The Rite of Election (22/02/2026)

What about the Christian life? I hear our catechumens and candidates wondering, what are its Ts and Cs? There's both good news and challenging news on that front.

You've read the Catechism or at least the Compendium already.

You hear the preaching at Mass and you've been catechised in the RCIA.

You've been reading your Bibles.

You've had the witness of some faithful people to imitate.

you already have a pretty good idea of what's expected of Christians.

So the good news is that it won't take you 500 hours to get through the T's and C's before you press accept today.

The challenging news is that it will instead take you a lifetime to live those T's and C's.

Jesus isn't one to fudge this.

He told his would-be followers what kind of self-sacrifice his kind of life requires.

Interested in the comfortable life Or here's the cross instead, he says.

Take that up if you want to follow me.

Ready for mediocrity? Well, I'm asking heroic virtue of you.

I want you to live a principled life in a culture of relativism.

to live the commandments, beatitudes and parables, to give and forgive, worship and pray, lead and serve.

Put simply, to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

It's not fine print hidden on page 200.

It's there on page one in bold.

But for the last six years in a row, year by year, more and more of you have been saying accept at the right of election here in Sydney.

322 catechumens awaiting baptism represent a 35% increase in just one year.

And our 110 candidates for full communion, a 92% increase in one year.

That's not just happening here in Sydney, but in many parts of the world right now.

as more and more people say their yes to God.

There are many other signs of this, even if there are contrary declines at the same time.

Each of you today, having examined the terms and conditions, is about to say, I'm in.