Religious Education
Important R.E. Dates for Term 3
Saturday July 20th @ 6pm: Confirmation Family Commitment Mass
Tuesday July 23rd @ 9:15am: Grandparents Day Mass
Wednesday July 31st: Reconciliation available for Grade 4 during school time
Thursday August 1st: Reconciliation available for Grade 4 during school time
Tuesday August 13th 8.45am-3.15pm: Confirmation Retreat Day
Thursday August 15th @ 9:15am: Feast of the Assumption Mass
Tuesday August 20th: Reconciliation available for Grade 6 during school time
Thursday August 22nd: Reconciliation available for Grade 6 during school time
Tuesday August 20th @ 3.30 - 4.30pm: Confirmation Family Faith Sharing Afternoon
Wednesday August 21st: Bishop Ireland visits Confirmation students during school time
Tuesday August 27th @ 9:15am: Father’s Day Mass
Friday August 30th @ 5pm: Sacrament of Confirmation Mass
Gospel
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Unpacking the Scriptures
The Gospel of John this Sunday is a change from our readings from Mark, but continues the narrative from where Jesus was preaching to a crowd of five thousand about the Kingdom of God. After a long day he notices the people have had nothing to eat and it is too late and long a journey for them to go home. Once again, moved with compassion, Jesus helps them. Looking first to his disicples, he asks them to search for food but they reply they have no money and no food available apart from a boy with five loaves and two fish. This reminds us that God wants to work with us and asks us to freely participate in His plan.
John's Gospel specifically highlights this miracle of multiplying the five loaves and two fish for thousands as a sign of God's authority and divinity. The crowd reclines and all hungers are satisified in abundance (with leftovers)! This points to the heavenly banquet and significance of sharing Jesus' body and blood. John teaches us in the Eucharist, we are anticipating the eternal banquet of heaven where all are satisified.
Another important detail of John’s Gospel is the bread that is blessed and shared are barley loaves. During Jesus' time, this is the food of the poor. It reminds us in the Eucharist, we are sent to serve the poorest among us.
At Mass, during the Offetory, we present the gifts given to us first by God as grain and fruit (bread and wine), that are returned to God in our offering of thanksgiving. God in turn transforms our gifts, making this bread and wine the very Body and Blood of Jesus to fill us not only physically but spiritually, like the crowd, sharing in a taste of the heavenly banquet that awaits us.
Family Connection
As you gather as a family, talk together about the things that your family needs, starting with the basics—food, shelter, safety, etc. Continue then to name other things a family needs to be happy and healthy—time together, cooperation, patience, etc. Observe that sometimes we can feel like we don’t have enough of the things that we need or want. As Jesus made the five loaves and two fish more than enough to meet the needs of over five thousand people, he will also work with what we have to provide for our family’s needs. When we offer our efforts to God, we ask him to transform them so that they will be more than adequate to meet the tasks and needs before us.
Pray
Gather together, light a candle and acknowledge that you are in the presence of God in a moment of silence. Read the Gospel John 6:1-15. As a family ask Jesus to increase your faith and trust for Him to take what we have and make it enough to satisfy and fill all our needs. We ask for this blessing when we offer to God the work of each day in prayers such as the Morning Offering. Pray this together each morning before leaving the house or first thing when you wake up, asking God to bless and make fruitful the work of each of our days:
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day,
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Amen.
God bless,
India Mitchell-Fletcher
Religious Education Leader