Living with Strength and Kindliness
Colossians 3:11 says : ‘There is only Christ. He is everything and he is in everything.’ and further on in Colossians, ‘Through Him all things are reconciled, everything in heaven and everything on earth.’
These are focus verses for Richard Rohr - a Franciscan priest - in his newest (and he thinks his last) book. Rohr believes that ‘everything, without exception, is the outpouring of God.’
These are big thoughts: a humpback whale, a washing machine, a family of asylum seekers, coffee, oreos, sunset and laughter, dreamtime. God - the Christ - in all these things and bringing all these things together with divine grace.
It’s not hard to believe this at school. Today, sitting in a meeting with senior students planning our action for refugees, ‘The Solidarity circle’ - I knew what Rohr meant. It was easy to see the sparkling goodness of these students and their wishes and dreams. It was easy to know what he meant when a student did a little thing like take his hat off before I asked and then beam at me until I noticed.
Our students are planning for Timor, for a Reconciliation Tree, rehearsing for the school musical, performing for drama, making stained glass windows which have transformed the school, training for intermediate footy and netball, studying for their exams - these kids are all agents of God’s light for us.
Even the student who does the wrong thing - forgetting or misguided- they are there responding to the light and love of teachers and parents.
In fact, Rohr says; ‘Whatever evokes from you the flow of love is operating as Christ for you.’
And, there it is. This is what we strive to get close to over and over again. Sometimes we have to fight for it or look for it, and sometimes we have to wait for it and sometimes we just have to ‘be’ it.
*And, please don’t forget to bring your soup and canned goods to school for the Vinnies drive.
Joy and mercy
Renee
RECONCILIATION SOCIAL JUSTICE SEMINAR
On Wednesday, 22nd of May, the Year 10 House Leaders and our School Fire Carriers were privileged enough to be invited to a Reconciliation Social Justice Seminar by the Kildare Ministries. We travelled to Clonard College in Geelong and were Welcomed to Country with a very intriguing cultural dance.
Our first guest speaker, Norm Stanley, an elder of the area, spoke to us of his history and what it means to be an Aboriginal person. He explained aspects of his culture through artifacts and inspired us with his stories of the Stolen Generation and the influence it has had on him and many other Aboriginal families.
We had been given this opportunity to help us with our own Reconciliation Week and look at it with a whole new perspective.
Our plan is to make a Reconciliation Tree at the front of the school. Students will be able to write their own ideas and words on what reconciliation week means for them and hang them on the tree for everyone to see and reflect.
From the experience, everyone out of the many schools was emotionally touched and had bought home messages from that day. The journey was all worthwhile as we all learnt very much of what Reconciliation truly means and we look forward to how our Tree turns out.
