Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Address from the 2024 Solemn Vespers and Presentation of Diocesan Awards at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta
7 August 2024
Dear friends in Christ,
It is good for us to be here as we celebrate this Diocesan Awards Ceremony and honour the individuals who have given themselves in service of the community. I give thanks to each of the recipients for their generosity, their faith, and their love for which they were nominated to receive these awards. I give thanks to God for the way that His goodness has been made visible in their lives.
They have let the light of Christ shine through them in their good deeds and the self-effacing manner in which they were done. The light of Christ shining in them has been noticed by those who have recommended them to receive the awards for their contribution in their local communities and beyond. It is not ultimately to them that the praise belongs, for it is Christ’s light, and not our own, that we seek to share with the world and so invite people to give praise to Him for the good work that He has done through us.
In this regard, we look to the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the perfect model. After her cousin, Elizabeth, tells her that she is “most blessed among women”, Mary responds with a hymn of praise to God in her Magnificat. This beautiful prayer captures the humble attitude that she had in response to the great honour bestowed upon her in being chosen to be the mother of the Savior. Instead of accepting the praise given to her by Elizabeth as her own, she directs all of the glory to God as she says: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”. She is fully aware that this is not about her, but about the God who “has done great things” for her. Her part was to say ‘yes’ to God’s will in her life, a ‘yes’ that would benefit all of humanity, for it was through that ‘yes’ that salvation entered into the world.
This must be our attitude as well on an occasion such as this one. The honour and glory belong to God for all of the contributions of our honorees, but we rejoice in the fact that they have said ‘yes’ to God, a ‘yes’ through which God has “done great things” for the benefit of others. Their ‘yes’ has allowed the light of Christ to shine in a very visible way that has been recognised by others. Their example should encourage each of us to seek to let His light shine more brightly in us through lives of good deeds rooted in a love of God and our neighbour.
It is appropriate that we gather for this ceremony on the eve of the feast day of our First Australian Saint, Mary MacKillop. Mary was the woman who exemplifies the best of Christian service. She took a prophetic stance not simply in providing affordable quality Catholic education and health care to the poor masses but fundamentally in meeting the great cultural challenges of her times. She and her sisters pioneered a Gospel-centred social system of inclusion, solidarity and preferential option for the poor, the marginalised and the down and out. They epitomised the ideal of ‘Australia Fair’ and in many ways, inspired the concept of an egalitarian society we inherit today. “Never see a need without doing something about it”. In acting out of a strong passion for the Kingdom and a heartfelt compassion for the suffering, she brought about a fresh hope for others.
Let us model our lives on Mary of Nazareth and Mary MacKillop. May they intercede for us to do the same as we endeavour to be the hands, feet and heart of Christ for others. Let us be known by the quality of our love and service of our brothers and sisters. May our effort to build up God’s Kingdom be richly rewarded by the God who is never outdone in generosity.
