In this country we have been spared many of the atrocities that have befallen people in other parts of the world. We are indeed fortunate. Living in the Kimberley, this is brought home to us ever more strongly as we see around us the beauty of God’s creation. However, we cannot say that our country is, or ever has been, peace-filled. In this sense our country is still in process, it is still being formed. To be complete it needs an unwavering commitment from all of us to this end.
Twenty five years ago, in 1986, people from Broome went over the Tanami on Frank Lacey’s bus to meet the Holy Father in Alice Springs. He affirmed the extraordinary gifts that Aboriginal people and culture have brought to this Great South Land. However, he went further and told the gathering that “the Church in Australia will not be fully the church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully accepted.”
This challenge is one to a partnership, and it is issued to all of us who strive to follow Christ, whether we are Aboriginal or not. Of course, the Holy Father was calling us to the greatest of gifts, that if peace. Peace is the free gift that can only come through the action of the Holy Spirit. The first reading urges us to seek this gift, and reminds us that true peace may only be obtained from one source, from the one who rides on the donkey, from Christ who came among us to serve. It can only be shared by those who are open to their spiritual selves, who acknowledge the presence and power of God in their lives.
The gift of peace enables us to build community with each other. It allows us to open our hearts to views that differ from our own and opinions that diverge from ours. It allows us to see that the future is built together. The words that Blessed John Paul spoke in Alice Springs should continue to resound in our ears, so that we are constantly reminded that our God comes among us and has shared his word among us all equally. With this knowledge, we are empowered to keep moving forward with strength and determination, but also with the knowledge that the gentle Christ is with us on our journey.
Homily OLQP Broome 3rd July 2011
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