On 25 April, all across Australia, many people make an effort to attend an Anzac Day ceremony or, in some other way, pause to reflect on and give thanks for those who serve and have served Australia in the armed forces. They particularly remember with gratitude the sacrifice of men and women who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in the call of duty; and the suffering of the loved ones they left behind.
These ceremonies often take place at a war memorial, with those attending aware they are standing at a “sacred place”. The ceremonies are important and valued gestures of recognition of our heritage and our inheritance – the freedom to live in a humane and democratic society.
Recently, I came across a tribute to the life of Sir Victor Windeyer, a former judge of the High Court of Australia. Windeyer had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces the day after his 18th birthday and went on to lead his unit in the defence of Tobruk in 1941. Later in his life, Windeyer wrote about heritage and inheritance.
He said of war memorials, that they should not only speak of heritage and inheritance, but that they should always evoke a question that each generation should ask: “what shall we give back in return for so much?” (based on Psalm 116 verse 2)
It struck me that this year, when we are reflecting on and giving thanks for the 180 years of the Mercy charism in Australia, that Windeyer’s sentiment was very pertinent and helpful. We have in all our facilities statues of our founders and other Christian symbols and rituals that are like our war memorials. They speak to us of our heritage and our inheritance and they might also call us to ask, “what shall we give back in return for so much given?”
Windeyer also wrote of inheritance that it was not just something handed down to us, but more importantly something to be handed on by us. He urged that we are duty bound to hold onto the good things in our inheritance, in order to pass them on. We have no right to disinherit the next generation.
How wonderful if our statues, symbols and rituals helped us pause and consider our duty to hold onto the good things in our inheritance, the cultural and intellectual gifts we have in our Mercy tradition, so as to hand them on to the next generation.
May the joy and hope of this Easter season be with you all.
Jennifer Stratton, Trustee Director
Banner image by Nick Fewings
