Education in Faith

Meeting FACE to FACE

Finally we can have small group of parents inside our learning Spaces!! On Thursday night for the first time we gathered at school and face to face for our 2021 Reconciliation Workshop. As we have both Year 3 and Year 4 students making their Reconciliation this year we had two workshops in LS1 with Pia and LS2 with Michele.

It was great to see both children and parents interact and engaged with our facilitators. I think everyone left with new insights and a better understanding of Reconciliation.

Please pray for our SFS students who will be making their first Reconciliation on the 25 March 2021 at St Kevin's Church, Hampton Park.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Jesus tells Nicodemus that the Son of Man will be raised up so that those who believe in him will have eternal life.

In this week’s Gospel passage we read one of the most beloved and well-known verses of Scripture: 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

Indeed, God’s great love for us is clearly presented in this reading. During our lives all of us experience some kind of temporary darkness. This Gospel calls us to keep coming into the light, to turn from our sinful ways, and to live the truth. John’s Gospel teaches us that Jesus was the light that came into the world. In this light we know ourselves to be sinners, but we are not condemned. Instead we have been saved because we have been forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. 

Saint John uses the metaphor of light to describe both God as light and Jesus the son of God as light to teach the Johannine community that they themselves should shine as light on hilltops and not hide their faith in God temporarily under bushel baskets out of fear. Jesus tells Nicodemus, who comes to him in the dark of night, that, whoever lives the truth lives in light.

We know that there can be no life without light. In Jesus we all are given a brilliant light a new life, a distinctive way of experiencing the world. It is like the disciples at Emmaus when they saw Jesus in the scriptures and the breaking of the bread. We perceive our world and give meaning to the world through the new light of faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore each one of us is called to go into the light and to invite new life to come into our world.

We hear that God sent his only Son into the world with a purpose, and that purpose was to save and to redeem those who believed in him. God made us to live in the light of his love. But this original friendship with God was corrupted by sin. Our sin causes us to shy away from Christ, the light that has come into the world. During the season of Lent, we try to fight this tendency by remembering God’s great mercy and the salvation that we have received through Jesus. We do not fear confessing our sins, knowing that God forgives us, and so, during Lent, we seek out opportunities to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Discussion Starters

1. One purpose for which God created me is...

2. A time I knew that God was with me and that God loved me was...

3. Someone I can be a light to this week is...    I will do this by...

Sacramental News

Sacrament of Reconciliation 

We request our SFS community to keep in prayer 75 of our children who will receive the Sacrament of First Reconciliation.

Thank you to our families who participated in a Parent and Child Work shop yesterday. It was a delight to welcome Pia and Michelle our presenters for this workshop. It was a real pleasure to see our parents journey with their child as they receive the sacrament of Penance for the first time.

Please take note to the change to our First Reconciliation Liturgy Service time.

The Liturgy is now scheduled for 5.30pm Thursday 25th March at  St. Kevin’s 

Church. We no longer have any 5 pm and 7pm sessions. 

Message from Fr. Anil Mascarenas 

God Bless

Rozeta Ambrose

rambrose@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5/6 SOCIAL JUSTICE TEAM MINI VINNIES

Once again a big thank you to the Mini Vinnies for giving up their lunchtime to collect and count the money donated to Project Compassion.

What a fantastic effort by everyone!! The total amount we have collected so far is $234!!! The result for the end of this week is:

1st              MacKillop            $91.30

2nd             Patrick                 $59.15

3rd              Teresa                 $53.70

4th              Bosco                  $30.15

Thank you to everyone for their contributions and support! 

Well done MacKillop for this week. Let’s see who is leading next week. 

This week’s video shares the story of Olivia from Tanzania: https://youtu.be/gENizPmzsEM 

Families that would like a Project Compassion box for home are most welcome to come and collect one from the office. They will need to be returned before the end of this term.

Giuliana and SFS Mini Vinnies