Faith & Mission

Reflection

As I write this reflection, I have just come from our College Feast of Assumption mass celebrated by Fr Michael McEntee. 

In his homily, Fr Michael said “Do not ask for the meaning of life.  Rather, ask what meaning you can give to life”.

Fr Michael acknowledged that this understanding of the journey of life draws upon the teaching of Pope Francis.  In a sermon during a mass at St Peter’s Basilica, the Pope said:

"The meaning of life is found in our response to God's offer of love.  And that response is made up of true love, self-giving and service" 

In my role as Director of Faith and Mission, I strive to offer a message of invitation and welcome to all who wish to belong to our College community.  What is required of those who wish to belong to our community, is that they commit themselves to the six Mercy values that form the cornerstones of the College.

 In the first reading from last Sunday, St Paul expressed his benchmark for belonging in this way:

"All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.  So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love”

The Gospel reading from last Sunday was from John, in which Jesus says:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Gospel reading brings to mind the Eucharistic, which is at the heart of the liturgical celebrations of our Catholic College.  I am aware that for many people, the Catholic mass is problematic and it is a statistical fact that regular attendance at Sunday mass has fallen.

The word Eucharist comes from the Greek work meaning ‘thanksgiving’.  The word ‘Communion’, in common usage, has the meaning of a deep and powerful connection.

As Director of Faith and Mission, I regularly invite all members of our College community to attend a Catholic mass, to participate in a celebration of thanksgiving and community.

Thanks to the thoughts of Pope Francis and Fr Michael, I feel that when I extend that invitation, I am not asking our parents, students and teachers to respond to the question “What is the meaning of the Eucharist?”, but rather, “What meaning can I give to a Eucharistic celebration with our College community?”  

Mr Mark Hyland

Director of Faith and Mission