Principal Message

Be Kind, Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible, Be resilient, Be ready

Dear Parents and Carers,

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to term 4, it is a great feeling to be back. October is the month of the Rosary so I thought of a reflection on Mary and why Catholics acknowledge Mary and why we have the special prayer, the Hail Mary.

Most people don’t mind being asked questions of a fanciful nature, because these types of questions are non-threatening and can be a means to entertainment as we go about constructing an answer. We would all like to ponder the possibilities of “What would you do if you won the Lotto?” or “If you were Prime Minister, what changes would you make for the benefit of ordinary people?” But how would we ponder if, by some strange means, we were able to fashion our own mother before we were born to her? How would we gift her in mind and body?

Well, in a sense, this is what God did when He chose Mary to be the Mother of His Son, Jesus. When Mary gave her “Yes” answer to Gabriel’s question, she began to carry Jesus in her womb for the nine months of the first Advent, in preparation for the first Christmas. Later in her life, Mary was to be present at another birth, the birth of the Church at the first Pentecost. What’s more, in the same manner as each mother who bore each of us is called our mother and not the mother of our body only, so Mary is the Mother of the whole person of Jesus Christ, who is God. What a great gift to be Mother of God and what courage to say “Yes”.

Because we are human, we are aware of our limitations and weaknesses and probably find it hard to believe that we could do much for God. No doubt, when Mary was asked to be Mother of God, she found Gabriel’s message difficult and thought immediately about her limitations. We are only being human if we find it difficult to accept that God could have a plan for us, as He did for Mary, namely, to bring Jesus to others by living His values.

We can be somewhat reassured by the fact that Mary did not have to do anything but just let God act in her life. So, all that is necessary for us is to allow God to dwell within us. At the Marriage Feast of Cana, Mary gave every generation of Christians a challenge when she said, “Do whatever He tells you”. John 2: 5.   When Mary gave her humble answer of “Yes”, she agreed to let God love her and as a result, she gave Jesus to the world and for this, she is forever revered. 

As Jesus hung dying on the cross, He announced Mary to be the mother of all, when He said through John to us, “She is your Mother”. John 19: 27.   As our Mother, Mary would wish that we, like her, would allow God to love us and through that love, be witnesses to Jesus in the ordinary daily actions of our lives. There is no doubt that Mary’s humble acceptance of God’s plan for her, is a model for all Christians; so, “Relax. Be like Mary. Let God love you”.

“Mary, Mother of God and Mother of us all, you received 

Jesus readily and generously.

Help us with our everyday problems and weaknesses and uncertainties,

to receive Jesus as you did,

to be open to God’s Love.  Amen.”

Keep smiling 

Cathy