today.
It’s wonderful that you are among us here. You are so very much part of the Church in Brisbane and far, far beyond … so Sisters, thanks for being with us.
The story of Mary’s troubles with Julian is a sad one. They both wanted to move beyond the troubles, beyond the worries. But they never quite managed it. Mary had worries with some of her Sisters as well, because even Sisters can prove difficult from time to time.
Mary had worries about her health; especially later in life, she had serious health problems. So here is a woman who seemed to be hedged in by all kinds of troubles. She had good reason to worry. But one of the many reasons why she’s a saint is that, for all her worries, she didn’t worry in the end. She heeded the words of Jesus.
She never allowed worries, however severe, to have the last word. There was something beyond all the worry.
A real worrier, a worry wart, is someone who says worry has the last word.
But Mary, like the widow with little to eat, never gave the last word to worry.
That was because she had a mysterious and magnificent faith in God’s providence.
A great cry that arises from the heart of Scripture rose from the heart of Mary MacKillop: God will provide, in all sorts of ways and against all the odds.
At times Mary sailed close to the wind. Occasionally she must have wondered whether God really would or could provide.
Yet, when you look at her life, you see that God always did provide – not perhaps in the way Mary wanted or expected, but she was never left bereft.
Her trust in divine providence was mysteriously and magnificently vindicated.
This was no vapid belief of some silly woman out of touch with reality.
There was nothing silly about Mary MacKillop and the faith that she placed in divine providence.
In fact what emerges is a profound practicality – she was a doer not just a dreamer.
When you consider the combination of her faith in God’s providence and her immense practicality, you see the truth of what St Ignatius Loyola said: “Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended upon you”.
The Jesuits were well known to Mary.
Her brother was one and they had been a great support to her in her troubles. She would have known the words of St Ignatius, and she certainly lived those words.
Her prayer was all about faith in divine providence; her action was all about immense practicality – the love that is hands-on, the love that has mud on its boots.
Providence and practicality: this is the wisdom of Mary MacKillop. It is the wisdom that comes from above and makes her a saint, not just for us but for the whole Church.
These days the bishops of Australia meet in North Sydney where Mary lies buried, gathering as it were around her tomb.
At our meetings, her presence is felt in all kinds of ways, and thank God for that.
We need her help, especially at this time.
Sitting at her tomb, as I have often done, I have pondered the words inscribed on the side. They are very simple words, which tended to be her style.
“Remember”, she said, “we are but travellers here”. Now she could talk.
She was an amazing traveller. Given the difficulty and expense of travel in her times, it’s extraordinary how much ground she covered, all over Australia – there were no aeroplanes, no trains – most of the time dressed in yards of heavy serge.
Not just Australia, but across the sea to New Zealand, off to Rome, off to Scotland, she travelled. There were no jumbo jets; this was hard, hard travel.
There were so many journeys for this woman, but in the end her greatest journey was not physical but spiritual. In that sense we too are but travellers here, and we remember that this morning.
Mary’s was a journey out of the world where worry triumphs, where worries have the last word, and into a world of Easter joy, a journey from worry to joy.
Because she made that journey, which is the great journey of faith, Mary MacKillop stands for ever as a witness to Easter.
In that she’s the same as every saint – always standing in the morning light of Easter and proclaiming the truth that there is a life beyond death, a joy beyond sorrow, a light beyond the darkness.
St Mary of the Cross is the woman of light. She is the woman of joy. She is the witness to life. She summons us now as mother and teacher to follow her on that same path, so that we too might be in our time and our place true witnesses to Easter.
This morning we entrust into her maternal hands the Archdiocese of Brisbane of which she is the patron.
We entrust into her maternal hands, into her maternal heart, the whole Church in Australia as we, like her, struggle through the darkness into the light of Easter morning.
Amen.
[divider]
