As we continue “Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s Reflections on 50 Years of Pastoral Service” series, this week, Archbishop Mark was asked about what brings hope and joy for the future in the Church.
Archbishop Mark then talked about about the unexpected and transformative work of the Holy Spirit which is demonstrated through the surprising election of Pope Francis and the subsequent emphasis on synodality. The experiences from the Plenary Council further highlight the influence of the Spirit and how the faith of people from diverse backgrounds and ages continues to inspire. Despite the challenges, the ordained ministry’s unique perspective on the lives of the faithful uncovers moments of extraordinary inspiration and joy, all accompanied by a profound sense of peace as a reflection of the Holy Spirit.
Watch the Archbishop’s reflection here:
Ep8 – Hallmarks of the Spirit
The surprises of the Spirit. It’s just never ceased to amaze me is through the years. That just when you think, you know, we’re all going to just roll along as we’ve always rolled along,
something happens and it bears all the hallmarks of the Spirit who’s the great comforter, but also the great disruptor. One of those for me was the election of Pope Francis. I mean, I didn’t see it coming. I was asked to help with the media commentary at the time that conclave. And everyone was expecting it to be the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Scola. I went through all the Cardinals and I crossed their names off if I thought they weren’t a realistic possibility, and I’d certainly crossed Bergoglio off because he was too old, he was a Jesuit, they won’t elect a Jesuit, and so on.
Anyway, I got the call at three in the morning, Popes get elected in the wrong time of the day in Australia. I jumped out of bed thinking, God that’s quick. So it must be Scola. So I was preparing to do interviews about Cardinal Scola. And then the Cardinal Deacon came out onto the balcony of St Peters and announced that it was Bergoglio, the Argentinian Jesuit. I thought my God, I know nothing about him. So I had to Google infuriously and pretend that I’d known him for years. But his election and all that has followed from it has been for me one of the great surprises of the Spirit. And the whole call to what is called synodality which is a difficult word in English. But I think it’s just been one of those surprises of the Spirit. But there have been so many in little ways and in big ways. I mean, when I talk about the Pope and synodality, that’s big picture. But the experience of, the journey of the Plenary Council, which is related to all of this, has been another great experience of the Spirit at work. So they’re the kinds of things.
But little things too again the faith of the people, and when I say the people, I mean young people, old people, middle people, men, women. You see it time and time again. And one of the great privileges of the ordained ministry is the access it gives you to people’s lives. And you see things that are extraordinarily inspiring and encouraging and sustaining and so on. So they’re some of the things that give me joy. And if there isn’t that joy, if it’s just drudgery, why would you stay with it? And it hasn’t been, there have been times of drudgery of course. But no, my experience of the journey has been that it is fascinating, full of surprises, never lacking a sense of adventure and often enough, moments of joy.
But through it all, a kind of a deep sub theme of peace. And that’s the important thing, that’s the sign of the Holy Spirit.