Education in Faith
Dear Parents and Carers,
How wonderful to have our first whole school Mass last Friday. In particular to have the blessing of our class prayer cloths and all leadership badges which will serve as beacons throughout the entire year.
Sunday's Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.
‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
Notes
This is one Gospel reading that is not too difficult to unpack! We know that Jesus implores us to love everyone, including those who upset or hurt us. When discussing with students the main ideas that are talked about are the concept of 'enemies'. Very rarely do we have these in our lives, but rather instances of people who we might find annoying, upsetting or inconsiderate.
Discussion with students revolves around how it is completely normal to feel frustrated and upset in our lives, everyone has feelings we are not robots! Rather we work through with students how we channel these emotions and ensure we act in a way that is patient and calm. A good reminder for adults next time we are cut off in traffic or hassled outside the supermarket!
Ash Wednesday
Next Wednesday the 22nd of February marks Ash Wednesday and the start of our Lenten period. Our school will attend Mass on Wednesday at 9.15am with the community. We will also host another whole school Mass on Friday, with Year 5/6 Hosting at 9.15am.
Across the school all classes will learn about and pray during Lent, incorporating this with their current Religious Education Learning.
Caritas
One of the great joys of gathering together as a Faith Community is the opportunity to help others through our Social Justice initiatives. Once again this year we will work with Project Compassion to raise money for programs and initiatives all across the globe that aim to educate and aid those most vulnerable.
Please keep an eye out for correspondences soon as the students always love this opportunity to raise funds with the knowledge we can make a difference in the lives of others.
Take care,
Tim O'Mahoney
Education in Faith Leader