Religious Education
Term 4 Week 4
The Legion of Mary Visit
This week the grade 3 students had a special visit from a St Patrick's parishoner, Sister Mary Josesph of Jesus. Sister Mary came to speak to the students about the importance of praying the rosary and all about the Legion of Mary. Legion, meaning army, has only one weapon - love. By spreading the message of love through the heart of Mary by praying the rosary to grow closer to God and serve the community, the students were inspired by her stories and full of questions!
The Legion of Mary began in Ireland by a layman named Frank Duff in 1921. His work of serving the poor and sharing Mary's call to love God with all our heart quickly spread across the world. St Patrick's Mentone was the first Australian Legion established and just celebrated their 90th birthday at our parish.
The Legion continues today to visit the sick, elderly, serve the poor, pray for souls, for our community's needs and peace in our world. Sister showed us many images over the years of students of St Patricks students who were in the junior Legion and those who are now grown up serving and praying in our senior Legion. Let us pray that their good works continue and helps inspire the hearts of our children to love heroically.
Holy Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.
Gospel Reflection
Gospel Reading
The Pharisees continue to test Jesus with a question about the greatest commandment.
Unpacking the Scriptures
Continuing from last Sunday's Gospel, the Pharisees (Jewish religious leaders) continue to question Jesus to trap him in his own words in order to arrest him. The question for this week asks Jesus to interpret the Law of Moses. This law inlcudes the Ten Commandments and many other rules, numbering over six hundred. Following these laws for a devout Jew is an expression of faithfulness to God’s covenant with Israel. In the Catholic tradition, we recognise Jesus fulfills the Law of Moses with his sacrifice on the cross, but asks us to continue to follow the Ten Commandments in the way we live our lives.
Jesus says that all of the commandments can be summarised into two:love God and love your neighbour. Both of these were central to the religious traditions Jesus learned from his Jewish community. Love of God finds its expression in our love for our neighbor.
Family Connection
Children learn about love from real life examples first witnessed in family life. We can help children to love God and love their neighbours by showing everyday acts of love, patience, forgiveness, generosity, and kindness. These ordinary and everyday acts, small and large, are the expression of what Jesus stated as the two greatest commandments.
Pray
Read the Matthew 22:34-40 and discuss as a family how Jesus taught us that our love for God is shown in how we love other people. Draw an image of a love heart on a piece of paper with the words Love God in the middle and write and/or draw all the ways that your family shows their love for other people. Pray together that you will continue to express your love for God by loving others.
Loving God,
Help our family live in peace and unity with one another. May everybody feel loved and respected. Inspire us with your love to give a helping hand, encouraging words and care for eachothers wellbeing. Help us not nurture anger in our hearts, but teach us how to resolve our conflicts with honesty, listening ears, patience and mercy as you show us. May we always practice love, peace and bring joy to one another. Thank you for the gift of our family.
Amen.
God bless,
India Mitchell-Fletcher
Religious Education Leader