Faith and Mission
John XXIII College
This term, our Year 12 students and staff members are embracing a unique challenge as they take part in the Ice Plunge Fundraiser in support of Jesuit Mission's One Foot Raised campaign. More than simply testing their endurance, our students are seeking to leave a legacy as true people for others, putting faith into action and standing in solidarity with those who face significant barriers to education and opportunity.
Funds raised through this initiative will support the work of Jesuit Mission in Hazaribag, India, where children are provided with access to education and the opportunity to grow with dignity, hope and purpose. Alongside our annual John XXIII Day fundraising efforts, which also support Mary Ward International, this initiative reflects our College commitment to justice, compassion and service.
At John XXIII College, Seek Justice is more than our motto. It is a call to live our faith through action. Supporting organisations such as Jesuit Mission and Mary Ward International enables us to respond to that call and to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Every donation, no matter the size, helps extend educational opportunities and reminds us that we belong to a global community where we are responsible for one another.
This commitment is grounded in the Gospel. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus teaches us that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for Him. Through their willingness to step outside their comfort zone, our Year 12 students are inviting all members of our College community to join them in living this Gospel message.
We encourage families, staff, students and alumni to support this worthy initiative and help our Year 12 students leave a legacy of compassion, solidarity and service.
To make a donation, please visit: https://fundraise.jesuitmission.org.au/fundraisers/johnxxiii-yr12
All donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
Janeen Murphy
Deputy Principal Faith and Mission
Community Mass
Thank you to Year 12 students and their families who gathered for our joyous community Eucharist this morning. We proclaimed the readings from this Sunday. The Gospel reflection below is part of a longer homily by Fr Andrew Doohan, from the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
Magis students will be preparing next Friday’s Community Mass, the last for Term 3. All are welcome, especially as these Djilba days are longer and mornings are warmer! Even if the Mass is new to you, feel free to just come to the Chapel at 8:00am. All the responses are on a PowerPoint and there is no reserved seating.
Community Mass details
- College Chapel
- All welcome!
- Fridays in term time
- Starts at 8:00am; concludes at 8:30am.
Good News for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
THE GOSPEL
THE REFLECTION
This Sunday’s Scripture readings invite us to step into God’s way of thinking – a way that unsettles our assumptions about fairness, reward, and success. Again and again, the Scriptures remind us that God does not operate by human calculations. What makes sense to us does not always make sense to God, and that is precisely the point.
In the Gospel, Jesus relates a striking parable about workers in the vineyard. A landowner hires workers throughout the day – at dawn, mid-morning, midday, afternoon, and even an hour before sunset. At the end of the day, each worker is paid the same wage. Those who laboured longest are outraged: ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us’. From a purely human perspective, their anger appears completely reasonable.
But Jesus is not giving a lesson in industrial relations. He is revealing something of the nature of God’s kingdom. The landowner has not acted unjustly; he has fulfilled his promise. What offends the early workers is not injustice, but generosity. The real question is piercing: ‘Are you envious because I am generous?’
In contemporary life, we understand the instinct behind the workers’ complaint. We are surrounded by systems that reward length of service, performance, and visible effort. We compare salaries, promotions, recognition, and even moral standing. Our culture constantly asks: Who deserves more?
The danger is that this mindset creeps into our spiritual lives. We begin to believe that God’s love, forgiveness, or blessing must be earned – or that those who arrive ‘late’ somehow deserve less. But Jesus completely dismantles this thinking. The kingdom of God is not a system of merit but a gift of grace. The parable reminds us that none of us has a claim on God. Whether someone has followed Christ since childhood or turned towards God at the end of life, salvation remains a gift, not a wage. This does not make faith meaningless; it makes it freeing.
The parable also confronts a subtler temptation: resentment disguised as righteousness. The early workers did exactly what was asked of them, yet joy drained away the moment they began to compare themselves to others. How often does this happen to us? We serve faithfully, yet feel resentment when others receive attention, forgiveness, or opportunity that seems undeserved. Instead of gratitude for what we have received, comparison poisons our joy.
The parable invites us to trust that God’s justice is deeper than our calculations, and God’s mercy wider than our sense of fairness. Living this message today means resisting the urge to keep score, in families, workplaces, parishes, and communities. It means celebrating goodness wherever it appears, even when it disrupts our sense of order. Ultimately, the parable asks each of us a quiet but searching question: do we want God to be fair, or do we want God to be generous?
Doohan, Andrew. "Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 20 September 2026." Pastoral Liturgy 56, no. 3 (2026): 130-135. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/pastoral-liturgy/vol56/iss3/22