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Term 1 Week 10

LET US PRAY

Lord, we give thanks for term 1. We entered the year by celebrating that we make a difference because we are Anchored in Hope. You are our hope and each day we see you walk with the community of St Augustine’s. As we start the holidays keep us safe. We will soon journey with you to your death and resurrection. For this we give you thanks, for you are good, and your mercy and love is endless. We turn our eyes to you for you open the gates of righteousness and answer when we call. We bless you, Lord, for shining your light upon us, and for walking the road we walk. We praise you with our heart in joy that we will share in your resurrection. Amen.

End of Term One Thankyou

As we near the end of term 1 we have much to be thankful for. There has been new learning and many adventures for all at St Augustine’s. We have ended the term with the powerful presentation of the pilgrimage walk of the stations of the cross presented to us by the year 3/4 students. As we walked to each station we reflected and prayed for our hope in the resurrection of Jesus. Thank you to Year 3/4 and the teachers for the very moving presentation of Jesus’ journey through his eyes.

In the second week of the holidays we will enter Holy week an emotional week for Christians, but one that anticipates the hope and glory of the resurrection of Christ at Easter, which is at the heart of the Christian Gospel and the centre of Christian faith and worship. It is a time to focus our thoughts and prepare our hearts to mark the most pivotal events of our faith.

We will begin with Palm Sunday and then move to the Easter tridium. We will live Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as powerful moments that allow us to enter ever further into the great mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in these three days speaks of mercy, because it makes visible the extent of God’s love. We will listen to the account of the final days of Jesus’ life. John the Evangelist offers us the key to understanding its profound meaning: “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). The love of God has no bounds. As St Augustine often repeated, it is a love that goes “to the end without end”. God truly offers all of himself for each of us and holds nothing back. The Mystery which we adore in this Holy Week is a great history of love which knows no obstacles. The Passion of Jesus lasts until the end of the world, because it is a story of sharing in the suffering of all humanity and a permanent presence in the events of the private life of each of us. Indeed, the Easter Triduum is the commemoration of a drama of love which gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned in life’s trials.

On Holy Thursday Jesus institutes the Eucharist, In order to make the Apostles understand the love which enlivens him he washes their feet, offering the example of how they must act. The Eucharist is the love that becomes service. In giving himself to us as food, Jesus attests that we must learn to share this nourishment with others so that it may become a true communion of life with those who are in need. He gives himself to us and asks us to dwell in him in order to do likewise.

Good Friday is the culminating moment of love. The death of Jesus, who on the Cross surrenders himself to the Father in order to offer salvation to the entire world, expresses love given to the end, a love without end. A love that seeks to embrace everyone, that excludes no one. A love that extends over time and space: an inexhaustible source of salvation to which each of us, can draw. If God has shown us his supreme love in the death of Jesus, then we too, can and love one another.

Lastly, Holy Saturday is the day of God’s silence. God is silent, but out of love. On this day, love — that silent love — becomes the expectation of life in the resurrection. It is love that has no doubt, but which hopes in the word of the Lord, that it may be made glorious on the day of Easter.

Easter Sunday marks Jesus’s resurrection. After Jesus was crucified on the Friday his body was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers and an enormous stone was put over the entrance. On Sunday the women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body to find the stone was rolled away. Mary Magdalene also came to the tomb where Jesus was buried and found it empty. An angel told her that Jesus had risen. Jesus went on to appear to a number of people, including the disciples. Jesus had risen from death just like He said He would. Christians believe that the resurrection proves that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) and the Son of God. Everything he said and did was true. Through our faith we also believe that the resurrection means Jesus is still with us and is guiding us every day.

Congratulations

Congratulations to our newly confirmed Year six students. The students were confirmed on Friday the 28^th of March by Fr Ananda. As a community we rejoice, and our prayers are with them. Blessings to all the candidates on their Confirmation.

May the light of the Holy Spirit always burn brightly in them and draw them closer into a life of faith where their love for God will empower them in their lives.

Catholic Education Week: St Patrick’s Day Mass

Recently our Student Leaders and members of the Student SRC Team attended the annual St Patrick’s day mass as part of Catholic Education week. The students had the opportunity to celebrate mass in the cathedral with Archbishop Peter Comensoli and visiting clergy. Our school captains Mila and Karlo proudly walked into the cathedral with our school flag. It was a joyful time filled with the excitement of students from many Catholic schools in the diocese.