Religious Education
Confirmation
Congratulations to our Year 6 Confirmation Candidates that received the Sacrament on Friday evening last week! A special thank you to our Year 6 staff who helped prepare the students, those who assisted in the liturgy, the families and sponsors for their support and all those who prayed for our students.
Whilst Baptism is administered by the priest, it is the bishop who confirms that baptismal grace in Confirmaiton, signifying that their mission goes beyond the local and is part of a much larger community - the universal Church.
As Bishop Tony Ireland told our students during his homily, Confirmation completes their baptismal grace, sealing the children with the fullness of the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands and anointing with Chrism Oil. Likended to the Olympians who tattoo the five rings on their body, marking themselves forever as Olympians, our candidates are now marked forever by the Holy Spirit. Their identity in Christ can never be taken away. By renewing their baptismal promises, our students committed themselves to the mission of Jesus and are now strengthened to follow him more closely throughout their lives.
Gospel
Jesus restores a man’s hearing and speech.
Unpacking the Scriptures (taken from Loyola Press)
In this Sunday's Gospel of Mark, Jesus heals a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. This is a story about God's healing power, and in it we find clues about our understanding of the Sacraments. We are struck by the physical means used to heal the man, the use of spittle and touch. The Church continues to celebrate the sacraments using physical means. In the Sacrament of Baptism, water and oil are used to show the power of the Holy Spirit. In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, we are anointed with holy oil on the forehead and the hands. In the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. We are a sacramental people who believe that God’s grace is given to us through these physical signs.
The geographic references tell us that Jesus is journeying through Gentile territory, showing us that faith in him and salvation is not only for the Jews, but for all. Mark shows that Jesus’ own mission affirms the early Church’s mission to the Gentiles. This was a significant issue to the early Christian community, which found that the good news of Jesus took root and spread quickly among the Gentiles. Yet there is an irony in the story of healing that Mark tells. Jesus gives the man the gift of speech, but then tells him not to use it. Jesus asks that the news of his healing power, which is evidence of his identity as the Messiah, not be spread. This is a recurring motif in Mark’s Gospel and is sometimes called the “messianic secret.”
Family Connection
As a family, discuss how we witness the healing presence of Christ in our care for those who are sick. We notice that the deaf man is brought to Jesus for healing by his friends. These people beg Jesus to lay his hands on this deaf man so that he might be healed. Jesus’ healing power is shown in his opening of the man’s ears and the restoring of his speech. When family members care for one another when they are sick, they bring Christ’s healing presence. When we pray for those who are ill, we ask God to show his healing power. When health is restored, we share that good news with others.
Pray
Gather together, light a candle and acknowledge that you are in the presence of God in a moment of silence. Read the Gospel Mark 7:31-37. Recall a time when a family member was unwell. What steps were taken to help restore this family member to health? Talk about what it feels like to care for a person who is ill, and about how it feels to be the sick person being cared for. Notice how the man who was cured and his friends could not honor Jesus’ request to keep quiet about Jesus’ power to heal. We continue to celebrate Jesus’ healing presence in our lives by giving thanks to God for the gift of healing and health. Pray together for those who are sick. After each person is named, pray, “Jesus, heal us.”
God bless,
India Mitchell-Fletcher
Religious Education Leader