Religious Education

Mark 10:35-45

Whoever aspires to greatness must serve the rest.

Formation

A beginning point for discussion of this week's Gospel with children:

Think of some times when you really like being first.

What sort of things do you do to make sure you are first?

When should you let others go first?

Jesus says anyone who wants to be first has to be a servant. What does this mean?

How can we be servants of others?

Catholic Culture

REFLECTION by Fr Michael Tate

The sons of Zebedee expected Jesus to lead a Messianic revolt to throw off the yoke of imperial Rome. But they wanted to be part of a similar sort of power structure. They had not grasped that Jesus had come to turn that sort of society upside down.

However, over the centuries, the Church took on much of the trappings of power of imperial Rome. The popes governed much of Italy. Giuseppe Garibaldi was one of those generals who defeated the forces defending the Papal States, and in doing so actually liberated the papacy from its role as feudal overlord of much of Italy.

In the course of the campaign, when despondent, Garibaldi often reflected on the delightful time he spent on Three Hummock Island just off the coast of Tasmania. So we may say that the liberation of the papacy, enabling it to respond more clearly to today’s Gospel, began in Tasmania!

Pope Francis embodies the spirit of today’s Gospel. He rails against a Church exhibiting ‘the leprosy of a feudal court’. Rather, he has said: ‘I see the Church as a field hospital after battle. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.’ And in his actions he has shown himself as a true ‘Servant of the servants of God’ as Jesus commands in today’s Gospel.

We may pause for a moment to pray for Pope Francis that he may have the strength and time to persevere in his responding to today’s Gospel so that the papacy may be truly liberated to as to practise a radically different way of exercising leadership in the Church and for the world.

R.E News:

In line with Enhancing our Catholic School Identity it is a timely reminder to ask ourselves 'What does Catholic “look” like in various contexts?' What does a Catholic church or image typically look like in a given place? What are the local conventions that help insure that a person recognizes an image as Jesus or Mary, or as a saint? What does the local visual culture communicate about Catholicism's relation to the local culture in other ways? The same can almost be said about a Catholic School. What does our school communicate about Catholicism in relation to its beginning and vision? The challenge is to take a closer look around you.

God Bless

Mrs Dawn Heldt

Religious Education Leader.