13 Mary MacKillop - Becoming a light for the world Even when obstacles stood in her pathway and there were many, she simply reminded her Sisters to ‘let no obstacle deter you from acting with courage’. One such obstacle was her relationship with some Bishops. This what Bishop James Quinn had to say to Bishop Reynolds in Adelaide: 'She is the daughter of a colonial seminarian, impossible for me to accept the government of a woman or to have a community of nuns governed by a lady from Adelaide. I won’t allow any woman to make a disturbance in my diocese. [6] Despite such judgements Mary MacKillop never lost sight of whom she was following. She encouraged her Sisters to trust the light that was shining within them so that they too would be light to the world. “Ah, children of St Joseph’s noble and generous heart we must be burning with zeal and courage in the service of our God”. (10 March 1907) Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone Opportunities to ‘Witness to the light’ can emerge from anywhere to anyone through our encounters. This is often a mutual experience as we reflect the light from one to the other. In my own lived experience, witnessing the light often comes in surprising ways. In the story of one of my Sisters ministering on Smokey Mountain in the Philippines, I was given the gift of ‘looking for the decorations’ amidst challenges of daily life. In one of her darker moments, a woman invited her to ‘look for the decorations’ in the rubbish dump that had become home for her. Inspired by this encouragement, the Sister began to see pieces of ribbons hanging of poles and small shoots of greenery growing amongst the rubble. On a visit to Timor Leste, I marvelled at all, that the 51 Timorese staff of Mary MacKillop Today were achieving. I heard how a whole parenting program had grown out of the voice of a mother sitting under a tree in a rural community waiting to walk her daughter home. She did not have the literacy skills to support her daughter. As the support group of Mary MacKillop Today arrived, she used her voice to share ‘I want to learn what my daughter is learning, so I can support her education’. On another occasion, the staff in Timor Leste were involved in a retreat day. Using sand play as a way of engagement, one of the staff had used the symbol of Noah’s ark. When asked to share his reflection he likened himself to Noah protecting the animals and shared ‘I am a driver. It is my responsibility to keep the staff safe’ just as Noah had done. On reading the sign on his Woolworths trolley ‘He was someone’s son’, caused me
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