✝️Faith and Mission

Lord Jesus,

As we await your coming this Advent, open our hearts and minds, instilling in us renewed hope and patience. May we take time to fully prepare through prayer and reflection, always vigilant and ready to receive You. Keep us strong as we strive to be Advent people, giving of ourselves in special ways to those less fortunate. Be present in our listening and sharing, that we are enriched through the gift of others, bringing the Season of Advent truly alive. We ask this prayer through Christ, our Lord. 

Lord Amen

Close to the Kingdom

One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is the most important of all the commandments?” Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion, prayer, intelligence, and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.” (Mark 12: 28 -  31)

Play the Scripture game. Name a person in the gospels you would most like to be. For me, the unnamed scribe in this passage is a great choice. Of all the things that Jesus says to anyone in the four gospels, this is the one thing I dearly want him to say to me: “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.”

This anonymous scribe hits the jackpot. Like so many people of his generation, he heard about the great teacher and decided to check out the story. Being a student of Scripture, he wanted to see if Jesus was more learned than he was. Scholarship makes some people arrogant, but this man had come to be humbled by his education. If Jesus knew more about God than he did, he was ready to learn from him.

So he asks his question, which may well have been the guiding principle of his entire career. Which law is first among the commandments? What does God want most from us? If you have only one chance to ask a question, you want to be sure it’s the most important one. And the man is so impressed by the answer Jesus gives, he responds with sincere praise. For his part, Jesus finds himself in the presence of a rare understanding disciple. So he in turn praises the man with those thrilling words: you’re almost there. May each of us hear those words someday!

If you boiled down the mission of your life to one question, as the scribe in the gospel did, what would it be?

Term 4 Chapel Flower Roster

Vinnies Christmas Appeal – Hampers

Your help is urgently needed with donations, so that our students can make up hampers for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. All donations of non-perishable items can be dropped off at your son’s Form Room.

Over the last year, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has become increasingly dire. It's hitting many families and other vulnerable members of our community incredibly hard.

Many are experiencing poverty and struggling to keep a roof over their heads. As the crisis deepens, so does their desperation.

When a family is connected with Vinnies, our local volunteer members provide the immediate, emergency assistance they urgently need – from nutritious food to help feed their children, to everyday essentials such as clothes and school uniforms, and help with paying bills and rent so they can keep a roof over their heads.

By giving generously to the hampers this Christmas, you can help provide desperately needed food for many struggling families during this Christmas period.

 Please see below for the hamper list. Thank you for your ongoing support.

May your family experience the joy and blessings of Christmas this year.

Hamper Items and Food Ideas

Damian Wallis

Director of Faith and Mission