The occupants of Canberra’s Aboriginal “Tent Embassy” did their cause no good by terrorising our Prime Minister on Thursday.

That doesn’t mean that the Embassy should not exist.

Aboriginal culture includes the notion of their spirits belong to the land.

Not any land, but the land associated with one’s clan, totem or whatever.

Belonging to this particular land, you don’t feel the same about any other piece of land.

There’s little temptation to invade the land of the next-door tribe.

If Europeans felt that way, World War I and World War II may never have happened.

* * *

So January 26 (“Invasion Day”) is arguably a bad day.

How to make the invaders understand?

Give them a taste of their own medicine?

Invade/annexe a piece of land important to white Australian culture and see how they like it?

The choice of the “Embassy” site makes sense.

* * *

In fact both we and the land belong to God, Father of all races.

Saint Mary MacKillop said, “In the trials, annoyances and anxieties we daily experience, may we ever recognise that loving Fatherly Hand . . . .”

At present, neither Australia’s blacks nor whites seem to quite get it.

Let us pray that we soon will.

A national survey has found that Australians consider Australia Day the most significant day in the calendar. (AAP, 12 January 2012)

More than Anzac Day.

More than Christmas Day.

It is certainly being boosted by the political and media would-be opinion-controllers.

Municipal Councils are all hosting community breakfasts, sporting events etc., trying to beat up some interest.

Our Australian Aborigines are given at least a token mention in the publicity.

* * *

Australia Day commemorates the fact that on January 26, 1788, the “First Fleet” of European colonisers landed at Sydney Cove.

From that day on it became progressively more difficult for Aborigines to maintain their culture and way of life.

Since the 150^th anniversary of the First Fleet’s landing in 1938, some at least of the Aboriginal community, have taken to referring to January 26 as “Invasion Day and “a day of mourning and protest”.

It’s an unresolved problem.

The Christian gospel could be the factor that truly “reconciles” invaders and the invaded groups inhabiting Australia.

Generosity and fairness shown by the whites — and forgiveness and good living by the blacks – those are all it would take.

Grandstanding and slogan-quoting will not be enough.

School chaplains have been around for a long time.

Somebody students could turn to for advice who is not part of the machine.

Historically chaplains also educated students in the reality of the spiritual world – less so in recent years.

The Australian Government’s Chaplaincy Program was revised last year allowing schools which preferred could get rid of their chaplain and have a “secular welfare worker” instead.

Of 2500-odd schools involved, over 90 percent have opted to continue having a chaplain.

But the enemies of religion have further cards up their sleeve — a High Court challenge to the system is pending.

* * *

Is a student basically a kind of robot whose actions are governed by a brain which is purely a bunch of chemicals in a bony box?

The government thinks so — which would make the difference between a chaplain and a secular worker irrelevant.

The government also believes that children ultimately belong to the government.

There is a cultural war-to-the-death going on in our society.

* * *

Those who believe that children ultimately belong to God have a fight on their hands.

The present government will observe no rules in its attempt to exterminate religion from the thoughts permitted within government schools.

December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents.

Commemorates the slaughter of innocent children by a jealous, insecure dictator about 2012 years ago.

Gospel of Saint Matthew:

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, “Get up, take the Child and his Mother. Flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Joseph took the Child and his Mother by night, went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod . . . .

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was angry. He sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem aged two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be consoled, because they are no more . . . .”

* * *

Last Sunday, another slaughter of holy innocents.

At least 40 people have been killed in bomb attacks in central and northern Nigeria  — attributed to Muslims of the Boko Haram sect which seeks to impose Sharia law in Nigeria.

A bomb exploded at the end of Christmas Mass in St Teresa’s church, Madalla (near the capital, Abuja) killing an estimated 35 victims.

Pope Benedict XVI said: “I wish to express my solidarity with those who have been hit by this absurd act and invite prayers for the many victims.”

* * *

The indispensable first step in making this a better world is to convert all Muslims to the Catholic Faith.

The first indispensable step in converting all Muslims is for all Catholics to put their Faith first in their lives.

And to do it cheerfully, humbly, non-judgementally, charitably, generously , enthusiastically . . . .

These victims may not have died in vain.

Bashar al-Assad. President of Syria, denies responsibility for the killing of many (some say 4000) anti-government activists in recent months.

He claims that hundreds of police and soldiers have been killed by the “peaceful” protesters.

The “protests” in Tunis, Egypt and Libya in the last year or two seem to have done nobody much good.

Their net result may well turn out to be no more and no less “democracy” – but plenty more Sharia law and military rule.

* * *

What “rights” did the protesting Syrian rebel groups actually have in mind?

The “rights” to elections?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

If victorious, one “right” they’ll probably give themselves is the “right” to kill every Alawite and every Christian in the land.

* * *

Syria is 75 percent Sunni Muslim. The biggest minority is the Alawites (sort of Shi’ites),12-15 percent. Christians about 6 percent.

From a Christian viewpoint, Assad’s Alawite government has been streets ahead of most Muslim-dominated governments . . . .

Tolerant of all religions — including having Christians prominent in government, administration and the army.

We of the west might do best to keep our noses out of internal matters of nations whose cultures we don’t really understand.

President Obama has called on the new transitional government of Libya to “build an inclusive and tolerant and democratic Libya”.

He knows already that that is not going to happen.

Libya, like Egypt and Tunisia, is emerging from the “Arab Spring” more than ever dominated by “Islamism”.

The current leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, has announced that Sharia Law will be “the basic source” of Libya’s  laws.

That he meant this in the literal and most stark sense, he made clear by asserting that polygamy will be re-legalised.

* * *

Islam and Christian religion are incompatible in many ways.

The understanding of marriage is one of them.

Mohammed, himself, had multiple wives.

If the western nations want to help those who live in Islamic countries, trying to talk them into holding elections etc. is not very relevant.

What they need is to be convinced to quit Islam.

That can’t happen while the west rejects its own Christian cultural origins.

Worst of all if the Church itself had no zeal for converting non-Christians.

* * *

The late Pope John Paul II made himself notorious when he kissed the Koran as a gesture of “goodwill”.

Obviously it was an act of bad will – but the Church has never refuted it.

On October 27, a gathering of leaders of world religions — including, bizarrely, prominent atheists — will take place in Assisi.

A thoroughly un-Catholic move.

As Pope Pius XI said in the 1920’s, “The Catholic Church has never permitted its subjects to take part in congresses of non-Catholics.”