Faith & Mission

John Rhynehart

College Theme for the 2023 Academic Year

“Known and Loved”

‘Thus says the Lord:

Who created you…Who formed you…

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name, you are mine,

you are precious in my sight, and honoured,

and I love you.’

(Is. 43: 1, 4.)

Preamble:

“I have called you by your name, you are mine…” (Is. 43: 1) is the key message for our College Theme in 2023.

The Prophet Isaiah highlights for us that not only are we precious in the eyes of God, but that we are His; we belong to God.

The Theme Explored:

As members of a Catholic School community we are committed to care for every one in our community – the whole person – “spiritually, emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically.”[1]

The recognition of the worth of every human being is an act of recognition that is expressed through:

Love
Respect
Compassion

But what do these words mean in the context of St John’s Regional College?

“The prophet Isaiah calls to mind a universal truth, that we are each called by a loving Creator who has formed us and claims us by name.”[2]

When we consider love we are considering the central element of all religious belief.

We are called to be sacrificial lovers
- to look outwards to the other;
  - helping them,
  - being kind and patient with them;
  - rejoicing in what good things others do.

Love demands of us to always focus on the goodness in others
- and to come to know others deeply so that we can also rejoice in the person they are and not just what others may do.

To love deeply is to enter relationships with others;
- to know them well;
- to understand them and what they do.
- The essence of this kind of love is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ – the Perfect Lover – the One we are called to follow and imitate.

From love comes respect,

a respect deeply formed by honouring others and following the Gospel of Jesus. “A Catholic School is a particular community of faith called to live in accordance with, and to witness to, the God of Love as revealed in Christ Jesus.”[3] If we are able to honour others with a deep and lasting respect then we are well on the way to being open to loving and knowing those with whom we study, work and play.

But respect isn’t just about “yes, sir” or “no, sir”, respect insists from us a motion towards; a proactivity which leads to respect and honouring the people around us; respecting every aspect of their being. True respect transcends who we are and how we are with others and leads us into authentic relationships; relationships which are nurtured, and which grow because of the deeply held belief that the “other” in the relationship is truly known and loved.

To be “Known and Loved” is to look at the world and those in it, with compassion,

with kind eyes that see needs and do something about it. This is especially true in the relationships we share: teacher and student, staff member and staff member, student and student and all the other various combinations of relationships we find ourselves in. Compassion springs from our ideas of love and respect. Compassion is that which sees us with the other and being present to them – truly coming to know them and honouring their personhood. Each of us is called by our God to be compassionate people. It is those who express compassion who are saying to others, like God in the words of Isaiah, “you are precious in my sight” (Is. 4: 4) – that is, you matter to me and I want to love and know you not because I have to but because I choose to.

As we journey through 2023 we hold these ideas in our hearts and embrace them in our daily interactions. Let’s look out for each other, spend quality time with each other, help each other and come to love and know each other just as deeply and authentically as our God of Love loves and knows us.

[1] Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Created and Loved., pg. 6.

[2] Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Created and Loved., pg. 2.

[3] Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Created and Loved., pg. 2.