Faith News

School & Parish

Season of Creation

Pope Francis is encouraging parishes and schools to participate in a Season of Creation, commencing September 1 and ending October 4, the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. We are called to prayer, reflection and action towards care of our common home, the planet Earth and all life that it supports and nurtures.

St. Augustine's School Prayer

Our Father in Heaven,

Look over and bless St. Augustine’s while we are working and playing.

Help us to respect and care for each other as you taught us to.

Give us the opportunity to do our best for you each day.

We look forward to being able to share our lives with our friends and families.

Keep us safe and give us the courage to be

people who want to know you more.

Amen.

I invite all families to pray this prayer at home, maybe one morning each week.

Prayer of the Week

Scripture of the Week

Matthew 18:21-35

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time,” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me”, he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said. “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

Reflection

REFLECTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – by Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart

Jesus is pretty clear about forgiving people. Seventy times seven is a lot of times – four hundred and ninety times, to be exact!

Can you imagine forgiving someone that many times, if they hurt you that many times? Why or why not?

Can you imagine Jesus forgiving someone that many times? Why or why not?

Forgiveness of a crime doesn’t mean that it was okay for that crime to have been committed. It means that the forgiver is no longer going to spend energy on hatred and anger related to the crime and to the person being forgiven. It actually frees up the forgiver as much as it does the forgiven, for anger and hatred are a very heavy burden that drains a person and affects the person’s whole life.

Because you forgive someone, does it necessarily mean that you trust that person again? If you have to forgive someone seven times for a crime, is it healthy or smart to continue to trust that person?

Would Jesus want you to continue a close relationship with that person, or would he just ask you to give up on the anger and hatred and get on with your life?