I was reading recently a reflection on a phrase Blessed Mary MacKillop wrote to her Sisters in 1884, 'admire the Goodness of God'. While she was not referring to Easter, I'd like to connect it to Easter and our lives.
Firstly, let us keep in mind that Easter is not only Sunday or the Resurrection. It is also Good Friday or the suffering and death of Jesus. In fact it is the passing of Jesus from Death to Life that we recall and celebrate.
Here truly, is the goodness of God to admire.
The resurrection shows that goodness of God powerfully. Jesus had come so that we might have life and have it to the full. He wants us to have a full life now on earth, however we will truly have life to the full when He raises us up to eternal life. The resurrection gives us a sure and great hope and a perfect future.
Admire the goodness of God in this for a few moments.
We look also at Jesus, God's Son on the Cross. In suffering and dying for us all, he showed, 'No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.' Jn. 15:13
Again, could we pause and in our own human way, admire the goodness of God.
Likewise in our life when we stop and think, we see more clearly the good things that have happened to us and through us. We can do this at any time, but a good time would be at the end of the day. This leads us to thank God and here again we can quietly admire the goodness of God shown on a daily basis.
Mary MacKillop's name in Religious Life is Mother Mary of the Cross. Even if she had not taken the name she was in fact a woman who bore a fair share of the cross in her life. In 1884 when Mary wrote, 'admire the Goodness of God', what was she referring to? The cross was very much part of it.
The growing Community of Sisters in Sydney indeed had much for which they would be grateful. They were living in a time when the Sisters of St Joseph were expanding rapidly in a city and a Diocese which welcomed and supported them.
At the same time, to put it mildly, they were experiencing difficulties in Queensland. As well there were still troubles in South Australia.
Mary saw the seeds of sorrow sown in these other places had sprung into new life in Sydney.
In asking the Sisters to admire the Goodness of God, Blessed Mary was reminding them to see the Goodness of God in what had been painful experiences.
In good times and in bad therefore, there are opportunities to admire the goodness of God. If we have any doubts we go back to the core of our faith, Easter, which is both the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here we can't but admire the goodness of God.
Happy Easter to one and all in our vast Diocese of Geraldton.
JUSTIN JOSEPH BIANCHINI DD
BISHOP OF GERALDTON