Sunday 22 February 2009

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After the  9.30 am Mass in the cathedral this morning, His Grace Archbishop Denis Hart blessed an image of the Maltese priest and leader of catechetics,  St George Preca, in the presence of the President of Malta, His Excellency Dr Fenech Adami and the Deputy Prime Minsters and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Tonio Borg.  His Grace then accompanied these distinguished leaders of the Maltese People to the Ceremony at present taking place at the Rod Laver Arena on this Day of National Mourning for the tragic bushfires that have ravaged the State of Victoria.

In this Mass, we join ourselves in prayerful spirit with all those around Australia who are praying and reflecting today. At the request of our Prime Minster, Mr Kevin Rudd, the bells of this great cathedral rang out at 11 am, together with the bells of countless churches across our nation. This is a day of mourning, because “there is a time to mourn”, but at the same time, Christians call to mind the words of Jesus Christ in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

To be “blessed” does not means being happy. From the Greek word makarios, in Latin beatus, “blessed” means having a deep spiritual joy, so strong that no matter what might happen in this life, there is always hope, always a future. Even in the face of the loss of loved ones, family, friends, cherished homes and animals, those who mourn today can know this inner peace, as they trust in the merciful love of God.

It is not easy to understand God’s merciful love when confronted with such a vast tragedy. A few voices have already blamed God, either motivated by a crude atheism or, at the opposite extreme, by a warped belief in a vengeful God. But Christians are called to focus on the real God, to look to the God who acts in our world, to Jesus Christ crucified for us.

Our God did not hesitate to become one of us, to take our human nature through Mary. He was conceived and born, he lived and worked among us. Yet he went further, he experienced suffering and death, our death, by giving himself up for us on the cross. In every Mass, we offer that one perfect Sacrifice, which is why the crucifix stands at the centre of this altar. In every Mass we enter the mystery of his self-giving love, his triumph over death, the Paschal Mystery of dying and rising again. In every Mass we place the living and the dead in the healing power of his merciful love.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  In these sad weeks, we have been able to see this blessed mourning, this loving comfort, with our own eyes. In many tangible and imaginative ways, men, women and the children in our schools are reaching out generously to offer assistance and comfort to those who are suffering the loss and pain of this disaster. The friends of the paralysed man in today’s Gospel, let no barrier prevent them from bringing their suffering brother to the Lord. They tore the tiles away from the roof and lowered him down through the crowd, and Jesus Christ reached out to heal, responding to their impetuous faith.

Much of the support given in these weeks has broken through barriers, and brought people together as never before. Likewise the continuing work and witness of the tireless fire fighters has known no bounds and provoked widespread team support from other States and nations.

While this tragic natural phenomenon was aided in some instances by a few human agents, that weakness or wickedness is more than balanced out by goodness on the part of so many other people. Today, as we mourn, we also thank God for this human goodness and courage. We thank God for the undaunted spirit that rises from the ashes of sorrow and despair, with a commitment to rebuild, to start again.  Many years ago, the same spirit of solidarity and hope emerged from the ashes of those great cities ravaged by war: London, Coventry, Rotterdam, Dresden, Hamburg, Berlin, Warsaw, Stalingrad, Hiroshima, Nagasaki. In this time of economic crisis and uncertainty we have also seen generosity and self-sacrifice. Again I commend to you the Archbishop’s Appeal which is part of this massive effort of concrete charity.

Today we pause to mourn, but then we must go forward into the future. It is a strange future. Already this century seems to be a perplexing era, marked by tragic events, unpleasant surprises and unforseen challenges. But Christians do not give in to fear. Nor should we waver in our faith. As St Paul tells us in the second reading, there is no “Yes” and “No” with God’s revealed truth. Our faith is always a “Yes”.  As we mourn and pray, as we give and work to comfort for those who suffer in this State we are saying “Yes” to our merciful God.

We believe that this loving God is with us for ever. In the second reading, St Paul reminds us of  what God gives us: ”Remember it is God himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has anointed us, marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.” Marked for ever by the seal of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, we commit ourselves in the service of God and of others, knowing that those who mourn are indeed blessed, for they shall be comforted.