Faith and Mission

Manresa

John XXIII College's mission is to provide a holistic education that nurtures the intellectual, spiritual, and personal growth of our students. In line with this mission, our Year 12 retreat program, known as Manresa, is a vital component dedicated to fostering a deepened understanding of self and a connection with God.

Named after the town where St Ignatius of Loyola experienced transformative spiritual time and crafted the Spiritual Exercises, Manresa holds a special significance. Our goal is to guide students through a journey of self-discovery, helping them recognise their individual worth and importance in the larger context of serving others and being beloved by God.

Manresa is more than a retreat; it's an opportunity for students to extend genuine friendship and support to their peers while concurrently strengthening their faith and spirituality. Grounded in Isaiah 43:1 – 'I have called you by name, you are mine,' our theme for this year encapsulates the essence of the retreat, emphasising the personal and divine connection each student possesses.

Scheduled for Tuesday, 26 to Thursday, 28 March, Manresa is an integral part of the Year 12 experience at the College. As we embark on this transformative journey, we ask for your prayers for our students and staff participating in the retreat, that they may find inspiration, guidance, and a deeper connection with themselves, their peers, and God.

Janeen Murphy

Deputy Principal Faith and Mission

Community Mass

Thank you to Secondary students who arrived early to lead the vibrant Procession of Palms this morning, and thank you to the Chapel Choir for leading the uplifting music. 

The next Community Mass will be Friday, 19 April. Students in Year 9 will prepare that liturgy.

Good News for EASTER

This Sunday is Palm Sunday which leads into Holy Week, culminating in the celebration of Easter.

Jesuit, Father Andrew Hamilton, gives us an insight into the meaning of the Resurrection, contrasted with the suffering and death of Jesus.   

In leading us through the last days of Jesus life, the Liturgy of Holy week moves us through the brutality of Good Friday to the lightness of Easter Sunday. We see the depths of human pain, rejection and death – experienced as failure – give way to joy of life, surprise and hope. 

If we look more closely at the stories of Jesus’ death and those of his rising from the dead, we can see differences in the way they are told. The stories of Jesus’ death focus on Jesus – on what he says and on what is done to him in all its savage detail. We see his determination, his terror, his betrayal and capture, his mocking by soldiers, his scourging, his unjust trial, his carrying of his cross, and his death on the cross. The narratives focus on his response to these things he suffers. The feelings and actions of others, such as the disciples’ abandoning him, the crowd’s rage, Pontius Pilate’s handwringing, the soldiers’ brutality and the women’s faithfulness, are described only to focus on Jesus’ own experience. 

The stories of Jesus’ rising, on the other hand, focus on the experience of the disciples as they are awakened to Jesus’ presence among them. Jesus is as far above suffering and the constraints of humanity in these stories as he is subject to them in the stories of his Passion. The stories explain what the disciples make of the signs that Jesus has risen. They are puzzled and devastated to see the tomb open and empty, and paralysed at being told that Jesus has risen and that they must give instructions to the other disciples. They fail to do so. In the stories of the appearances, they are initially fearful as Jesus passes through walls and locked doors to appear to them. Mary Magdalene is overcome with grief and fails to recognise him. The disciples on the way to Emmaus fail to recognise him also. As Jesus keeps appearing to them, however, the disciples are gradually brought together as they come to believe, are overjoyed, and are given new life by their acceptance that he has risen. The disciples who run away from the brutal finality of the death recognise Jesus and return to Jerusalem to join the others. Thomas who is skeptical and isolated meets Jesus with the others and joins them in fishing and eating together on the beach. The whole world in its ordinary relationships gradually becomes sacred.

All these details emphasise that the Resurrection is about faith and meeting Jesus in the community. We are led to think less about what Jesus does and how he does it, and more about our meeting and how to respond to him. The world of Herod, Pilate and the Roman soldiers is still with us and threatens to overpower us. But faith in the risen Jesus has given us a perspective from which it looks totally changed.  The brutal reality of Jesus’ execution is no longer a locked door that has excluded goodness and hope but an open door through which God’s love and calling are visible. 

© Andrew Hamilton SJ. Used with permission. 

Celebration of Easter In Parishes

Many families include parish liturgies in their celebration of Easter – which is the high point of the Church year.

Typically, parish liturgies include:

• PALM SUNDAY – Mass and Procession of Palms
• HOLY THURSDAY EVENING  – Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the washing of feet
• GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON  – Passion of the Lord 
• HOLY SATURDAY EVENING – Easter Vigil, often including Baptisms
• EASTER SUNDAY – Mass

Some of our local parishes have kindly sent us details of their liturgies.