This year at Sts Peter and Paul, we are all called to ‘Let Your Light Shine”

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the triumphant entry of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem, riding a donkey. On that day, the people laid palms before Him, a gesture reserved for triumphant leaders. We celebrate this at Mass by distributing palms to the faithful who may keep them for a time for use as devotional objects. The palms are blessed at Mass. Eventually, these palms are returned to the Church where they are burned. Traditionally, their ashes are saved and distributed at next year's Ash Wednesday services.

Project Compassion 2022

The Theme this year is “For all Future Generations”. Our support of Caritas Australia this Lenten season will help support vulnerable people around the world, now and For All Future Generations. Each class has been given a Project Compassion box that will allow students to donate money to Caritas over the Season of Lent. We encourage you to discuss this with your child and consider allowing your child to make a donation to the box that is on their classroom prayer table.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Christianity is a faith of paradox: leadership through service; greatness through humility; and life through death. The greatest paradox of all is the paradox of the cross. The death of Jesus through the most humiliating form of capital punishment in history would appear to be exactly what the Jewish authorities hoped it would be: the end of the Jesus movement. The ignoble death of a group’s leader through public execution is usually enough to bring about the end of any movement. However, Christians know that the death of Jesus is not the end of the story.

His resurrection, that we celebrate at Easter next weekend, is the twist in the tale that means the death of Jesus, rather than being a point of despair, in fact becomes a moment of hope. This difference of expectation is captured in the Lukan account of the crucifixion by the two criminals with whom Jesus is crucified. One joins in the mockery of Jesus, whilst the other recognises the innocence of Jesus and has faith that Jesus will enter into his kingdom. This second criminal acts as an example for all people of faith. He reminds us that those with faith still have to face death and still have to face up to the consequences of their actions, and yet the way we approach death should not be with despair, but rather with hope and confidence that we will share in Christ’s resurrection.

The reading of the Passion narrative leaves us up in the air. It leaves us in a better position than the disciples at the time. They were downcast by what they felt was the defeat of Jesus, but we know the end of the story! We know that out of this darkness will come light and hope!

(Reflection by Greg Sunter)

Have a blessed Easter with your family,

Stephanie Burns

Religious Education Coordinator