Faith Reflection and RE News 

Faith Reflection 

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 - They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages.

Within the Old Testament, we hear the story of the Tower of Babel. After Noah's floods, the world, now united as a single people, spoke one language. They decided to build a tower to reach heaven or find safety from another flood. God, who had earlier commanded them to spread across the world, saw this as an affront.  God then destroyed the tower and confused their speech with different languages.

This presents a contrast to the Pentecost event in the Acts of the Apostles, occurring after Jesus's ascension to heaven. Here, the Holy Spirit descends, enabling the disciples to spread Jesus' message by understanding and speaking foreign languages. Throughout the Bible, we encounter these paradoxes and references between the Old and New Testaments. One consistent theme across both accounts is that God does not desire uniformity. Instead, God calls those building the tower to embrace a diverse tapestry of cultures and languages. When they resist, God intervenes decisively. The disciples on the other hand are driven by fear rather than arrogance. They too receive God's intervention,  but this time  through Holy Spirit empowering them with the fruits and gifts to undertake God's work - and being able to speak many languages to spread their message. 

In essence, God cherishes our differences and uniqueness. St. John Vianney’s Mulgrave stands as a prime example of God's mission. Our community embodies diverse cultures and traditions. At SJV, we are privileged to observe Christmas alongside Lunar New Year or Diwali.  Pentecost shows us that through embracing each other's differences, we manifest the Kingdom of God here. This Pentecost, we are urged to celebrate our uniqueness.

This week celebrate Pentecost by trying a cultural cuisine you haven't sampled before, learning phrases from another language, or commemorating events from different cultures.

Jonathan Rooney 

Sacraments

Confirmation -  Sunday 28th July @ 2.00pm 

First Communion -  Saturday 9th November @ 6.00pm 

Sunday 10th November @ 10.00am 

Saturday 16th November @ 6.00pm 

Sunday 17th November @ 10.00am 

Class Mass Timetable

NB: Please note the 3/4 C Mass has been moved to Term 4