Education in Faith
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
We have some wonderful celebrations in our Church calendar at the moment! Please see Mr Ru's From The Principal Page as he has put in a beautiful prayer for our progression this term.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
We celebrated Pentecost on the 24th of May, and learnt about it in each of our classes. The story of Pentecost is an important one as it tells the story of the Disciples after Jesus had ascended to Heaven.
This was not a fantastic time for the followers of Jesus, as you might imagine! Their leader was not with them, having returned to heaven, and the fear of persecution stayed with the Disciples. They had seen first hand the cruel punishment Jesus had received, who wouldn't be worried that might happen to them.
As Pentecost began the Disciples were gathered to pray, perhaps not hiding, but certainly not wanting to show themselves in public.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
When unpacking this story with our students we love to look at the symbols of the Holy Spirit. The great wind that shook the walls, the tongues of fire that gathered above the Disciples heads and then the ability to speak in different languages!
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. Acts 2
While the symbols of this story are important, the core component of our teaching with students is actually about what happened shortly after the room, where the Disciples rushed out to the street.
With students we unpack what the Disciples wanted to use their new found confidence and powers to discuss. It wasn't the weather or the football scores!
The Disciples used the spirit to better enable them to share The Good Word. Jesus' teachings in their entirety. Lessons on love, patience, foregiveness, compassion and much, much more!
The Disciples asked the gathered people to ask themselves some tough questions! Am I living my life with love? Am I being fair and compassionate to everyone, even the people I might not like? Are my prayers supported by my actions, or are they just words?
Knowing history, we actually know this didn't always work out for the Disciples, and unfortunately some of them were persecuted for what they taught. However their actions laid the foundations for the modern Catholic Church.
Pentecost is an important story because it asks us to reflect on our own position in a similar situation. Not with flames above our heads, as the students say that would cause us to stress a bit!
But rather, times when we know the right thing to do, even when that might be a bit difficult to do, or come at a personal cost.
Pentecost reminds us that it isn't just the fun, happy, times that we should be living as the Lord has asked. Even in times of struggle, we should be doing our best to do what is right. Please see some reflection points below, you may wish to chat with your child about them or even just use personally!
-When have I tried to do the right thing even though I felt nervous or afraid, like the Disciples at Pentecost?
-How can I show courage and kindness even when others around might be making poor choices?
-Is there a time when I stayed quiet instead of speaking up for what was right? What could I do differently next time?
-God granted the Disciples at Pentecost powers to help them help others. What powers do I have to help others?
St Anthony of Padua
Another wonderful day in our calendar is approaching with the celebrations for our namesake, Saint Anthony of Padua! The actual feast day this year will be Saturday the 13th of June, with different celebrations taking place at school and in our Parish. Please keep an eye out for further information as this is always a special occasion each year!
God Bless!
Tim O'Mahoney
Education in Faith Leader