Padre Pio Parish Glenmore Park

A new supermarket has just opened in South Penrith. In the fresh food section it has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain. When you pass the milk cartons, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh cut hay.

In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks and sausages. In the liquor department, the fresh, clean, crisp smell of tapped Heineken. When you approach the egg cartons, you hear hens cluck and cackle, and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying. The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread & biscuits. I don't buy toilet paper there anymore.

Well I just returned from an interesting annual Police chaplains seminar at Goulburn where to my surprise I received a 10 year service medal from Commissioner Andrew Scippione. I can’t believe it’s really been 10 years already. In that time there have been many tragic accidents, many deaths, many cold dark nights with dejected or grieving people. But I have always experienced a positive feeling of God’s comforting Presence amidst the gloom. During our seminar there were interesting talks on Asian drug gangs as well as Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and the squads that do covert operations to catch these crooks. Other lectures were on “stress and spirituality” and gave insights into how chaplains can assist police to keep an optimistic outlook in the face of so much evil.

It is a challenge to keep your faith in the midst of so much sadness and misery that police experience daily. But I was encouraged by the enthusiasm of the other chaplains who undertake the same mission as myself. The most fascinating experience for me was meeting the soon to attest probationary constables, among them one of our parishioners and another, a man from my home town (my own street) whom I have known since childhood, who at the ripe age of 44 has finally realized his life-long ambition of ‘becoming a cop’. When I meet these new “Probies” I always ask “what made you want to be a cop?” and the most common response is: I want to make a difference. Sadly for many they soon realize that the difference they make is minor in the big scheme of things and within their first 3 years many return to their previous occupations.

Jesus warns us that we will be disappointed if we seek to see the difference we have made in this life. He reminds us to keep our aim on the next life. We are all given a divine calling to “make a difference” and to remain focused on the bigger picture. Preventing one crime has made a difference. Catching one criminal has already changed the world for the better. But for you who are not a police man or woman, you too can make a difference. Bringing one soul closer to God has changed the world. Bringing one person to make a good confession of their sins will change future generations of people. Make that your goal.

Please pray in today’s Mass that you can see the vocation that God has for you and encourage those you know who would also make good priests