Living with Strength and Kindliness

This week we gathered as a College community to reflect on Remembrance Day. In our Remembrance Day service, we reflected on the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  

This gospel is particularly meaningful to our community, for many reasons, but most noticeably as one of the scriptures engraved on the walkway of our Kildare Campus.

These words from the Gospel of John remind us that love is more than a feeling, it is action, sacrifice, and putting others first. Remembrance Day calls us not only to honor the past but also to reflect on how we can live out this commandment in our lives. We are challenged to become peacemakers in our own ways, contributing to the peace and love that those who served believed in.

This year, our College theme of hope resonates deeply with the message of Remembrance Day. As we remember the sacrifices of the past, we are also invited to look forward with hope for a brighter future. The love that inspired the men and women we honour today is the same love that calls us to build a peaceful and hopeful future.

Our students reflected on how each of us has the power to carry this message of hope and love forward in our daily lives. Though we may not face the same sacrifices as those who served, we can make choices each day to love, to be kind, and to bring peace into the lives of others. By doing so, we honour their legacy and commit ourselves to a future where love and hope guide us. 

During the liturgy, our community reflected on art and music that our students had put together depicting what peace means for them in 2024. 

As we come towards the end of the year, we are reminded that hope is not only something we receive, but also something we create. Let’s honor the past by committing to a future where love, hope, and peace guide us all.

Lee Pethybridge

College Leader - Faith and Community