In thanksgiving

The weeks in the wake of the American celebration of Thanksgiving are always salutary for us in Australia. We so often think of ourselves as self-made or we take our good fortune lazily for granted.

Actually, it is impossible to take the life of the Thomas More Centre for granted. There have been so many of our team who have worked so hard, so creatively and yet so joyfully and willingly. It is important to thank God every day for the grace of their contributions.

This November at the TMC has been a head-spinning cycle of meetings and talks – all of them constructive and promising for the second stage of the Thomas More Centre developments for 2025. Each of our events has expanded the company of friends and contacts for the future.

We are planning a more comprehensive 2024 wrap-up for the end of this year, but for today, we will have some brief bulletins for your information.

This week, the first of Advent, is also time for a saintly breather. The obvious and important saints are Saints Francis Xavier, Nicholas and Lucy.

For TMC’s work of the formation of minds, hearts and communities it is Ambrose of Milan (339-397), the great Latin Doctor, classical scholar, public theologian and leader who particularly comes to mind this week.

During his relatively short public life, Ambrose – the Germanic/Gaulish-born son of an aristocratic administrative family of the Roman Empire – became the fearless bridge between worlds in flabbergasting flux and tension. He navigated with calm and holiness the collapsing Roman society and the learned Stoics, the wilder pagans of the fringes, the many cosmopolitan sophisticates of the Arians and everyone in between.

He was a man of letters, a mystagogue, preacher, hymnist, liturgist, community builder, peacemaker, scripture scholar, bishop and endlessly generous pastoral listener. His “honey-tongue” as orator and counsellor, along with his authenticity, drew the skeptical and later giant Augustine to Christianity. It also fulfilled his father’s vision of him as a baby – being visited by a swarm of bees who bestowed drops of honey to his infant lips. (He is one of the patron saints of bees and bee-keepers.)

St Ambrose left an ascending career as a leading unbaptised (catechumen) governor to become a bishop. He was mugged (almost literally) by the demands of the Church for unity and truth to become a Christian leader and teacher at a time of radical transformation and change in society.

In dedicated simplicity (he gave away all his assets to the poor) he urged pagans and Christians alike to the beauty of Christ through poetry, worship and liturgy. He was a Latin who studied the great Greek Fathers in their original language. He was a classicist who plunged himself into an immersive reading of the Scriptures, giving the West distinctive examples of Christian virtue and lectio divina (a contemplative reading of the Scriptures).

There is so much to learn for our times from this cultured and prayerful man!

Suffice to offer one of the credal hymns of thanks and praise traditionally associated with Ambrose: the Te Deum:

Te Deum laudámus: te Dominum confitémur. Te ætérnum Patrem omnis terra venerátur. (We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee: the Father everlasting.)

So many experiences and friends to thank for last week alone:

• A meeting and talk with the young adults at the Conversations in Faith group and TMC Canberra: “How to Love the Church in a Time of Crisis”. It was a lively night of conversation and questions.

• Meeting with some of the TMC Albury team in preparation for events in Wagga/Albury in 2025 – thanks for all your hospitality, Sara, Damien, Catherine, James and all your families.

• Lunch with our wonderful TMC and News Weekly Melbourne volunteers and staff.

• TMC (Melbourne) collaboration with his family and the Catholic Medical Association Victoria in the uplifting Mass and Oration with Archbishop Peter Comensoli, Professor Tracey Rowland and the Tonti family in honour of the 10th anniversary of the life and work of Professor Tonti-Filippini. 120 guests shared their memories and their indebtedness to Australia’s outstanding philosopher and bioethicist. Special thanks to the Anima team, Monica and Ann-Maree, and to the TMC Melbourne team, Gabriel and Daniel.

• “Lamps Alight: Advent Reflection” – a morning of prayer and conversation with the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia, Fr Marcus Goulding and the welcoming women of St Francis Xavier’s Parish, Corio.

Coming up: TMC Melbourne – Talk on Fr Stanley Jaki

Dr John Long will present a talk on the brilliant Catholic priest and scientist, Fr Stanley Jaki OSB, on Sunday, December 8 at Holy Spirit Church Hall, Manifold Heights from 12 noon to 1pm (starts with cuppa after 11am Mass). Contact John at 0404 385 952 for further details.

Thank you all for your interest, emails, texts and letters of support.

Anna Krohn
Executive Director
Thomas More Centre