Religious Dimension
The Lenten season is with us. Lent is a time to fast and an opportunity to give to others – a time to say kind and positive things about others. Too often we can spend time worrying about the past and feeling anxious for the future, rather than enjoying the present. May we all enjoy the season of Lent. Even if you are a distant Catholic, the season of Lent can give joy to anyone who yearns for a connection to Christ.
May Lent be a time where there is freedom of burden and the space to listen to the heart.
Lent is a time for Project Compassion. Caritas has been for 55 years the Australian Catholic Church’s major fundraising organisation supporting communities across the globe who do not have the same standard of living as we do – trying to break the poverty cycle through education and developing self-sustaining programs.
Thank-you again for all the families who have donated. Each learning space will continue to have a Project Compassion box on their prayer table. Could we all give up something this lent to fill those boxes?
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Last night we held our family information night for our Yr 3 students who will be celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation next week. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (previously referred to as Confession or Penance) has undergone some changes since the Second Vatican Council. The major renewal in thinking revolves around reaffirming the truth that God loves us without fail and forgives us before we even recognise our need to be forgiven. Therefore when we make poor choices we are also damaging our relationship with God, with others and ourselves. Reconciliation is about building bridges and making an attempt to make things right. No matter our age, we make mistakes and the Sacrament of Reconciliation reminds us to focus on the social aspect of our wrong-doing in the hope of making better decisions in the future.
Second Sunday of Lent
Genesis 12:1-4a I 2 Timothy 1:8b-10 I Matthew 17:1-9
Written by Michael McGirr
Think for a moment about some of the things you have on your walls at home. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive. They might be photos of your family or perhaps of deceased grandparents. They might be prints of famous paintings or posters with sayings that mean a lot to you. It is very common that Christians have special things: crucifixes or images of saints. All of these things inspire us in one way or another. If ever you have had to pack up to move house and looked at your bare walls as you leave, they will seem empty and colourless.
Art is one of the things that transfigures our world and makes it more beautiful. Other things do this as well: laughter, tears, cooking, music, hugs and sharing stories. They all transfigure our houses and allow us to see them as homes. They unlock the true potential of an otherwise ordinary space.
This week Project Compassion, organised by Caritas Australia, presents us with the story of Tereesa, a 27-year-old indigenous woman from Western Sydney, the area with the largest urban indigenous population in the country. Tereesa became pregnant at the age of 16.
With your help, Project Compassion has been able to support the Mums and Bubs program run by Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation. This allowed Tereesa to find accommodation, gain skills and continue her education. She was also able to connect with her culture. Her glorious artwork was featured on the Wulugul Walk during Sydney’s Vivid Light festival last year. Her use of light and colour transfigured the environment where it was displayed. In so many places, Project Compassion helps people to achieve their vision.
Of course, the transfiguration of Jesus is unique. We heard in Sunday’s Gospel that Jesus took his closest friends to the top of a high mountain. His face shone like the sun and his face became ‘as white as the light.’ A voice from heaven said ‘this is my beloved son; listen to him.’ Peter said how wonderful it was to be there. The transfiguration may have only lasted a few minutes but it was clear that Jesus’ friends never forgot it. Like a work of art on a wall, the memory made the world seem very different. During Lent, we are also called to transfigure the world, to make a difference.
Jacqui
jhayes@sjsorrento.catholic.edu.au