Catholic Outlook Magazine | Ordinary Time| 2023 Issue

A message from the Editor
Dear friends,
We Christians are a pilgrim people of hope!
Our personal journey begins at our birth, when we
are ejected from a secure habitat into a beautiful but
also threatening world. Gradually, most of us learn
that the world is not simply there for our convenience
and that, although we are stars in our own drama,
we have mere walk-on parts in the dramas of others.
As we mature further, we eventually realise that an
ordinary life is both an exercise in survival and an
adventure story!
And so it is with our faith journey as disciples of
Jesus of Nazareth. We are never saved alone. We
are baptised into a community. We always walk
with others, in hope, on the road to the Kingdom.
Crises and difficulties are routine and normal on
this ‘Camino’.
Therefore, we must regularly pause along the way
- to pray, listen and learn from each other, as we
navigate our way forward. A fancy word for this
‘Emmaus-like’ like process is synodality.
This Ordinary Time edition of Catholic Outlook is a
special resource for our diocese, as we prepare for
our own important local experience of synodality: our
October Diocesan Synod (which will coincide with
Pope Francis’ Universal Synod in Rome).
Some particular highlights in this issue are especially
worth your attention as we prepare for this
momentous event.
Bishop Vincent’s message on page 32 beautifully
articulates the challenge of the prophet Isaiah for our
Diocesan Synod as we seek to reform and renew our
Church as called for by Vatican II and in our own day,
Pope Francis.
Please read the delightful pieces by Michael McGirr
and Michael Whelan SM which unpack for us how we
need to open our hearts to the process of synodality,
in our Looking Deeper pages.
Always attentive to the ‘signs of the times’, please
ponder the marvellous story of Phil Russo and his
journey to affirm the dignity of our Indigenous sisters
and brothers on page 12. We Australian Catholics
must listen and act for justice to The Voice.
Sadly, in our day, some on the journey of faith
can be easily tempted by ‘prophets of doom’.
Negativity, violent language, conspiracy theories
and an unwillingness to face their own ‘shadow
side’, characterise a noisy minority who oppose the
synodal vision of Pope Francis.
But true prophets do not just denounce, they also
energise and affirm the presence of the Holy Spirit
everywhere.
Let’s be true prophets. Let's dream together at our
October Diocesan Synod - so that in our prayer,
conversation and decisions, the Holy Spirit will well
up from within our hearts.
May our October Synod bear much fruit so that we
can pass on our Catholic faith to future generations
with faithfulness and imagination.
For what have we to fear when a God who
loves us beyond our wildest dreams awaits us at
journey’s end?
Yes, the best is yet to come!
Br Mark O’Connor FMS
Editor of Catholic Outlook & Vicar for Communications
01