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St. Augustine's School Prayer
Our Father in Heaven,
Look over and bless St. Augustine’s while we are working and playing.
Help us to respect and care for each other as you taught us to.
Give us the opportunity to do our best for you each day.
We look forward to being able to share our lives with our friends and families.
Keep us safe and give us the courage to be
people who want to know you more.
Amen.
I invite all families to pray this prayer at home, maybe one morning each week.
Prayer of the Week
Sunday the 8th August is the Feast Day of St. Mary MacKillop
Ever-generous God,
You inspired St Mary MacKillop to live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and constant in bringing hope and encouragement to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you grant our request….(name your request in heart and mind).
We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too,like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage,trust, and openness.
Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Prayer for the Year of St. Joseph
To you,
O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our afflictions,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously,
to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.
Amen.
Scripture of the Week
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus said to his disciples:
I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat,
nor about your body and what you are to wear.
Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothing!
Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they are?
Can any of you, however much you worry,
add one single cubit to your span of life?
And why worry about clothing?
Think of the flowers growing in the fields;
they never have to work or spin: yet I assure you that
not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of these.
Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers growing in the field
which are there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow,
will he not much more look after you, you have so little faith?
So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat?
What are we to drink? What are we to wear?”
It is the gentiles who set their hearts on all these things.
Your heavenly Father knows you need them all.
Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God’s saving justice,
and all these other things will be given you as well.
So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Reflection
by Fr Michael Tate
Mary MacKillop
This Gospel does not say we should not worry about what others eat or drink or have to wear. In fact we will be judged on whether we gave ‘the Least’ food, shelter, companionship in illness or in prison (Mt 25).
In the mid-late 19th century, a young woman was very concerned with the plight of the poor and the marginalised in the colonies which later became the Commonwealth of Australia. Amongst the most obvious necessities of life for these ‘least’ was schooling of the young, as education is a proven path out of poverty.
So, this woman, whose most famous saying was ‘never see a need without trying to do something about it’, set about remedying that situation. Mary McKillop established the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart principally to educate the poor.
She suffered excommunication for revealing sexual abuse of youngsters by a paedophile priest. That was reversed five months later, but this all took its toll on her fragile health.
We could pause for a moment to pray that we may join St Mary of the Cross in Heaven, together with all the Josephite sisters who set their hearts on the Father’s kingdom and His saving justice.
Gospel Reflection by Greg Sunter
A “one hit wonder” from 1989 was the song by Bobby McFerrin, Don’t Worry, Be Happy. It was a laid-back, a cappella song that still frequently appears in film and television soundtracks. In some ways, the song became the catch-cry of a generation who were overwhelmed by the pace of change that was occurring in society, technology and the world in general. A glance at today’s gospel may leave the reader thinking that Jesus, too, is basically saying to us, don’t worry, be happy. But the message of Jesus is not as simplistic as that. Instead, he says to us, set your hearts on God’s kingdom first and on following God’s will for justice in the world and, then, don’t worry, be happy. It is not the same throwing of one’s hands into the air as the 1980’s song. It is not an abandonment of responsibility. Jesus says to us, trust in God, work to bring about the kingdom in our lives and in our world and only then leave the rest to God.
This gospel passage was aptly chosen by the Church to mark the feast of St Mary of the Cross – Mary MacKillop. The teaching of Jesus, conveyed through the gospel passage, characterised much of the life and work of Mary MacKillop. Mary was a prolific writer, sending messages to her sisters in the schools and communities across Australia. We are fortunate that many of these letters have been preserved and provide an incredible insight into the attitude of Mary MacKillop. One of the quotes attributed to Mary MacKillop that captures the essence of today’s gospel is, “Do all you can with the means at your disposal and calmly leave the rest to God.” (1891) Surely this is a more energising and empowering motto for life than don’t worry, be happy?
Historical Context – Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop is not only the first Australian to be recognised by the Church as a Saint, she is truly a very Australian saint. She characterises the spirit of the Australian mythology. She was a prodigious hard worker who put the needs of others before herself. She exhibited something of the larrikin spirit: constantly in dispute with authority but pressing on, regardless. She used the strengths of others but also didn’t tolerate those who were not genuine. Her commitment to the schooling of children from poor and rural communities established a model of Catholic education that continues to today. A Saint for and of Australia!
Scriptural context – The Sermon on the Mount
Often, the Sermon on the Mount is understood purely as the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12), but in the gospel of Matthew this sermon stretches over all of chapters 5 to 7. These chapters provide a solid core of the explicit teaching ministry of Jesus in this gospel. The gospel writer begins the section with the Beatitudes and then, in a very Jewish style, presents Jesus as a rabbinic teacher reinterpreting and refocusing the Law of Moses for his listeners. Unlike the parables that are more familiar, this portion of the gospel seeks to spell out some very explicit teachings of Jesus about life and the kingdom.
Living the Gospel – Don’t be distracted
When we read in today’s gospel that we are “not to worry”, the word, worry, might better be translated as distracted. Jesus says to not be distracted or consumed by the pursuit of money, food and nice clothes. He says that it is the gentiles – those who do not know the love of God – who set their hearts on attaining these things. We are immersed in a culture in society that values these outward signs of success above all else. The challenge is to avoid being caught up in the distractions of our material society. One way to do that is through regular prayer and reflection.
Questions for Adolescents
Q. In what way does a particular phrase, or sentence, from today’s gospel catch your attention?
Q. Why might Jesus have used the particular images he did when he was speaking to his audience?
Q. What does this gospel tell us about the sort of relationship God wants to have with us?
Q. What is one thing in your life that is a distraction from you being the best you can be?
Questions for Adults
Q. Why might the gospel writer have chosen this style rather than a parable to convey this teaching?
Q. In what ways do the questions Jesus poses apply to our contemporary society?
Q. In what ways does this gospel present a challenge to you personally?
Q. Why would it be inaccurate to interpret this passage as encouragement to “opt out” of trying?
Religious Education Activities
Visit the website dedicated to Mary MacKillop – www.marymackillop.org.au – to find out more about Mary MacKillop’s story.
Compile a list of sayings or quotes of Mary MacKillop. Match each quote with an appropriate image to create a set of prayer cards or a reflective PowerPoint or digital animation.
Some important dates to remember:
First Holy Communion - Sunday 29th August at 2.00pm
Confirmation - Friday 5th November at 7.00pm (TBC)
St. Augustine's Parish Mass Times
Saturday 5.00 pm
Sunday 8.00 am at Annunciation, Brooklyn
9.30 am
10.30 am (Italian)
11.00 am at Corpus Christi, Kingsville
11.30 am (Polish)
Tuesdays 9.30 am
Thursdays 9.30 am
https://www.staugustinesparish.org.au/
Use the above link to access the parish website.