First Sunday of Advent

Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne,
on Sunday, 28th November, 2004, at 11.00am

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In these four weeks the Church wants to offer us grace, hope and eager anticipation for God, while challenging us to repentance that is realised and expressed in being changed and offering the world hope.

The dedicated staff members and friends of Centacare are gathered on this occasion, which reflects what our Centacare services are all about; the offering of hope to people and working with them for transformation in God’s plan.

As we call to mind our sins, let us remember our capacity to be instruments in remaking of the world.

Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In recent days I was talking with some young people who had finished their Courses and looked forward to further studies or to a career. Their conversation was filled with wonder about what it would be like; eagerness to implement their new skills, hope for the future and what it might hold.

Advent means the Lord is coming to people and with Advent comes a wealth of new possibilities for us to make right what was wrong in the passing year. It is not a time for regret, however, it is a time for hope and promise, as we start a new Church Year with words like, ‘rejoicing’, ‘walking’, ‘peace’, ‘light’, ‘hope’, ‘the time has come’, ‘kindness’, ‘salvation’.

We do stand on the brink of the future that God is offering to us. “Our hope in a coming God whose appearance will bring peace, justice, healing and blessing into our lives.”

Yet we do have to remember that the Australia of 2004 is profoundly secular. It seeks to drive God, the Church he founded, goodness and truth, to the sides, while indulging the ever-present novelty, selfishness, greed, envy and hatred.

Many hundreds of years ago Saint Justin Martyr claimed in the second Christian century that Isaiah’s challenge had been realised, ‘And we, who delighted in war in the slaughter of one another and in every other kind of indignity, have in every part of the world converted our weapons into implements of peace and we cultivate piety, justice, brotherly charity, faith and hope, which we derive from the Father through the crucified Saviour.”

This Advent our challenge is to hope in the possible, to look at suffering in our brothers and sisters and see the suffering of Christ that led to resurrection, and in working with that suffering to provide newness of life.

Some years ago I spoke with a teacher who had obvious excitement at what she was able to achieve in teaching children to read and think. I have seen the excitement of other teachers in opening to young people an experience of God and his nearness and love. I myself have personally experienced the beauty in music and art, which uplifts the mind and in which in this Cathedral we share so well and so regularly.

God has come among us, personally, and he will come again as our judge at a time we do not expect. Watchfulness, a change of heart to keep our life focussed on him by regular prayer, to live his Commandments and to be compassionate and encouraging to others will be the legacy that we have from coming into the house of the Lord, who is real, life-giving and wishes our good.

Truly then we can say that our armour is the Lord, Jesus Christ, that we are walking in the light and because of this we will never be afraid. The Lord lets us see constantly the kindness that he offers. He makes us instruments of his salvation, humble and fallible though we may be.

“To you Lord, I lift up my soul. Lord, make me know your ways, teach me your paths, make me walk in your truth and teach me for you are God, my Saviour.” This is his promise to us who listen to his Word today.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.