Religious Dimension

Our Gospel Challenge this week is to: be thankful for the food we eat. 

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. We live in an age that invented junk food: food that is not real food because it supplies no nourishment and can be harmful to eat. It’s not surprising then, that we also consume volumes of reporting that is mostly opinion, and inform ourselves from sources we can’t even identify. Our culture’s popular stories are thin, recycled, and not transformative. A lot of what we take in - to our bodies, our minds, our hearts - is just junk. Some people awaken to that reality and try to make changes. They train themselves to walk past the processed food aisle in the supermarket. They turn off the TV, forsake pre-packaged opinions, seek out stories which lead beyond romance or cynicism. They look for people engaged in vital living, who go beyond the existence loop that many of us have crawled into: work, eat, entertain, sleep. 

Some people are looking for true food. Jesus offers true food to those who believe. Eucharist is how we express that, but the sacrament takes us beyond the sacred elements to the flesh-and-blood avenues of our lives. Jesus gave us the Eucharist to open our eyes to the words he spoke, the stories he told, the transformative action of Spirit that helps us break out of the existence loop and into lives that matter. When we’ve had enough junk, the true food is on the table. 

• Gathering together to break bread and share the cup is the most ancient practice of the church. Paul wrote a description of ‘The Lord’s Supper’ in I Corinthians 11:23 in about the year 56. 

• This feast, which used to be known as ‘Corpus Christi’, originated in the Middle Ages as a celebration of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic bread. 

• In John’s Gospel, the Eucharist is instituted by Christ in the sharing of the loaves and fishes, not at the Last Supper that he had with his friends on the night before he died. For John, the central act of that Last Supper was the washing of the feet of the disciples—an act of service to others.

• During the recent pandemic, you might not have been able to gather with others to share food and drink. As restrictions are lifted, who are the people you most look forward to sharing a meal with? 

• What nourishes your body and your spirit?

Refugee Week

Black Lives Matter protests throughout the US, Australia and the rest of the world have shone a spotlight on the need to hear voices of the marginalised. Another group of voices that often goes unheeded is that of refugees. Every single day, thousands of people are forced to flee their homes, their lives and everything they have. A large portion of those who are displaced are children, putting them out of school and on the run. Each year, we remember their plight by celebrating World Refugee Day on 20 June. On this day we applaud the strength, perseverance and bravery of the millions of refugees all around the world. 

 2020 Sacrament Program

Our Sacramental Program here at St John’s for 2020 was put on ‘hold’ in mid-March. We were fortunate that children were able to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in an engaging and reverent ceremony, although families were unable to be present. We would presently be in the midst of home masses and First Eucharist celebrations. Due to the continuing state and federal government restrictions, the decision has been made to move the Eucharist Program to 2021, with slight changes to it. As restrictions are eased, it is our hope that there may be an opportunity to schedule a new date for the celebration of Confirmation in Term Four. However, until approval is granted to allow for large gatherings in the Church, any actual plans to celebrate in the usual way remain just that - plans! 

Once State Regulations allow, we will finalise the dates and process. All necessary information will be forwarded to families. Thank you for your understanding.

Feast of the Sacred Heart

This Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart when we celebrate Jesus' love for us and we ask for help to show love towards others. Fr Dispin will be videoing the mass with the Social Justice Leaders on Thursday and the school community will be viewing it on Friday. 

St John's Parish Website

Please remember that Fr Dispin is recording his Sunday masses and they are on the parish website. So too are many other resources that may assist you Spiritually during this time of isolation. https://stjohnsmitcham.com.au/

Monica O'Shannassy

moshannassy@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.ay