RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

YEAR 4 EUCHARIST REFLECTIONS pt 2

Last week, our students shared their introductory paragraphs with you, detailing how they felt before they received the Eucharist, so today we thought we would share what they were feeling during the Liturgy of The Eucharist! Once again, fantastic reflections!

Alice: The people who did the offertory were Chloe, Harvey and Nieve. They handed the water, wine and bread to Fr Dishan and then Fr Dishan placed them on the altar. It was nearly time. I felt scared. Fr Dishan blessed the host. It was time! The first row went and now it was my turn. I felt so scared. I walked up, I bowed and I took the bread. I smiled back at my family and I felt so happy. I knelt down back at my seat and waited for everyone else to finish.  

Jude: As I watched Harvey, Nieve and Chloe take up the bread and wine I kept getting more nervous than before. My heart was beating as fast as it could and I had butterflies in my belly. I walked up to the priest and received the body of Christ and made my First Holy Communion.

Chloe: Here we go! I see Fr Dishan blessing the bread. I look at my friends with a nervous face but very excited at the same time. I knew it was my time to shine. I go up to Fr Dishan and bow. He says, "The body of Christ." I reply with, "Amen." I know that was the best thing ever!

Ethan: The music began and I stood up and waited to get into the line. It was finally my turn! I bowed and took the bread. I ate it. It tasted like a tiny rice cracker. When I got back to my seat I knelt down and prayed saying thanks to God and Jesus, the person who gave up his life for millions. 

Nieve:  When I came up to Fr Dishan, to take Jesus` body, I was filled with hope and pride. I was a little nervous but I knew what I had to do to follow the footsteps of Jesus, to be a better person. I knew that Jesus would help me to be a kind hearted person all around the earth so people know that I love Jesus with all my heart. My family are like Jesus too. Jesus is outstanding, he really is. He gave up his life so we can be free from danger. 

Scarlett: Chloe, Harvey and Nieve leave the pews to get the non blessed bread, red wine and water.  One step at a time, they walk to Fr Dishan. They smiled after they reached the altar. We were so excited! Ava said to me, "No pressure, but there are more than 200 people watching us, so let's not mess up!" "Hehe", I said worriedly as we waited for our turn. I said to myself, "Ah, it is the time!" Me and the rest of my pew stood up. We bowed at the black line and under my breath, I reminded myself, "Right under left." Fr Dishan said, "Body of Christ." I said, "Amen." It was nerve-racking, but I did it. 

Lia: Now it was time! Time to get the body of Christ in my body. I felt incredible but you guessed it, I'm still scared!  Then people from my class started standing up. After a few minutes it was my turn. I went up, bowed and then ate the bread. I felt so different and so important!

RE News: Caith Malone

Hello to all our parents and caregivers,

Our school community has three values that we aspire to: Belonging, Compassion and Growth. We are focusing on these values through our Catholic faith and identity and our aim is to have these values threaded throughout our daily lives here at school. Last year we unpacked the value of Belonging and as a staff and student body we were able to operationalise this value so that it is embedded into all our policies and practices. We focussed on the scripture verse, Isaiah 54;2

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.                     

As a community we envisaged our school as a tent that is constantly enlarging to allow us to keep welcoming everyone in, so that everyone feels a deep sense of belonging in our vibrant Catholic community.

This year we are delving into the value of Compassion and we would love to invite parents and caregivers into this discussion. Please save the date below if you are interested in being a part of operationalising this value. We would love your input! 

RSVP: cmalone@sogsgpark.catholic.edu.au

       You are invited to 

                     Unpack our SOGS School value

The Heart of Compassion

 Compassionate God, your generous presence is always attuned to hurting ones. Your listening ear is bent toward the cries of the wounded. Your heart of love fills with tears for the suffering.

Turn my inward eye to see that I am not alone. I am a part of all of life. Each one’s joy and sorrow is my joy and sorrow, and mine is theirs. May I draw strength from this inner communion. May it daily recommit me to be a compassionate presence for all who struggle with life’s pain.

© Joyce Rupp

Here is a reflection written by Joyce Rupp titled, “Kindness.”

I think that talking to our Children about compassion maybe a tad easier if we link it with kindness, they seem to understand kindness. Perhaps like sympathy and empathy, kindness can lead us to compassion.

Kindness

In past years, I have often led retreat days based on the theme of “Cultivating Kindness.” It is a topic that remains ever fresh for me. As I reflect on “kindness” I am both comforted and challenged. Comforted because the topic conjures up significant memories of people who have been extremely kind to me, especially in moments of great need. Challenged because there are situations when I do not want to take the time, inconvenience, risk or vulnerability to extend kindness to another.

A few weeks ago an amazing incident of kindness landed, literally, on my doorstep. Imagine my wonderment when I opened the front door to retrieve my mail and found beside the mailbox a tall container consisting of three or four mailing tubes neatly taped together to form one long cylinder. “What on earth can this contain?” I thought to myself as I brought the long item inside the house.

I couldn’t have been more surprised by what it held. As I unwrapped the mailing tube that was cleverly and painstakingly put together, I pulled forth the content and let out a “wow!” I was looking at a magnificent walking stick. Included was a note from the sender, whom I’ve not met, telling me he’s a Texan in his late eighties. He proceeded to describe the Sol Tol cactus from which the walking stick is made. Then he wrote, “I came upon this plant all by itself, crying ‘find me a home’.” It was then he decided to make a walking stick for me. I couldn’t believe the trouble this man went to in creating the gift and in figuring out how to mail it.

As I stood there, gift in my hand, the word “kindness” came to mind, along with thoughtfulness, generosity, patience, care. Not only did the reception of the walking stick bring me joy, it resurrected my awareness of how one touch of kindness from another engenders our own desire to be kinder. I’m reminded of a wise quote of Edward Hays:

“A watermelon produces a thousand good works!” This Islamic saying originated when watermelons were mostly eaten out-of-doors so their seeds dropped to the ground to become the source of countless new watermelon plants.

While appearing to be an innocent folk proverb this Islamic saying about watermelons contains superior spiritual advice. Our good works, like watermelons, also contain seeds, invisible yet richly fertile with potential for more good. Watermelon wisdom says to be lavishly careless in doing good deeds so that the tiny invisible seeds within your works will be generously scattered everywhere. Pray that as you leave the scene of your crime of kindness, you will leave behind you a long and broad trail of tiny fertile love seeds.” (Fr. Ed Hays, A Book of Wonders)

One aging man in Texas planted a seed of kindness. I plan to water and watch over that seed with care so it will produce more kindness when I go about doing my own life.

© Joyce Rupp