Happiness and Harmony
March 20, 2019Provided below is a reflection on the International Day of Happiness (20 March) and Harmony Day (21 March)…
Why is 20 March named as the ‘international day of happiness’? There must be something in our society that has called for it. In fact, it was founded on 28 June 2012 when the UN General Assembly adopted the UN resolution 66/281:
recognising the pursuit of happiness as a fundamental human right and goal, and universal aspiration in the lives of all human beings [1]
It is surprising that we needed to be reminded of the importance of being happy, or to know that there are people who live life lacking this emotional state!
When asked what ‘happiness’ means, some people connect this state of feeling with relationships, others with personal success. In 1899 Mary MacKillop asked people to ‘find happiness in making others happy’.
So, what really makes for happiness? When I compare people’s responses and the comment of Mary MacKillop with my own experience, I conclude that real happiness is joy shared with those around us. Attaining success might bring personal happiness, but it needs to be known by an external entity to be complete. For example, I worked hard in my studies in order to advance in my career and attain security. When I reached the goal, I felt a sense of success and I was happy. But this feeling could not be retained within myself forever. I needed the feeling to be known and to pass it on to another being, either human or in nature.
Another thing – I have had a tendency throughout my ministry and life journey to set myself over-difficult goals or expectations, and I missed out on happiness in attaining them. What was needed was love – love for what I was doing, and love for the people involved in that journey. I find it is not hard to work on eliciting a smile from others. This is happiness!
There is an obvious connection between ‘Happiness Day’ and ‘Harmony Day’. When we bring happiness, we bring harmony. The celebration of Harmony Day on 21 March began in 1999, just before we entered the 21st century. This same day is also the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
For us Australians, this day is about:
inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, and united by a set of core Australian values [2]
Our world now is in great need of harmony between humans and with the rest of the creation. To become more inclusive is to respect others and the natural world. When we understand and respect the needs of others, and when we can share what we have, all can be in harmony.
I remember the parable of long spoons or long chopsticks. The story was told to help people understand how heaven is attainable now, by including others and sharing with others. When all of creation acts in this way, we need not go on searching for harmony and happiness, as we and the rest of creation are harmony and happiness.
Hun Do rsj
[1] https://www.qttransformation.com/supporting-happiness-and-harmony/
[2] https://www.harmony.gov.au/about/
Image within article: People Happy obtained on Pixabay. Used with permission.
Thumbnail image: Sun Happy Sunshine obtained on Pixabay. Used with permission.
St Joseph’s Day Message from Sr Monica
March 19, 2019Greetings on the feast of Saint Joseph.
May this feast day provide each one with the opportunity to live in the humble spirit of Joseph as people called to make a difference in our world.
Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods chose Saint Joseph to be the Patron of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Mary MacKillop often wrote to the sisters about the humility of Joseph – a man grounded in the reality of the everyday, always aware that it was God’s work and not his own that mattered.
On this particular feast of Joseph, we are mindful that this is a difficult time for many living with the reality of the impact of sexual abuse in our church and the wider community. Currently many in our church community are struggling to find meaning in the events of these past weeks and in the whole reality of facing the sexual abuse crisis in our church and in our world.
In 1907 on the feast of Saint Joseph, Mary MacKillop wrote some encouraging words to the sisters when facing dark and uncertain times. She writes:
She saw this reflected in the life of Saint Joseph who struggled to understand what God was asking of him as he stepped beyond his faith tradition to welcome the pregnant Mary as his wife. She saw it again when he had to leave the familiar and move as a refugee into the land of Egypt. No doubt in these painful moments, Joseph struggled about what to do and how to respond. For us as church this is a time of being led into some dark places, a time when we are called to sit in the darkness like Joseph and Mary MacKillop and to know the pain of what it means to stand at the cross of suffering. This feast invites each one of us, like Joseph to find trust in God’s promise that life comes through death and difficult realities.
God chose Joseph in his simplicity and humility to participate in God’s mission as the humble worker from Nazareth to safeguard the gift of the Child Jesus entrusted to him. May Saint Joseph strengthen us in our mission today to protect and safeguard the children and vulnerable persons of our communities who are entrusted to our care.
Joseph teach us to be gentle with our power and strong in our tenderness in this Holy Saturday time.
And in the words of Mary MacKillop, may this feast of Saint Joseph be a happy and holy one and may it bring each one many graces.
Sr Monica Cavanagh rsj
Congregational Leader
Image: photo of Saint Joseph and Jesus sculpture taken at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Adelaide, South Australia.
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Two
March 7, 2019
This month we present a letter written by Father Julian Tenison Woods to the South Australian Weekly Chronicle on 7 November 1863.
Mechanics’ Institutes were a popular establishment in Britain in the 19th century, offering free lectures to ‘mechanics’ as tradesmen, or working men as they were known at that time.
In Australia, the first Mechanics Institute appeared in Hobart in 1827, followed by Sydney in 1833, Adelaide in 1838 and Melbourne in 1839. Before long, most towns had a Mechanics’ Institute comprising a hall, library and reading rooms, facilities for games and programs of educational and entertaining activities. They were really the forerunner of public libraries and adult education in Australia and their names remain on many public buildings today.
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter One
February 7, 2019
Let’s begin our experience of Father Julian, Man of Words, with a letter he wrote from Penola to The Argus on 4 February 1865.
The subject of the letter is ‘The Comet’ which was visible in the Southern Hemisphere during January and February 1865. Obviously Father Julian had seen this phenomenon and called on research to situate it within an astronomical context. Living in a remote area of South Australia, from where might this research have been gleaned? Talking/corresponding with fellow scientists? Previous study? Scientific journals? No matter, the facts gathered together make for interesting reading.
Sister Teresa McDonald
January 13, 2017
The death of Sister Teresa McDonald at The Vale (Perthville) on 13 January 1876 brought to an end the life of a remarkable Sister of St Joseph.
Born Margaret McDonald in Scotland in 1838, she immigrated to Australia as a child. After a short time in Perth, her parents moved to Adelaide. Ten years later, in 1867, she joined the newly-founded Sisters of St Joseph.