 Maria’s Musings—A Letter from the President
Dear fellow Marists,
Welcome to our one and only newsletter for the year! Our cover page features – the beautiful icon accompanying the prayer “Mary, Bearer of Hope to the World” which Marist Laity Australia launched on 12 September, feast of the Holy Name of Mary. We invite Marists all over the world to pray this prayer for the next year and to ponder the questions on the left.
 HOPE is a future-oriented virtue but as I look back over 2008, many of the key events that touched us deeply, did so precisely because there was some sense of hope fulfilled!
Hope is the capacity to envision The year began with the Marist Sisters celebrating their centenary in Australia. These women reflect the vision of their foundress, Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, for her sisters to move out in mission as Mary’s presence in the world.
In February, the profoundly moving images of indigenous and white Australians, united, as they heard the PM Kevin Rudd say “Sorry” to our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, - a sign that the gift of Hope says that it is not impossible to change unjust structures and to foster reconciliation.
Then in April, we held our first Marist Laity International conference which coincided with the 150 years of Marist lay presence in Australia – those women who sailed from France to our shores before they dared to venture out as missionaries to the Pacific Islands. These women were the forebears of the Marist Missionary Sisters. The conference was dynamic and there were certainly moments of transformation as we listened to Anne Dooley and Michael Whelan give their presentations, as we engaged in the varied, creative workshops and as we shared each others stories, joys and sorrows. Hope is a dynamic engine for change and transformation.
What about the hope leading up to WYD? And the hope flowing from it? There was truly a sense of hope fulfilled as Sydney’s streets came alive with the exuberant faith and joy of young people from all over the world to live the theme of empowerment by the Holy Spirit and be living witnesses. Hope gives us the energy to cooperate with the Spirit who sets free humanity and all creation
Looking beyond Australia, we remember August 2008, the Beijing Olympics followed by the Para Olympics, the latter event, teaching us that hope is, perhaps, strongest in those who seem weakest and most vulnerable.
Finally, hope held us, hearts pounding, as we waited for the results of the US Presidential election. This was much more than just a political event in America. Barak Obama’s message of hope and transformation spilled over national borders, a message for all races and creeds. “YES WE CAN!”
Our Prayer, Mary Bearer of Hope to the World, asks us as Marists, to “bring hope to the world especially among those most yearning for hope” – to those who have given up, fallen into despair, cynicism, who cannot see God in the world. The Spanish cellist, Pablo Casals commenting on the state of the world said: “The situation is hopeless!” If we look at our world, it’s true! Congo, Zimbabwe, Palestine and many other hopeless situations that we know of in our public and personal life. But after a pause, Casals added:”We must take the next step!
”Situations may be hopeless. PEOPLE must have HOPE.
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News December 2008 |
