This week the St Louis' school community was drawn together following the very sad news of the passing of Angela D'Amelio, one of our school parents. Let us pray for the D'Amelio family that God may hold them in the palm of His hand and that the angels lead Angela to perfect eternal peace.

This Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we have hear in the Gospel the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus comes to Bethany, to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, whom he knew so well: a family where he was at home. Lazarus has died, but Jesus hasn't rushed there, so that the works of God can be shown through him and the Father can be glorified.

It is here, in the midst of the grief and the tears of Martha and Mary, that Jesus makes this wonderful proclamation of who he is. He says to Martha, 'I am the Resurrection and the Life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies, he will live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'

We are invited again to deepen our faith in Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is a sign that points us towards the joy of Easter and Jesus' resurrection from the dead, the promise of new life, eternal life in him. It also gives us hope for whatever may seem dead in us, our faith, our perspective, our waning hope…these can be brought back to life by the power of Jesus Christ working within us!

When he raises Lazarus from the dead, we hear those powerful words cried out in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, here, come out. Unbind him, let him go free.'

In our prayer, we bring to Jesus our offering: our prayers for those who are bound in one way or another, for those who need again to receive the gift of freedom, for the sick, for those who are looking after them and caring for them, for the addicted, for those living in fear, in the midst of war and conflict. We pray for all those grieving, like Martha and Mary.

In this celebration, we renew our hope in Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, who helps us to walk towards Easter, through the desert, and know the joy of his being raised from the dead, and our new life with Jesus Christ.

This weekend our Year 4 students are making a commitment to listen with their ears and their hearts as they learn more about Jesus Christ and the gift He gave us at the First Eucharist. Just like Mary and Martha had faith in Jesus, we are also called to actively listen, nourish and engage in our faith as we support out Year 4 First Eucharist candidates.

We also congratulate our Year 5 students who were finally able to celebrate their First Eucharist (after afew delays last year) and have now taken the next step in their faith journey as they continue to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Year 1 Cluster News