From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Last week the parish and school community gathered together to mark the beginning of Lent in our Liturgical year with the Ash Wednesday Mass.
Lent is often seen as a time when people ‘give things up’. This comes from the practice of fasting and careful preparation for baptism at Easter which once took place. It is associated with the period of 40 days which Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing himself for his ministry.
As Catholics it is important to reflect on what Lent means to us in our relationship with God. It is a time to cut out the background noise of life and listen to God’s voice and turn our hearts and minds in the right direction and find true fulfilment in living.
- Prayer offers us all a privileged opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life grounded in our Baptism. Are you making time in your day to spend in prayer?
- Fasting and Almsgiving can be closely linked. Pope Francis states: “Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bent down to his brother in need and took care of him.” During Lent do you think God needs the chocolate, lollies, and other trivial things we tend to give up? God needs us to look deep within ourselves and reflect. God wants our heart.
I leave you some practical ideas to consider with you and your child/ren during this Lenten season:
- Fasting: Refrain from gossip and unkind words
Give up gossiping for Lent. If someone says something negative about another person, either say something nice or don’t say anything at all.
- Prayer: Be kind to your heart and body
Spend Lent focusing on taking care of the body that God gave you. Set aside time each day for prayer and contemplation.
- Almsgiving: Be kind to others
Challenge yourself to be nice, even when others are not. Say 3 nice things to family and friends each day.
May you and your family have a blessed Lent.
Sheereen Brunetta
Acting Principal