The Ascension of the Lord. -Year C - Sunday, 1 June 2025 (EPISODE: 532)

The Ascension of the Lord. -Year C -  Sunday, 1 June 2025  (EPISODE: 532)

Readings for The Ascension of the Lord.- Year C
FIRST READING: Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9. "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."
SECOND READING: opt: Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23 {or alternative: Ephesians 1:17-23}
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 28:19a+20b). Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my Gospel. I am with you always until the end of the world.
GOSPEL: Luke 24:46-53

IMAGE:  SHUTTERSTOCK LICENSED: Asset id: 1324655747  - Chapel of Ascension in Jerusalem, Israel - Upload date: 27 February 2019. IMAGE CONTRIBUTOR: trabantos
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass (Readings, prayers and homily) for the Ascension of the Lord. Year C - Sunday, 1 June 2025 - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-532/s-yemrsl5zztX 
(EPISODE: 532)
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The Spirit helps us to make Christ present in the midst of a world which can be way too often filled with selfishness, undue privilege, inequality, arrogance, and abuse of power or authority. Tragically, this world is capable of showing a terrible indifference towards the poor, the needy, the hungry, and the suffering. As one scripture scholar put it, the Ascension and Pentecost are feasts of Christian maturity because now we're called to continue Jesus' mission with our insight into reality, our criteria, and our human decisions.

Luke's Gospel on the Ascension has a fascinating different focus from Matthew and Mark's versions. In these two other Gospels, the disciples are sent out on mission. In Luke, yes, they're implicitly sent on mission, but they're particularly sent out in the visible absence of Christ to be witnesses of Christ in their words and actions in the world.

Our Lord's absence is not as if he's dead or gone, far from it. Rather, he's alive and he has returned to the Father where he belongs, and he will return at the end to complete all things. In the meantime, which is what we're living right now, we must be his hands, his eyes, his heart in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.

For as Acts 1 verse 7 says, the power of the Spirit is with us. We must not stand still, looking up into the sky, lamenting the physical absence of the Lord. Rather, we must not sit around waiting for his return in a passive kind of way.

Instead, we must set out on our way to take his gospel to the ends of the earth, as it says in Acts 1 verse 8. We're now adult Christians, not immature, not passive, not merely waiting for answers or tasks to fall out of the sky, but rather we are shareholders in the kingdom. We're sons and daughters of the eternal God, brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a real part to play in the action.

Before Christ's death, the disciples were like young students, being carefully nourished with a message. After Christ's death and resurrection and ascension, and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, we're still students and will always be. But we are now not merely waiting to be fed, we go out and we be nourishment for others in Christ.

The Second Vatican Council strongly emphasized this. Being mature in the faith is a requirement of the gospel, and as adults, we have our carefully thought out, reflected upon and prayed about views and insights into this shared task with Jesus. We would never presume to be sharers or cooperators with Christ, except he's invited us to do this.

We're encouraged in this by the assurance that the Lord will return, because he is alive. And we always remain vigilant, alert, awake in spirit, for at that time when he does return, he'll ask us to give an account of all the talents he's entrusted to us, and to test the fruits of what we've been able to produce with our work and our cooperation, how much it has been done in union with Christ through the Spirit. Jesus' ascension tells us, stop standing there looking up into the clouds.

There's work to be done, and there's no time like the present. In his earthly ministry, our Lord was in urgent hurry to bring his gospel and his ministry to all people. He now entrusts this ministry and this urgency to us, through his abiding presence of the Spirit.

There's no time to lose. God wants us to be about his business right away, and reassuringly he always gives us the very present assistance of God's Holy Spirit abiding in us.

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REFERENCES: 

FR. PAUL W. KELLY;

**Gutiérrez, G. and Dees, C. (1997). Sharing the Word through the liturgical year. 1st ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books. P. 111; 

MISSION 2000 – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR c. BY MARK LINK S.J; 

A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS - 2010. BY ALICE CAMILLE)

IMAGE:  SHUTTERSTOCK LICENSED: Asset id: 1324655747  - Chapel of Ascension in Jerusalem, Israel - Upload date: 27 February 2019. IMAGE CONTRIBUTOR: trabantos

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The Ascension of the Lord.  Year C  -(Sunday, 1 June 2025)  (EPISODE: 532 )
2. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{May Our Lord's Fidelity strengthen you.}} welcome everyone, we gather -  Silence, reflection, prayer and contemplation of our God. On this The Ascension of the Lord.

Coming together as brothers and sisters, with confidence let us ask the Fathers forgiveness, for he is full of gentleness and compassion
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of peace. Lord have mercy You are Son of God and the Son of Mary. Christ have mercy You are Word made flesh, the splendour of the Father. Lord have mercy .
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9. "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 28:19a+20b). ). Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my Gospel. I am with you always until the end of the world.
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PREFACE: Ascension I or II
Eucharistic Prayer 3
(theme variation: theme 3 )

(post version: v1-long)

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{10. thanks everyone. And may God sustain you with his grace and love.}

3. Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

Details relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass in Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

"Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
 

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly. 

Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser. And (2024+) Rode Nt-1 + AI-1 Sound Mixer.

Editing equipment:    -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).

NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)

Text transcription as per recorded podcast version is transcribed by TurboScribe.ai

{excellent and accurate transcription from voice to text}

[Production -  KER -  2025] May God bless and keep you.  

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Mass Saturday morning 9am Sacred Heart Church 24th May 2025 - Australia's Patron Saint - Mary Help of Christians

Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish –

Please join us for a Special Mass for the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia – At Sacred Heart Catholic Church –

50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters, Queensland, 4226. On Saturday morning 24th of May 2025. At 9am.

All are Welcome

If you are unable to attend, please join us spiritually by listening and praying along with the community via this audio podcast

https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/weekday-solemnity-fhl-may-24th-2025-our-lady-help-of-christians-australian-patronal-solemnity-year-c 

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C - Sunday, May 25, 2025 (EPISODE: 531)

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C - Sunday, May 25, 2025 (EPISODE: 531)

Readings for 22-May-22 - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

FIRST READING: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6+8. "O God, let all the nations praise you"

SECOND READING: Rev 21:10-14, 22-23

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 14:23). Alleluia, alleluia! All who love me will keep my words, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them.

GOSPEL: John 14:23-29

[Image Credit: by Kayla Waldron - Abide (32239). Free Download, John 15, dwell, vine and branches. Uploaded: Aug 26, 2015. Via CreationSwap]

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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C - 22-May-22 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-531/s-wPcoKnJhSyx - (EPISODE: 531)

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The Father and the Son (through the Holy Spirit) will come and "make their home in us"

The readings this weekend all speak of the Holy Spirit. The theme of the readings is all about the Spirit, as our Easter Season quickly approaches Pentecost.

We cannot underestimate the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the life of the church. Without the Holy Spirit, the church would be ineffective, and we, the disciples of Jesus, need the action and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to be effective in what we seek to achieve.

FHL 

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There's a line in the first reading that I really love. The words are, "It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by us." [Acts 15:28]. Or, another translation puts it, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us that…" the following be done.

This shows that the early church and its disciples, and its decisions, in practical ways, when faced with a new question for new situations and new times, gathered together in prayer, as always, and actively discerned what the Holy Spirit wanted. And then they made a decision, which was an authentic act of the Holy Spirit with the active cooperation of the disciples, working as one. We can see how the Holy Spirit becomes so much a part of their lives and our lives.

It fills our lives, our hearts and minds. And the major decisions of the church and the major decisions of Christians are inspired and lead from and to the Spirit. Christian life for us disciples becomes this beautiful cooperation, a unified action both of our own will and intellect, and also of God's Holy Spirit inspiring and perfecting it.

It's interesting that this phrase has been put to practical effect in the history of the church. Even to this day, it's my understanding that some religious orders, when their superior or leader is deciding on a very important matter, for example, to send a religious person to a new appointment or a new mission, they would write in the official letter of appointment this beautiful formal phrase, and it sounds familiar because it's from the scripture today, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us that you be sent here, or that this be done, and then follows with the instruction. Beautiful.

And it's more than a formality, it captures the dynamic between the disciple and the Spirit, and how the Spirit fills up everything we do and say. Without it, even our best efforts could be quite misguided or quite fruitless. There's a recognition in this of not only the decision-making process and wisdom of the leader, which is real, and it's necessarily a prayerful discernment, but it's guided and graced by the Holy Spirit in everything.

We're invited by Christ to be so connected to Jesus that our decisions, our actions, our priorities will be guided by and connected to Jesus through the Spirit, without any loss of free will, and in fact, with an opening up of that free will to do what it's for, to serve God and to serve life. I love that. It's beautiful.

I also absolutely love the Gospel today. It's mysterious and very profound, and it's so beautiful and really important to our understanding. Jesus says in the Gospel that He and the Father, through the action of the Holy Spirit, will come and make their home in your hearts, make their home in you, and that we will be connected to Christ, united to Christ in the very life of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit.

We will be in communion, in the broader sense of that word, with Christ in a very real way through our obedience and our love. I love all those passages in the Gospels where Jesus clearly, deliberately and explicitly speaks of the union He shares with the Holy Spirit and with the Heavenly Father, and how they abide in each other. That is, they live in and within each other.

They make a home in each other's hearts and beings. This union, this communion, is inviting us to share and abide in God's life. This is His unique and mind-blowing gift to us who become His disciples.

Can there be anything more wonderful? Having God come and make a home in us, and us make a home in God. It's that close. It's that beautiful.

We could never presume to have this or be allowed to have it, but it happens. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit for a reason. It's in order that we would always be connected to Jesus, abide in Him, and Him in us, and Him in the Father, and the Father in the Spirit.

We will abide in His teachings, live in His love, the Spirit will live within us, will constantly remind us of Christ and His teachings, bring Him to mind, make Him present to us. God will truly live with His people and abide in and within us. God will walk with us, His people, always.

And God will be that light to show us the way through our journey through life. So really, we have nothing to fear, even when life is far from easy or simple. Finally, and most importantly, Christ promises us the gift of peace.

This is a gift we all long for, and for which the world longs to receive. A peace, He hastens to add, that the world could not give and cannot achieve of itself. God's peace is all we need, through any tragedies, through the joys and sorrows of life, as well as the failures and successes of life.

Our Lord, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, has gifted us with God's divine peace and unity and connection to God that can hardly be imagined. And also the very real authority to cooperate with and in God, and participate in real decision making in Christian living. Always in union with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and connected to the Father through Jesus, we participate in, we discern with the Spirit for the issues and questions that come up anew in our lives.

So the answers aren't all black and white in the scriptures, although the Spirit and the living word is always ever new as well as ever ancient. But the Spirit is alive and God's word is alive in our community now, in the faithful, in the teaching deposit of the Church, and of course in the scriptures, in the sacraments. So we have been given the authority to discern rightly the Spirit's guidance in new questions that haven't been thought of before, that weren't even known of 2000 years ago, but they're issues now.

God engages us and our talents and gifts, which are God-given and Spirit-inspired, and uses all our faculties, our knowledge, our intellect, our understanding of the scriptures, as interpreted by the Church, which itself has been constantly inspired by the Holy Spirit through the ages. This freedom to decide is also a deep and challenging responsibility. It doesn't give us license to do what we want, but rather discretion, and which frees us to be open to God's ways and values, and allows us, as always, with prayerful guidance and prudence of God's grace, to make a decision to questions that need to be answered as best we can as humans, for we are limited beings.

Even though we participate in God's grace, we won't attain the fullness until the kingdom of God in its fullness. 

We are right to trust that God is there to guide and direct us, not from a distance, not even from the sidelines but close to us, but right in and with us, inspiring us as we contemplate the issues and questions of our present age. 

This is far different, though, from thinking that what I feel is what God feels, or what I want to do is what God wants to do, because we're united. That's a distortion, and a terrible one; that's not how it works.

 We saw and recall with love, the profound discernment and cooperation and love in (the late) Pope Francis's exercise of his papal ministry, which was inspiring to Christian and non-Christian people alike throughout the world. 

We trust in the power and authority and discernment that God has given us, as a body of Christ, so that we may continue to apply the gospel in each and every new situation and new circumstance of daily life.

God is with us. God abides with us and in us. God guides, leads and inspires us.

God's Holy Spirit shows us the way and gives us the direction.

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References:

Fr Paul W. Kelly

[Image Credit: by Kayla Waldron - Abide (32239). Free Download, john 15, dwell, vine and branches. Uploaded: Aug 26, 2015. Via CreationSwap]

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C (22-May-22) (EPISODE: 531 )

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)

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{{May Our Lord's generosity inspire you.}}

Coming together as Gods family, let us call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God's kingdom: Lord, have mercy// You come in word and in sacrament to strengthen us and make us holy: Christ, have mercy//You will come again in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6+8. "O God let all the nations praise you"

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 14:23). Alleluia, alleluia! All who love me will keep my words, and my Father will love them and we will come to them.

Memorial Acclamation

2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.

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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary III

Eucharistic Prayer III

Communion side. pwk: RH

(theme variation: full )

(pre+post variation: v2-short)

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{I am very grateful for you joining us for this special time of prayer and reflection.}

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au 

To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks 

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: - Shure Mv-5

Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software

NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[Production - KER - 2025]

May God bless and keep you.

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weekday - Saturday morning Solemnity - Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians – Patroness of Australia - May 24th

Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians –

 Patroness of Australia - May 24th

Our Lady Help of Christians. May 24th

Mass of the Solemnity, Gloria, Creed

Preface of the Blessed Virgin Mary I

Readings:  

Genesis 3:9-15, 20: I will put enmity between your offspring and her offspring. 

Ps 102:1-4, 8-9, 11-12: R. "Lord, do not deal with us as our sins deserve, nor punish us for our faults. " 

Eph 3:14-19: To know the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge. 

Alleluia, alleluia!  Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God  and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia! (Cf Lk 2:19) 

Lk 8:19-21: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.

Image Credit: 290438420 -TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - MARCH 2, 2015: The Icon of black Madonna from St. Peters church in old Jaffa by an unknown artist from end of 19. cent.- By Renata Sedmakova.

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Please listen to the audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Solemnity in Australia of Our Lady- Help of Christians. By clicking this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/weekday-solemnity-fhl-may-24th-2025-our-lady-help-of-christians-australian-patronal-solemnity-year-c/s-qS3omtd57O0   

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
{{Kindness and grace to you all}}

On this special (feast of) Our Lady Help Of Christians
My brothers and sisters, trusting in Gods mercy and love let us call to mind our sins.

Lord Jesus, you affirm Mary, as the mother of Mercy. Lord, have mercy.
You honour her as the mother of good counsel. Christ, have mercy.
You present her to us as Help of all Christians. Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE:  Preface I of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  
Euch.Prayer:  II
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Dismissal:
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
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Prologue: The Virgin Mary has often been invoked in times of religious strife under the title of Help of Christians. In thanksgiving for the release of Pope Pius VII from captivity in 1814, the feast was established the following year on the anniversary of his restoration. The first Australian provincial synod held in Sydney in 1844 placed the Church in Australia under Mary's patronage invoked by the title Help of Christians. The solemn feast is an occasion to seek Mary's help and protection for our Church and nation.
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There are two inscriptions from the first centuries of Christianity that are written in Greek and related to the Virgin Mary. The first one is θεοτοκος  - "Theotokos", which means Mother of God, and the second one is βοηθεια "Boetheia", which means The Helper. So, Mary, the Help of Christians, is one of the very earliest of titles for Mary.

Asking for the intercession of Mary as help of Christians is part of the oldest prayer addressed directly to Mary, the Sub tuum presidium, which was found on a papyrus dating at the latest from the end of the third century. 

"We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen."

St John Chrysostom used this Marian title (Help of Christians) in the year 345 as a devotion to the Virgin Mary, and the wonderful St John Bosco also strongly and fruitfully promoted Marian devotion under this title throughout his order which became a worldwide ministry. 

How fitting when we see Mary's life portrayed in the Gospels.

What a perfect intercessor, who knows all too well the hardships and sufferings that we go through in life. 

Her trust, her humility and complete faith in God, as she said a very strong and clear yes to what God was asking of her in her life, even though what he was asking was very difficult. 

1. That arduous journey to visit and care for her cousin Elizabeth, 

2. her journey as a refugee with her husband Joseph and our Lord to Egypt and back again, 

3. her pain at not being able to find the 12-year-old Jesus for three whole days when he was eventually found in the temple, her pondering of all these things in her heart and what it could mean.

The fact that Mary is a disciple and mother of Christ equally, the sword of sorrow that pierced her heart quite acutely through her life, her trust in and intercession to her son at the wedding at Cana, concerned for the good of her hosts, her discipleship which is inspiring, her faithfulness and her suffering at the foot of the cross, bearing the indescribable pain of her own son's suffering and death, her presence in prayer and community with the apostles at Pentecost. 

The infant church in Australia had a very good reason for turning to Mary.  At the start of the Catholic Church in Australia, no priests were sent to this colony in its very early days and mass was not permitted except for one brief year in 1820.

It was largely the rosary and strong devotion to Mary in those early days that kept the faith alive and strong. Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary and was the first nation to choose her under the title of Help of Christians as Principal Patroness. And Mary, Help of Christians, is continuing to intercede for us and inspire us in these trying times.

Also, even to this day, Australia is highly secularised. We still see signs at times of a concerning and deep anti-Catholic sentiment that comes bursting out at unexpected times and in very unfortunate ways. We need to invoke Help of Christians, to pray for and ask the Lord to transform the hardened hearts, the headstrong hearts and minds of people who just seem to be wanting not to hear the life-giving message of Christ.

St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney was dedicated in Mary's honour by the Irish pioneer priest, Father John Terry, who arrived in Sydney in 1820 and took on responsibility for planning and the initial construction of that cathedral. When Australia became the first country to have Mary, Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother cathedral under that same title. And of course, at St Mary's in Sydney, a beautiful statue of Mary, Help of Christians stands in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart in that cathedral.

The Church has traditionally focused on two aspects of Our Lady's help on this feast day. Firstly, upon the role of Our Lady's intercession in the fight against sin in the life of a believer. Secondly, Our Lady is one who assists Christians as a community through her intercession in fighting against anti-Christian values and principles.

In the Collect, the opening prayer today, we rightly and with heartfelt determination prayed that through Our Lady's intercession, God will grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens, so that under her protection, Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace. This is longed for and treasured more than ever before. Mary, Help of Christians is not only the Patroness of Australia, but also the Australian military ordinariate.

And the following prayer is quite fitting on this wonderful day. 

Almighty God, deepen in our hearts our love of Mary, Help of Christians. Through her prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land.

May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. Bless especially the men and women of the Australian Defense Forces and their families. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Mary Help of Christians: Pray for us.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly

From- Catholic Weekly 2012:  https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/24-may-our-lady-help-of-christians/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Help_of_Christians
Gabriel Chow   in https://sacrosancta.blogspot.com/2019/06/australia-and-our-lady-help-of-christians.html

Image Credit: 290438420 -TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - MARCH 2, 2015: The Icon of black Madonna from st. Peters church in old Jaffa by unknown artist from end of 19. cent.- By Renata Sedmakova
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks


Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria. Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

Hymn – "Rainfall – Mother of  Mercy." Music by Paul W. Kelly. 1994, 2021. Words adapted by Paul W. Kelly, based on the Traditional Salve Regina Hymn. Arranged & with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2021. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk

Marian Hymn -   "Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae." (Traditional 11th Century). Melody: Mainz (1712), Hymn #783 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/

[ Production - KER - 2025]

May God bless and keep you.