St Brigid's Catholic Parish Primary School Gwynneville eNewsletter

From the Religious Education Coordinator's Desk

LENT

During the season of Lent, we are asked to pray, fast, and give alms. What does this mean for us?

Prayer — for example, Mass attendance; family prayer; a visit to a church or chapel; reading the Bible; making the Stations of the Cross; praying the Rosary.

Self-denial — for example, not eating meat; not eating sweets or dessert; giving up entertainment, especially technology, to spend time with the family; limiting food and drink so as to give to the poor of one’s own country (eg, Project Compassion).

Helping others — for example, special attention to someone who is poor, physically or mentally ill, elderly, lonely, bereaved, depressed, addicted or overburdened.

SACRAMENTS 2021

Sacrament of Reconciliation Program (Year 3)

To ensure careful preparation, attendance by the child and an accompanying parent/carer at the following four sessions is essential.

Meeting 2: Reconciliation Programme Session 1: 24th or 25th Feb, 6:30 pm in St John Vianney Co-Cathedral

Meeting 3: Reconciliation Programme Session 2: 3rd or 4th Mar, 6:30 pm in St John Vianney Co-Cathedral

Meeting 4: Reconciliation Programme Session 3: 10th or 11th Mar, 6:30 pm in St John Vianney Co-Cathedral

Meeting 5: Reconciliation Programme Session 4: 17th or 18th Mar, 6:30 pm in St John Vianney Co-Cathedral. Sacrament of Reconciliation to follow upon completion of Meeting 5.

PROJECT COMPASSION 2021

This year's theme for Caritas Australia's Lenten Appeal, Project Compassion, is drawn from the words of St Oscar Romero, "Aspire not to have more, but to be more".

Lent is a time to reflect on ourselves and the ways in which we can "be more" to positively impact the lives of others.

St Brigid's kicked off the fundraising with a profitable pikelet morning tea. Many happy and sticky faces were seen eating pikelets with strawberry jam, butter, icing sugar or just a plain pikelet.

We raised $198.75 for the Project Compassion Appeal.

To serve 420 pikelets takes a team of helpers. Thank you to Mrs Regan, Mrs Mitrevski, Mrs Sammut, Mrs Paton, and the Year 5 students, Cameron, Alexis, Tayah, Sam, Grace, Georgia and Shay.

We would also like to acknowledge the generous donation of $50 worth of pikelets, from Woolworths, Fairy Meadow.

Next Project Compassion Fundraiser - Friday 19 March - More information to come.

REFLECTIONS

Sunday 21 February

1st week of Lent

Today’s readings show us that Lent is a time for us to receive God’s grace. We are not the ones who, through our penance, are meant to accomplish great things. Rather, it is God who acts; it is God who makes the sacrifice; it is God who accomplishes great things for us.

Each reading describes a different kind of conflict within which we might find ourselves: a world-wrenching upheaval, such as happens during social discord, war or natural disaster; the struggle between right and wrong, between fidelity and disobedience; the struggle with temptation. In the midst of the conflicts of life, God initiates a covenant with us. God saves the world from the chaos into which it was thrown, makes a covenant with all living things and with the earth, and sets a bow in the heavens as a perpetual reminder of the covenant. Christ dies for sinners, and offers them baptism that will save them from the chaos of their lives. The Spirit drives Jesus into the desert, there to be tested, but to emerge triumphant. His victory is not for him alone, but for all who will heed his words and follow his example.

The bow in the sky is a sign of the good news of the covenant; baptism is both the good news of salvation for us and our pledge of fidelity to God; Jesus’ proclamation is that the reign of God is at hand. With the psalmist we praise God for inviting us into this covenant relationship.

Sunday 28 February

2nd week of Lent

We all have dreams for the future, dreams about success and well-being. We all want a better world for our children and grandchildren. Our religious tradition sets before us aspirations that call for personal transformation. However, sometimes when we follow the inspiration of our most devout aspirations, obstacles are thrown in our path preventing us from following our dreams. Still, God does not call us out of our dreams into a vacuum. If we are asked to relinquish a possible future, it is only to be offered God’s future. Our aspirations may be noble, but the possibilities that God offers will outstrip them in excellence. Abraham was promised an heir; he relinquished his hold on his heir, and he was granted heirs beyond counting. Jesus came as a Rabbi; he allowed himself to be handed over to death, and he was revealed as the beloved Son of God.

Those preparing for Baptism might be asked to relinquish the dreams that they previously held in order to embrace the future God has in store for them. We who are already joined to Christ will be asked to recommit ourselves to this transformative experience. Do we have faith, or do we need a glimpse of Christ’s transfiguration in order to believe in his resurrection? Do we have to see and touch Jesus, or are we able to believe because we have heard his message? God’s future in Christ is open to us, but we must accept it in faith, even when we do not fully understand what it means.