Catholic Diocese of Broome

Along with most of the other Australian Bishops, I have spent the larger part of Lent in Rome on our Ad Limina visit, a duty exacted every five years.

Fresh in my mind is the Mass the visiting Bishops celebrated at the Tomb of Peter, directly below the main altar of St Peter’s Basilica. There you find the bones of one venerated as First among the Apostles, a special confidant of Our Lord and the First Spiritual Leader of the Christian Church.

The privilege of being able to pray at the tomb of Peter gives rise to a memory I treasure. In that moment of quiet reflection I was aware that my vocation of service to the Church stretches way back in history to the very beginnings when Our Lord walked the land of the scriptures with his disciples. At the tomb I prayed that "all may be one" (Jn. 17 : 11) and that we might abide in the Lord as he abides in us (Jn. 15 : 4).

Peter’s life in ministry and service was founded in his love of the Lord, in his relationship with Christ. His profession of faith "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16 : 16) was spoken before Easter but confirmed in the Easter wonder of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Like Peter, who denied Christ three times (Mt. 26 : 69-75) we need to have an appreciation of our own vulnerability and sinfulness. At least this is one of the Lenten discoveries for which we have been praying during the penitential season. The devotional practises of Lent, the fasting and the abstinence, the reflections on the word of God, the celebration of the Second Rite of Reconciliation, the Stations of the Cross and our focused attention to the needs of others (Project Compassion) have hopefully led us to a realisation that we are in need of knowing and sharing in the forgiveness of Christ – who has "led us out of darkness into his own wonderful light".

Like Peter, that rock of faith (Mt. 16 : 18) upon which the Church is built, we are sustained in hope by the Grace of the Easter event. Like Peter we strive to live a life of holiness and a vocation of service to the gospel nurtured by the Living Christ and the Spirit of God who gives meaning and purpose to us, and strength in the face of even the greatest adversity.

Being in Rome, in the spiritual heart of Christianity, I have come to a greater appreciation of the Church which is worth sharing with you. Here, in the Eternal City, you see what one Theologian called "The human face of the Church". Here is a history punctuated with failure, marred by human foibles and frailty. Yet here too is an abiding sense of vocation and holiness that thrives despite the apparent imperfections of the faithful. Here too, in beauty and in art, in ritual and in prayer, God’s plan is continuing to be served and witnessed to by those who strive tirelessly to do his will. This is "the Divine Face of the Church".

May the God of love and forgiveness help us, like Peter the apostle, to be an Easter people who witness tirelessly to our faith. May God’s choicest blessing be upon you and your family during this holiest of seasons.