Year 9
Then the angel said to the women in reply,
“Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce this to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Matthew 28:5-9
By now, the reality of life at home for our Year 9 students has most definitely set in. Congratulations to our Year 9 students for the way they have adjusted to remote learning. This must have been very hard for them, because they enjoy working cooperatively and always support one another. I can only imagine how disarmingly quiet the Kildare Centre is, especially in the morning!
Lent has always been one of my favourite times in our Church’s liturgical calendar. When I was a boy, some family friends of ours used to give up watching television for Lent. They were very good friends of my family and I was always terrified that my parents would follow their example and turn off our television for the entire Lenten season. Fortunately, my father loved watching 'World of Sport' almost as much as my mother loved watching 'Days of Our Lives', so that particular form of penance was never a realistic option. On Easter Sunday morning this year, I did something I have never done before, I watched Mass on TV. Although ‘Mass For You At Home’ is officially the longest running show on TV never to win a Logie, I’ve never actually watched it, generally preferring the real thing. Of course, this Lent has been like no other, and like all teachers, I have been preparing to teach my classes from home using a laptop and seeking somehow to maintain relationships with colleagues and more importantly with students that I have been developing for three years.
Notwithstanding that Easter Sunday is the day of greatest joy and hope in our Church year, it has been difficult to remain positive about the world in the midst of a global pandemic that threatens our very way of life. In his 2020 Urbi et Orbi (to Rome and the World) address, Pope Francis speaks about the need to have faith, using Jesus’ calming of the storm as a metaphor for the terrible events of recent times. There will be many times during Term 2 when things are hard and challenging, but Jesus’ words in Mark: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” should provide solace to everyone at the College in the present circumstances.
I gave up coffee for Lent. It was a difficult journey and one that I travelled alone. The great spiritual writer Thomas Merton said that "whenever he thought about what he had given up during Lent he would say a prayer". In that case, I was in regular conversation with God for most of Lent. Many times people asked me rhetorically why I was doing it. Whenever that conversation arose, I remarked that giving something up for Lent is about Easter, not about Lent. Of course, Easter comes into sharpest relief when I buy my first takeaway coffee after Mass on Easter Sunday morning.
This year was a little surreal when I attended Mass sitting on my couch, but afterwards one of my daughters joined me and we strolled rather briskly up to the café near home, my mind racing with anticipation. Once we had ordered our coffee from the footpath through an open window, we waited like the 11 remaining Apostles when they first heard Mary Magdalene’s proclamation of the risen Christ. As we walked home and I was enjoying my coffee, my daughter remarked to me that I had a silly smile on my face. I replied to her, “That’s right Darling Girl. I have a lovely wife, three beautiful daughters, it’s Easter Sunday and I’m drinking a coffee. Let’s forget there is a global pandemic; today life seems just perfect”. At that moment, Easter seemed very real, and I understood that without Lent, Easter just isn’t the same. I hope everyone in the Year 9 community had a great Easter.
Bill Fitzsimons
Year 9 Level Leader