From our Principal
Blessed are you who Bear the Light
Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons
Christmas Wishes
Marist-Sion College is an incredibly special place for so many reasons but mainly it is because we are a Catholic school.
Being Catholic inspires us to be a welcoming and inclusive community. It inspires us to adopt an attitude of gratitude (and this was especially evident in the Christmas hampers full of your generous donations).
There are many families whose Christmas will be better because of your generosity.
Advent – A Time of Waiting and Hope
I love the season of Advent because it is expectant and full of hope. I often think about how special it would be to await the birth of a baby, as Mrs Visser in the library currently is.
Advent is a patient season where I find myself thinking of other people and why they are special to me. I am old school and like writing cards to express how I feel to my family and friends.
Advent asks us to make peace with the waiting and reminds us that we can.
It gently shows us again that there can be deep joy in that in-between place, that “one-foot-in-front-of-the-other” pace where we are waiting for something special.
The Magic and Meaning of Christmas
Christmas is a magical time for children. At my brother’s house, an elf on the shelf used to visit Astrid and Zoe. One year, he was so naughty that he drew a moustache on Zoe’s face and scribbled on her arms. Another year, he got the clippers and shaved some of Matt’s hair right long his part like a runway. It was magical.
As a child, Christmas meant a long wait for Midnight Mass where my Dad played the piano and Mum was always involved too. Afterwards we ran around playing 40/40 home in the dimly lit primary school yard often until 2.30am while Mum and Dad enjoyed a port and Christmas cake with other community members.
The few days leading up to Christmas Eve were full of activity at my house growing up too. It was my Gran’s birthday on Christmas Eve, so we enjoyed many family gatherings on Christmas Eve as well. We ran headlong into Christmas, like kids who get going downhill in a fast billie-cart and don’t know how to control their speed.
On Christmas morning, we’d gather around our tree to open presents, yawning and trying not to fall asleep before getting into the car to visit Mum’s side of the family for lunch and then Dad’s side of the family for dinner. Christmas had its own adrenaline-fueled excitement, for sure, and the biggest challenge was usually getting your bat early in the cousin’s cricket match because the younger cousins usually got bored fielding after an hour or so. It was just what we did.
Stories of Jesus’ birth
The Christmas story is found only in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, in rather different forms.
Luke’s Gospel has the more joyful story, with its focus on Mary, an adolescent Jewish girl of faith and courage. She is compelled to journey with Joseph from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judaea where Jesus is born.
Outside in the fields, angels announce the birth to poor, rough shepherds who hurry to greet the newborn Saviour.
Luke’s account emphasises the ordinariness and poverty of the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. For Luke, because Jesus is the Son of God, he brings to birth God’s kingdom of love, especially to poor and humble Jewish people, overturning the world’s values of power, status, wealth and vengeance in favour of justice, simplicity and forgiveness.
As I celebrate Christmas with my family, sometimes I randomly think about the fact that the early Quakers refused to set aside December 25 as a special day. I did a project on the Quakers in Year 11.
I learnt that Quakers feared that doing so would lead them to forget that every day is holy – that peace and justice are moral imperatives all year long – that hope is always ready to be born into our hearts – that we are never free to ignore the needs of the least among us.
I celebrate Christmas with joy – but those early Quakers had a point. Growing numbers of Australians are reported to be struggling to put enough healthy food on the table every day as the cost of living soars.
Food insecurity can range from being anxious about not having enough food in the house, to eating cheaper, less healthy foods due to a lack of money, to regularly skipping meals and going hungry.
Note to self: Celebrate Christmas with a full heart on December 25. But understand that you’re celebrating an endless calling, and keep your heart open to the world’s needs 365 days a year.
Mainly, Christmas is about the journey of one family awaiting the arrival of a little baby boy. The gift of this baby boy, Jesus heralded hope for communities across the ages. All of you were that gift to your family at some stage.
Whatever holiday you celebrate during the month of December – and there are many – the blessings of this season to you and yours!
Departing Students and Staff
To our departing students and staff, we wish you all the best with the next phase of your journey.
Thank you for being a part of our community.
Ms Lisa Harkin
Principal