Religious Dimension

Parish Family Mass This Sunday

Please join us this Sunday at 9.45am Mass to celebrate with all school families. 

Our Gospel Challenge this week is to: be kind to others.

The central theme of this week’s reading from Matthew 5: 17-37, is built upon for the next several weeks. In this text, Matthew is reassuring his Jewish audience that Jesus has not come to replace the Law of Judaism but to bring it to fullness and completion. In this gospel, Jesus reassures his hearers that ‘not one dot, one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law.’ Instead, Jesus extends the Law of Israel and interprets it in a new way. His emphasis is on the spirit of the Law, not the letter of the Law. Doing only what the Law requires as a minimum is, for Jesus, not enough. Disciples are called to discern what is at the heart of faith and to bring this to all our dealings with people. The observance of outward expressions of faith is hollow unless it is accompanied by an attitude that shapes our whole being and informs all our actions, responses and decisions.

• Explore with your family how Christianity is an attitude that shapes the whole being and life of a believer.

World Day of Social Justice

Since 2009, every 20 February has been the UN observance known as “World Day of Social Justice”. The purpose of the day is to focus on the plight of social injustice throughout the world and to press for improvements and solutions. “Social Justice” is defined as including issues of poverty, unemployment, and unfair exclusion that results in economic harm or social ostracism.

On World Day of Social Justice, there are media campaigns to raise awareness of the need for better social justice both within nations and between nations. Promoting human rights, removing artificial social barriers based on race, gender, or religion, and standing up for the rights of migrants, the disabled, and the elderly are among the themes.

Here at St John's we believe Social Justice is an important part of our Catholic faith and a personal responsibility to reach out to others. We have Social Justice student leaders in Year Six and a Social Justice Student Team that meet to discuss issues and organise activities to promote understanding and awareness of issues. Our Social Justice Leaders and School Captains will attend a Just Leadership Day, next week, to enable them to challenge injustices, and to develop the leadership qualities to encourage others to do the same. Here is the prayer we begin each Social Justice Meeting with:

Creator God, Your image is alive in every human person, giving to each of us dignity.

Create in us a desire to act in solidarity, the ability to work together. And a willingness to share with others our time, our energy, our skills and talents and our  warmth.

As we share and enjoy the fruits of our creation, restore in us your vision of a world made whole, and inspire us to commit ourselves to the common good,

Gracious God, give us ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to love.

So that we reflect you in our way of life, and in our choices, words and actions.

Jesus is good news to the poor. As his followers, may we recognise the call to be the same.   Amen.

Have an enjoyable week,

Monica

Important Dates to Remember

February

Sunday           23       Parish Family Mass,  9:45am

Wednesday   26       Ash Wednesday Mass, 10am

March

Sunday             1        Children's Mass, 11:15am