Principal's Panorama

Prayer: Love your Enemies (Lk 6:27-38)

Mother Teresa is quoted as saying “I have found ... that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt only love.”

This Sunday’s Reading is a continuation of Jesus’ teachings in the Beatitudes from last Sunday. In this text we hear a well-known but perhaps challenging statement regarding love for your enemies.

The use of the word ‘Listen’ at the beginning of this reading alerts us to the need to be present when reading this and challenges our somewhat initial response. John McKinnon writes that, “the advice from Jesus to pray for our enemies is wise, as retaliation is a natural reaction; praying for abusers forces us to confront our instinctive reaction, to become aware of it, and to divert the otherwise harmful energy linked with it.” To really ‘listen’ to what Jesus is saying we need to be open to this message of what commentary writers often refer to as the ‘Golden Rule.’

This ‘Golden Rule’ or ‘love for your enemy’ was modelled by Jesus throughout his life and ministry. Examples of this include his request for forgiveness for the people who had put him through his suffering when he was crucified on the cross. Throughout this Gospel text, we are implicitly instructed, in a most thought-provoking way, of how to ‘turn the other cheek’. 

Jesus is talking about ‘agape’ love when he uses the word love. Michael Fallon explains that the Greek translation of ‘agape’ is the feeling we associate with a family member, spouse, or friend, it is a love of choice. This love is a positive, intentional, and active choice to respond to all others with a concern for their well-being and positivity. Herein lies the challenge for us, to actively respond to hate, anger, or violence in a non-confronting love filled way.

It's almost countercultural at times to respond to challenge or hate in this manner, but it is this response when faced with conflict in our contemporary culture, that the “Good News,” asks of us. In a year where our theme calls on us to Share the Good News, Jesus’ commandment to ‘Love your enemies’ is an opportunity to pause, listen and to choose a response that shares this message with all.

Courtesy of Lee Pethybridge: Religious Education Officer: Catholic Education Office

Dear Parents, Carers and Families of Sacred Heart School,

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 2022 school year.

I'm incredibly grateful for the welcome I have received from the whole Sacred Heart School community since being appointed Principal. I feel very privileged to be entrusted with this role and look forward to leading Sacred Heart School in 2022. 

We have had a wonderful start to the school year with students and staff settling in and being able to hold our Swimming Carnival was a great highlight. We have also welcomed the Resilience Project to work with our students, staff and parents in recent weeks and look forward to working with AFL School Clinics in the weeks to come. As well as celebrating both Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday with a Liturgy for our students and staff next week.

Our staff have been working incredibly hard to set up our students up for a very successful 2022 school year and I thank them enormously for the work they have already done.

Our Staffing for 2022 includes;

Education Service Officers

Cleaners: Diane Walton and Leanne Maguire

Administration & Finance: Kasie Jarvis

School Chaplains: Maryann Leonard & Jenni Wood

Learning Support Officers

Diane Walton, Tina Abbruzzese and Rebecca Cresswell

Teachers

Foundation & Year One: Nanette Micallef

Year Two & Three: Tina Keyzer

Year Four, Five and Six: Mez Moffat

Specialist Teacher: Meredith Haugen

Supported by our School Advisory Council and Parents and Friends committee.

In this newsletter you will see some of the many things that have been occurring at Sacred Heart School in the first four weeks and we look forward to sharing our newsletters on a fortnightly basis moving forwards.

We will be holding our School Advisory Council meeting on Tuesday the 29th of March, please see the advertisement and call for nominations under the 'School News' tab. 

Justine Goonan