Last Saturday we celebrated Australia day. The people in Tatura are very good at supporting the activities, from the Lions Club BBQ to the flow on in the Italian Social Club for the Australia Day program. Nearly 300 people packed in to hear who were the award winners for this year.
Before this we celebrated Mass at 8:30 am in our church. This was to give anyone the time to come to Mass and then join in the community celebrations
We have so much to be grateful for in this great Southern Land. We are undisputedly the lucky country. This ‘one day’ gives us the opportunity to reflect, remember and say thanks. If we are Christian believers we say thanks to God.
The Mass is our highest form of worship of saying thanks, so we would think that we would do our best to respond accordingly.
Several parishioners put in much time to make our liturgy something special for the occasion.
The readings reflected on God’s goodness to us because he loves us. We sang I am Australian, Land of the Southern Cross and Advance Australia Fair. This actually puts us in the spirit of the day. And what better way to start the day than to thank God.
Unfortunately that is not how parishioners viewed what I would think is a way to celebrate what we enjoy. Admittedly there are always genuine reasons why people couldn’t be there at 8:30 am for the 45 minutes. It is the others also that couldn’t see the need to be there.
I was disappointed, saddened and even bewildered at the lack of response when only nine people made the effort to be there.
One could say why bother But to do that one succumbs to also being ungrateful to the one who gives all we have.
Fr Michael Morley
Parish Priest
1st February 2019
