Viewpoint

Last Sunday night, when I received one of Year 11 Boarders into the Church, he chose one of his classmates to be his sponsor, and a further 30 of his friends gathered to support him as he was fully initiated into the Church. Moreover, the saint’s name he chose for his Confirmation name was that of his House patron.

The experience of these sacramental moments in the life of our students and Old Ignatians and their families is a tangible reminder of the grace and gift that flows from our belonging to the Church, and in particular, the local expression of Church here at the College. This sense of belonging usually flows from the gift of our baptism, the first step of initiation into the Church, the Body of Christ. It is then deepened with the reception of the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation and through the regular nourishment we receive through the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our Christian life of discipleship.

Our life of discipleship and sense of belonging is fostered throughout our time at the College, working in partnership with our parents and families, who are our primary educators in life and faith.  For our two Year 10 boarders who made the First Holy Communion and the Year 11 boarder who was received into the Church, their sense of belonging to the Church had grown during their time at the College. And this is something worth celebrating, seeing the presence of the Spirit active among us!

During this week we also celebrated the Feasts of All Saints, All Souls, as well as All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus. These three feast days remind us that our sense of belonging does not come to an end with our death, but rather, we enter into a different and deeper sense of belonging as we are called home by God, our Creator, to the eternal heavenly banquet.

As Christians, we believe that when we die, our life is changed and not ended, and that in fact, we continue to live on with our God. In Saint John’s Gospel (14:1-6), Jesus tells us that there are many rooms in our Father’s house. When we gather to give thanks to God for the life of one of our loved ones, we pray that they may rest in peace in the place prepared for them with our God, while they wait for each one of us to join them and our God.

The funeral I celebrated on Wednesday in Melbourne took place in the Jesuit parish church, Immaculate Conception, in Hawthorn. It was very poignant for my friend’s family, and many friends, to gather in this sacred space, as it was her family's parish Church. So many important moments had taken place for my friend in this sacred space, including her confirmation, her marriage, the funeral of both of her parents, as well as regular worship of God for nearly 7 decades. My friend knew that she belonged here, and as we gathered to give thanks to God for the gift of her life, all of us too experienced that same sense of belonging, centred around our belief in Jesus, whom we proclaim to be the Way, the Truth and the Life. After Holy Communion, two of her closest friends prayed St Patrick’s Breastplate, and it was incredibly moving to hear these words,

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

As we continue to remember our loved ones throughout this month of November, may each of us spend a moment savouring the gift of faith and the gift of belonging to a community of faith that walks with us in moments of great celebration and joy, as well as moments of sadness and grief, remembering that Christ is with us always.

Wishing you all every blessing.