‘Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear…” Matthew 13:16

With closed churches and restricted worship, the ‘smells and bells’ of our traditions have morphed into limited community involvement driven by the ever-widening and sometimes confusing, virtual world.  As sacramental people, initiated into our Catholic faith community, we are the hands of God in the world.  Sacraments are the visible signs of an invisible reality – God’s ever-present love – and we are invited to be that sacramental presence in how we live the minutiae of our lives especially in lockdown-weary-days.  Simple statements of care and concern can shape our faith road maps.  Gestures become Christian symbols: a smile, and a hello as we walk or shop, compassion and support shown to those in our bubble, home, or neighbourhood, and connection, in some way to those beyond our 10km zones.  This is not a new or different responsibility but an ever-important blossoming alongside Spring despite Melbourne’s pandemic restrictions.  The Holy Spirit nurtures our capacity to be the best we can be, to be the embodiment of: love, faithfulness, goodness, patience, gentleness, joy, kindness, peace and self-control.

Gerald Manly Hopkins exhorted us to notice, ‘The world is charged with the grandeur of God…’,  so to are we charged to see God in everyone and God’s grace in ordinary elements of our everyday sacramental living.

By Nanette Giovannini

Entered Eternal Rest

During the month of September, the following members of the Catholic Community entered eternal rest:-

• Gabriella Baré
• Fred Bendeich
• Vince Carbone
• AJ de la Paz
• Cheryl Dimayuga
• Jennifer Fleming
• Joe Hastings
• Avis Kupcis
• Michael Lethbridge
• Vincent Machado
• Sr. Helen Malone
• Mary O’Sullivan
• Sandra Poynton
• Margot Van Reyk
• John Sartori
• Desmond Stock