Don't see a need without doing something about it!

 Being isolated can occasionally lead to the feeling of being out of sight out of mind! Our world shrinks to our immediate daily concerns and routines rather than looking inside so that we can look out on our world. Sitting in Sydney can be at times be slightly depressing when we wonder how can we reach out when we are called to avoid daily contacts and interactions. Over recent days we have seen this extend to Brisbane and only just today to the regional areas around the Hunter Valley. There are important messages about being vaccinated and tested if we have the mildest of symptoms. We know only too well that this is not just to ensure our own safety but to provide hope that we will return to a sense of normality in the long term.

Yet what will this new "normal" look like? We can only be too conscious of the immediate pressing needs of meeting mortgage payments, keeping paid employment, putting food on the table, and providing appropriate care to those in greatest need. These are important practical considerations and we need to make sure that we don't just try to wish them away. However, in the midst of these concerns, we are told not to worry about tomorrow but to set our hearts on the kingdom first. I believe that this is where we can look at each day and see what difference we can make for the good of another. Especially when resources, close contact, and movement are restricted how do we reach out to each other?

I believe this is where our celebration of the Solemnity of Mary Mackillop can resonate with our own experience. She neither ignored poverty nor become overwhelmed by it. She realized that her prayer and action were deeply interwoven in her life. She set her heart on being present to the needs of the people she encountered. Her insight in our own day echoes our own concerns, "Don't see a need without doing something about it!" As we know we are all pilgrims on the journey accompanying each other along the way.