From the Rector
Greetings!
February 17 was Oblate Day when Oblates all over the world renew their vows of Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and Perseverance. The Oblates of Mazenod College renewed their vows in the presence of the College community at the morning Mass. We take this opportunity to thank all the members of our College community for their ongoing care and support.
Renovations: The renovations of various areas of the College are progressing with the near completion in our Heritage corridor of two Year 8 Homerooms which will then become two Religious Education rooms for the remainder of the day.
A reminder that Ash Wednesday will be celebrated next week on March 2. Ash Wednesday is important because it marks the start of the Lenten Season leading up to Easter when Christians believe Jesus was resurrected. We receive the blessed ashes symbolizing our preparedness to undertake some form of repentance to enable a renewed focus on Jesus’ message. The ashes also symbolize our human mortality, we have a limited time allotted to us on this earth.
Gospel Reflection: On this 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, as we welcome the month of March and the last Sunday before the Lenten season, we are reading from the third and final section of Luke’s Sermon on the Plain. The Gospel reading from last week dealt with our actions towards others, this week we are being invited to go deeper: Get the heart – the fundamental attitude – right, Jesus is saying, and all else will follow. Today’s gospel contains the challenging statement, ‘Why do you observe the splinter in the eye of your brother or sister and never notice the plank in your own’. This is a call to avoid judging others and to look inwardly examining ourselves before we speak.
A responsible man or woman thinks before he or she speaks. Jesus condemns our careless and rash judgments about others by using the strange example of one man with a log stuck in his eye, trying to remove a tiny speck from another’s eye. Each one of us has had experiences of saying things we deeply regretted later, but by then, the harm has already been done. St. Theresa said: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” St Eugene de Mazenod challenges us to ‘practice charity, charity, charity’. While we are led to believe that physical appearances are important, we know they can be deceptive, because what really determines who we are is what comes from within us. This includes the quality of our words, the wisdom, and the goodness that we live. This weekend we are asked to reflect on ourselves by asking: Do my words edify or make any positive difference to others? Do my words build-up, or destroy the community?
Morning Teas: An initiative of Mr Rick Redfern and Ms Cherrin Morrissey of Year 7 is to hold a Homeroom morning tea to create a sense of community amongst the students and staff. On Wednesday, 7 Cagney held the first-morning tea that will be a regular feature throughout this term. An abundance of enjoyable snacks was available for consumption. An extra bonus was the birthday celebration of Rafael Morlaes. Thanks to 7 Cagney and their parents.
Inaugural Mass 2022: Our Inaugural Mass was celebrated this morning. I will share more with you about this great event in next week's newsletter.
Enjoy your weekend!
Yours in Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate,
Fr Harry Dyer OMI
Rector