AUSTRALIA: ARCHBISHOP EXPECTS CROWDS AT CHRISTMAS DUE TO MACKILLOP INFLUENCE

CATH NEWS REPORT- Archbishop Philip Wilson says the canonisation of Mary MacKillop is expected to inspire large crowds for Christmas mass this year, according to Ninemsn."Mary's love for God and her capacity to never see a need without doing something about it is a wonderful inspiration for us as we reflect at Christmas time on how we can live our lives better," he said in a release.

"It's also a time to pray for and support those people less fortunate than us, particularly those suffering from violence and persecution as well as those fleeing their countries at great risk to them and their families."

Writing in the Advertiser, Archbishop Wilson said God came as a helpless little child in Bethlehem, rather than in a demonstration of power and authority becaue he wants us to love him, not to be overpowered by him.

"So in the midst of this world where there is so much to frighten us and so much to worry about, Christmas reassures us that Jesus is present and that his love for us is sufficient to give us the strength to be agents of love as we live in the world.

"This Christmas is also a time for us to pray that Christians everywhere around the world can celebrate in peace, especially the Christians in Iraq who have suffered horrendously through the attack on the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad and subsequent bombings.

"The feast of Christmas is an opportunity to not only wish people well but to do everything we can to support one another in peace, especially the members of our community who are hurting or who are marginalised," he adds, expressing condolence to the families of those who recently perished in the sea off Christmas Island.

"I urge you to keep in mind this Christmas that the way we treat asylum seekers, both as a society and as individuals, strikes at the essence of our humanity," Archbishop Wilson wrote.

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=24659

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