Religious Education

Upcoming Dates

Year 1 Whole Class Mass: Saturday, October 25th at 5:30pm
Year 2 Prayers in Pyjamas: Tuesday, November 11th at 5:30pm
Year 2 Whole Class Mass: Saturday, November 15th at 5:30pm

We look forward to celebrating faith and community with all our families!

Over the past two weeks, we have celebrated our Prayers in Pyjamas evenings with our Prep and Year 1 students and their families. On Tuesday this week, our Year 1 families gathered to explore the parable of The Lost Sheep, while last Tuesday, 14th November, our Prep families reflected on The Creation Story. Each evening offered a wonderful blend of faith and community as we learnt about the parts of the Bible with Ms Hill, engaged in meditation with Ms Zeeng, and shared in prayer and craft activities led by the classroom teachers. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated Prep teachers, Louise Pickering and Fiona Byrne, and our fantastic Year 1 teachers, Niamh Lennon and Carlie Cochrane, whose thoughtful planning made these evenings so meaningful. These gatherings were a beautiful opportunity for families to pray, reflect, and celebrate together, deepening our youngest students’ understanding of God’s love.

Gospel Reflection - Sunday 26th of October

📖Together as a family, read the gospel

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus tells the parable of the proud Pharisee who prayed from his self-importance and the tax collector who prayed humbly.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

There we some people who thought they were better than other people and that God was more pleased with them. So Jesus told them this story:

“Two people went into the Temple to pray. One of them was a Pharisee, and the other one was a tax collector. The pharisee prayed like this:

‘O God, I thank you that I am better than other people. I don’t steal: I’m not unjust; I don’t do bad things against my family. And I’m not sinful like that tax collector over there. I fast twice each week, and I even give ten percent of all my money to the Temple.’

“But the tax collector stood way in the back of the temple. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. He bowed his head and prayed,

‘My God, I am a sinner. Have mercy on me.’ ”

Jesus said,

“I tell you, it was the tax collector who was right with God, not the Pharisee. For people who think they are important and better than others will be humbled. But people who are truly humble and honest about themselves will be honored and praised by God.”

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Connection

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that God values humility over pride. The Pharisee bragged about his good deeds and compared himself to others, while the tax collector simply asked for God’s mercy with a humble heart. Jesus teaches us that when we come before God with honesty and humility, we open ourselves to His love and forgiveness.

Sometimes in families, we can fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to one another—who gets the most attention, who does something “better,” or who seems to get praised more often. Jesus’ story reminds us that God doesn’t love us because of what we achieve or how we measure up to others—He loves us for who we are.

Discussion points

Why do you think the Pharisee’s prayer wasn’t pleasing to God?
How do you think the tax collector felt when he prayed?
Have you ever compared yourself to someone? How did that make you feel?
What is special about you? What can we do to remember that God loves each of us just as we are?
How can we encourage others instead of comparing ourselves to them?

🙏 Pray together as a Family

Loving God,

Thank you for making each of us special and for the many gifts you have given our family. Help us to be humble in our words and actions, to show kindness even when it’s hard, and to be grateful for the love we share each day. Teach us to see the goodness in one another and to always turn to you with honest and gentle hearts.

Amen

May God bless,

Laura Zeeng

Deputy Principal & Religious Education Leader (REL)