Education in Faith

You are Invited to Become an Altar Server…

Have you ever thought about becoming an Altar Server? 

If not!  Now it’s the time… To take this opportunity to grow in your faith, to become more active in the Mass by serving as Altar Servers and to begin a life of service to your church, our parish community, and God Himself! 

Altar Servers are young people who assist the priest and deacon during Mass. 

As Altar Servers in the liturgy, you are much more than simple "helpers of the priest." Above all, you are servers of Jesus Christ, you are called in particular to be young friends of Jesus. 

We are here to support you and would like to invite all who have received your First Holy Communion and have a desire to serve the Lord and His people as an Altar Server to join our upcoming training sessions and to become an Altar Server of our Parish.

 Parents we need your support, please encourage your children in their faith journey…

Altar Servers training will be on …

Saturday 27th February 2021 at 3pm

Sunday 28th February 2021 at 3pm

Place: St. Kevin’s Church Hampton Park

For further details, you may email the parish office: HamptonPark@cam.org.au

Or talk to either Fr Des or Fr Anil or the Altar Servers Coordinator Martin Thomas.

With a grateful heart.

Fr. Anil

First Sunday of Lent - Year B

Gospel Reading - 

Mark 1:12-15

Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan. 

In this week’s Gospel reading, we hear about how Jesus spent 40 days in the desert. 

Jesus came to proclaim the Good News: ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand’ Undertaking an important journey we must be well prepared. As we set out on our journey to Easter, we must be clear about the destination that gives meaning to this journey.

Jesus invites us to prepare ourselves in the company of this Lenten journey. As he set out on the journey that was to lead to Easter, he prepared himself by withdrawing to a lonely desert place, these places are dry lands where it is hard to grow food, there is not much water and people may get hungry and thirsty. 

Jesus walked the desert, confronting the temptation to avoid the great task that lay ahead of him. This is an astounding moment in the life of Jesus. He knew the weight of human decisions and the temptations involved – though, of course, he was without sin in the response he made? This testing brought Jesus new strength, and he began to proclaim the Good News of the coming reign of God. 

In his company, during the coming days, let us recognise the nature of our temptations, and the bonds of selfishness from which we want to be freed as we make our journey to Easter. Jesus found strength in the certainty with which he looked to the end of his journey. Though what lay ahead would not be easy, he knew that God’s goodness and mercy would be victorious in the end – through his generous response to the call of his Father. 

The first reading from the Book of Genesis invites us to share in this hope and expectation as we set out on this lenten journey. It is the conclusion of the story of Noah and the ark which saved him from The Flood – one of the old stories in the Bible, describing a wayward humanity, in need of the salvation God was to give. The story ends on a note of hope and promise – the rainbow will be a sign of the covenant God makes with humanity, promising that he will always be merciful. What a magnificent symbol - reminding us of the trust we can place in God, whatever our difficulties and failings! 

Whenever we see the rainbow and know its promise of fine, clear weather after a storm, we should remember God’s promise, and renew our trust in God’s mercy, and the final triumph of God’s goodness. The second reading interprets the story of the flood and Noah’s being saved as a kind of foretelling of the wonder of baptism – the destination of our journey to Easter, because it is through our baptism that we share in the risen life of Christ. The beginning of our journey is a time for personal reflection for each of us. Perhaps, however, we need to ponder more deeply the astonishing fact that Jesus knew temptation, though he was without sin in his response to its challenge.

Reflection

How do I feel when I am thirsty? Let’s think a bit more about that today.

Have I taken seriously the fact that, in sharing our human experience I become more like Jesus,

Let us Pray: God of life, your Son Jesus went out into the desert to talk to you in prayer. Help us to talk to you and get closer to you this Lent, in our prayers and in our actions. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

The Season of LENT

The announcement that Jesus makes as he begins his preaching is recalled on Ash Wednesday at the signing with ashes: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” This is our challenge for Lent; indeed, it is the challenge of our entire life. During Lent, we are invited to strengthen and to renew the promises that we made at our Baptism, to reject Satan and sin so as to live as children of God. Through the grace of God that we received at Baptism, we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and know that with Jesus’ help, we will be victorious over sin.

During this Lenten season let us gather as a family, talk about the importance of Baptism. At our Baptism, our sins were forgiven, and we promised to live as children of God. As part of the Rite of Baptism, we rejected sin and Satan. We renew the promises of our Baptism, turning again from sin and promising to follow God. Light a candle, perhaps a candle used at one of your family member’s Baptisms, and pray together the 

Act of Contrition.

O my God, 

I am sorry that I have sinned against you 

because you are so good, 

and with your help,

 I will try not sin again.

Sacramental News

Please find below dates for our 2021 Sacramental Program. 

Please bear in mind these dates would need to be amended according to current COVID restrictions.

Rozeta Ambrose

rambrose@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au