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Discovering heavenly treasure
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Rich
Aug 8, 2023, 3:58:05 AM8/8/23
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Discovering heavenly treasure
Discovering God's kingdom is like stumbling across a hidden
treasure or finding the one pearl of great price. When we discover the
kingdom of God we receive the greatest possible treasure--the Lord
himself. Selling all that we have to obtain this incomparable treasure
could mean many things--our friends, possessions, job, our "style of
life", what we do with our free time. Treasure has a special
connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of
will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest
treasure.
In this parable what does the treasure of the kingdom of heaven
refer to? It certainly refers to the kingdom of God in all its aspects
(a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit--Romans
14:17). But in a special way, the Lord himself is the treasure we
seek. "If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you
will delight yourself in the Almighty" (Job 22:22-23). Is the Lord
the treasure and delight of your heart?
<<>><<>><<>>
August 8th - St. Mary MacKillop
(1842-1909)
Australia, like the United States, is a nation of immigrants. There
the Church, like the Church in this country, has often been faced with
problems unknown to Europe, and has had to adapt church practices to
local needs.
Mary Helen MacKillop furnishes a good illustration of such
accommodation in the regulation of a religious order.
She was born in Melbourne, Australia, on January 15, 1852, the
daughter of Catholic immigrants from the Scottish highlands. The
oldest of the MacKillop’s eight children, Mary, at 16, became the main
breadwinner for the family when her father’s business dealings failed.
She worked as a governess, a shop assistant, and finally as a school
teacher.
In 1866 she met Father Julian Tenison Woods (1832-1889). Woods, an
Englishman who had come to the Sixth Continent in 1854, was an
educator, scientist and missionary. After ordination to the priesthood
at Adelaide in 1857, he was assigned the pastorate of a parish of
22,000 square miles in South Australia.
This huge “bush” parish was sparsely inhabited by farmers, miners and
railroad workers. Nevertheless, Father Woods was determined to start a
Catholic school among them, free and without government support. When
he met Mary MacKillop, he felt that she would be the ideal person to
pioneer the effort, and his hunch proved true. In 1865, Mary and two
of her younger sisters took over a school at Penola, beginning their
work in an abandoned stable. A year later Father Woods and Mary
established the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Miss
MacKillop was named the first superior, taking her vows as Mother Mary
of the Cross.
The little community achieved a rapid success. The school was popular,
but the Sisters also engaged in many other programs to keep the Faith
flourishing among the isolated immigrants. No inconvenience was too
great for them to brave. They lived in the same tents, shanties and
sheds as the other settlers in the Outback. Priests were few, but the
Sisters kept Catholicism strong at their outposts between the monthly
or even more infrequent visits of missionary priests. Thanks to the
good schooling they gave them, Mother Mary’s nuns were able to see
many of the second generation of their pupils rise into parliamentary
office.
Of course, the growth of the sisterhood was not without its problems.
A number of clergy as well as laity frowned on some of the
nontraditional methods and measures taken by this first “home-grown”
Australian religious order. Indeed, in 1871 the Bishop of Adelaide
excommunicated Mother MacKillop and declared her congregation
disbanded!
A kindly Jewish gentleman gave them a house rent-free until their
status could be clarified. Fortunately, they did not have to wait
long. The order was restored in 1872, and in 1874, Mother Mary
traveled to Rome and presented her rule to Pope Pius IX. While some of
her positions were disallowed, she won her main point: that there
should be a central government for her community throughout the
Australian colonies. By the time Mother Mary died in 1909, the number
of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart had risen to 1000. By
1964 there were 2100 members.
The MacKillop Sisters have always remained typically Australian. They
are familiarly known as the “Brown Joeys”, because of their brown
habits. This affectionate term also had an Australian twist. In
Australian slang “Joey” also means a young kangaroo.
When Pope John Paul II visited Sydney on January 19, 1995, to beatify
Mary Helen MacKillop, he stressed this point of her “Australianness.”
“Mary MacKillop,” he told his audience, “embodied all that is best in
your nation and its people.” He listed the qualities of openness,
generosity, justice, perseverance, kindness and compassion. The world
needs more people like her, he said, “people who place the spiritual
and material well-being of others ahead of any personal convenience.”
Mary of the Cross MacKillop was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on
October 17, 2010.
–Father Robert F. McNamara
Saint Quote:
“The first thing about the angels we ought to imitate is their
consciousness of the presence of God.”
--St. John Vianney
Bible Quote:
Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels
of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one
another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against
another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.
(Colossians 3:12-13 ) DRB
<><><><>
Prayer in Honour of Christ's Passion
I give you glory, O Christ,
because You, the Only-begotten, the Lord of all,
underwent the death of the Cross
to free my sinful soul from the bonds of sin.
What shall I give to You, O Lord,
in return for all this kindness?
Glory to You, O Lord,
for Your love, for Your mercy, for Your patience.
Glory to You, for forgiving us all our sins,
for coming to save our souls,
for Your incarnation in the Virgin's womb.
Glory to You, for Your bonds,
for receiving the cut of the lash, for accepting mockery.
Glory to You, for Your crucifixion, for Your burial,
for Your resurrection.
Glory to You, for being preached to men,
for being taken up to heaven.
Glory to You who sit at the Father's right hand
and will return in glory.
Glory to You for willing that the sinner be saved
through Your great mercy and compassion.
Amen.
Discovering God's kingdom is like stumbling across a hidden
treasure or finding the one pearl of great price. When we discover the
kingdom of God we receive the greatest possible treasure--the Lord
himself. Selling all that we have to obtain this incomparable treasure
could mean many things--our friends, possessions, job, our "style of
life", what we do with our free time. Treasure has a special
connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of
will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest
treasure.
In this parable what does the treasure of the kingdom of heaven
refer to? It certainly refers to the kingdom of God in all its aspects
(a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit--Romans
14:17). But in a special way, the Lord himself is the treasure we
seek. "If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you
will delight yourself in the Almighty" (Job 22:22-23). Is the Lord
the treasure and delight of your heart?
<<>><<>><<>>
August 8th - St. Mary MacKillop
(1842-1909)
Australia, like the United States, is a nation of immigrants. There
the Church, like the Church in this country, has often been faced with
problems unknown to Europe, and has had to adapt church practices to
local needs.
Mary Helen MacKillop furnishes a good illustration of such
accommodation in the regulation of a religious order.
She was born in Melbourne, Australia, on January 15, 1852, the
daughter of Catholic immigrants from the Scottish highlands. The
oldest of the MacKillop’s eight children, Mary, at 16, became the main
breadwinner for the family when her father’s business dealings failed.
She worked as a governess, a shop assistant, and finally as a school
teacher.
In 1866 she met Father Julian Tenison Woods (1832-1889). Woods, an
Englishman who had come to the Sixth Continent in 1854, was an
educator, scientist and missionary. After ordination to the priesthood
at Adelaide in 1857, he was assigned the pastorate of a parish of
22,000 square miles in South Australia.
This huge “bush” parish was sparsely inhabited by farmers, miners and
railroad workers. Nevertheless, Father Woods was determined to start a
Catholic school among them, free and without government support. When
he met Mary MacKillop, he felt that she would be the ideal person to
pioneer the effort, and his hunch proved true. In 1865, Mary and two
of her younger sisters took over a school at Penola, beginning their
work in an abandoned stable. A year later Father Woods and Mary
established the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Miss
MacKillop was named the first superior, taking her vows as Mother Mary
of the Cross.
The little community achieved a rapid success. The school was popular,
but the Sisters also engaged in many other programs to keep the Faith
flourishing among the isolated immigrants. No inconvenience was too
great for them to brave. They lived in the same tents, shanties and
sheds as the other settlers in the Outback. Priests were few, but the
Sisters kept Catholicism strong at their outposts between the monthly
or even more infrequent visits of missionary priests. Thanks to the
good schooling they gave them, Mother Mary’s nuns were able to see
many of the second generation of their pupils rise into parliamentary
office.
Of course, the growth of the sisterhood was not without its problems.
A number of clergy as well as laity frowned on some of the
nontraditional methods and measures taken by this first “home-grown”
Australian religious order. Indeed, in 1871 the Bishop of Adelaide
excommunicated Mother MacKillop and declared her congregation
disbanded!
A kindly Jewish gentleman gave them a house rent-free until their
status could be clarified. Fortunately, they did not have to wait
long. The order was restored in 1872, and in 1874, Mother Mary
traveled to Rome and presented her rule to Pope Pius IX. While some of
her positions were disallowed, she won her main point: that there
should be a central government for her community throughout the
Australian colonies. By the time Mother Mary died in 1909, the number
of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart had risen to 1000. By
1964 there were 2100 members.
The MacKillop Sisters have always remained typically Australian. They
are familiarly known as the “Brown Joeys”, because of their brown
habits. This affectionate term also had an Australian twist. In
Australian slang “Joey” also means a young kangaroo.
When Pope John Paul II visited Sydney on January 19, 1995, to beatify
Mary Helen MacKillop, he stressed this point of her “Australianness.”
“Mary MacKillop,” he told his audience, “embodied all that is best in
your nation and its people.” He listed the qualities of openness,
generosity, justice, perseverance, kindness and compassion. The world
needs more people like her, he said, “people who place the spiritual
and material well-being of others ahead of any personal convenience.”
Mary of the Cross MacKillop was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on
October 17, 2010.
–Father Robert F. McNamara
Saint Quote:
“The first thing about the angels we ought to imitate is their
consciousness of the presence of God.”
--St. John Vianney
Bible Quote:
Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels
of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: Bearing with one
another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against
another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.
(Colossians 3:12-13 ) DRB
<><><><>
Prayer in Honour of Christ's Passion
I give you glory, O Christ,
because You, the Only-begotten, the Lord of all,
underwent the death of the Cross
to free my sinful soul from the bonds of sin.
What shall I give to You, O Lord,
in return for all this kindness?
Glory to You, O Lord,
for Your love, for Your mercy, for Your patience.
Glory to You, for forgiving us all our sins,
for coming to save our souls,
for Your incarnation in the Virgin's womb.
Glory to You, for Your bonds,
for receiving the cut of the lash, for accepting mockery.
Glory to You, for Your crucifixion, for Your burial,
for Your resurrection.
Glory to You, for being preached to men,
for being taken up to heaven.
Glory to You who sit at the Father's right hand
and will return in glory.
Glory to You for willing that the sinner be saved
through Your great mercy and compassion.
Amen.
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