RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Vinnies Winter Appeal 2024
Every year our school supports the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Over the next few weeks we are seeking donations to help those in need this Winter. Classes have donation tubs and we are asking for the following items in particular (see below). Thank you for the wonderful support shown last Friday for our PJ day! We raised over $270 and each class had lots of donations which Vinnies will be very grateful for. If you would like to still donate winter clothing or toiletry items, please do so before this Friday.
Sacramental News
Please continue to pray for our students as they prepare to make the Sacrament of Confirmation.
It was lovely seeing so many families at the Stole Night last Thursday night. This Friday all of Year 6 will be attend the Confirmation Retreat Day at Holy Trinity. Please ensure the permission form has been completed on Compass.
DATES FOR THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION 2024
RECONCILIATION:
As part of the program of preparation please take your child to Reconciliation, any Saturday 5-5.30pm at Holy Trinity Church, Curtin
RETREAT AND PRACTICE FOR CHILDREN (all Year 6 students to attend):
Holy Trinity School Hall 9am-2.30pm Friday 14 June 2024, 18-20 Theodore Street, Curtin
SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION: Families to attend one of the following nights:
Holy Trinity Church, Curtin 6pm Tuesday 18 June 2024
Holy Trinity Church, Curtin 6pm Wednesday 19 June 2024
Enquiries to: Parish of Transfiguration, North Woden,
3 Strangways Street, Curtin ACT 2605 or wodennorth@cg.org.au Ph.: 6201 3999
Gospel
The mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds, grows into the biggest shrub of all.
This week’s gospel is a wonderful example of the teaching style of Jesus. It even tells us that ‘he would not speak to them except in parables’. Jesus used the parable form almost exclusively to share his message. He used imagery that was familiar to his audience; parables about the everyday life of a rural community: seeds, planting, growing, harvesting. The secret of Jesus’ parables, when we understand the cultural context, is that there was always a ‘twist in the tale’ – what is called a ‘discombobulating shift’ – that turns the expected outcome of the story on its head.
This is nowhere more evident than in the image of the mustard seed. On the surface the parable is about the kingdom of God starting from very small, humble beginnings and growing into something great. However, immediately prior to this kingdom parable, Jesus has reminded us that the community makes a living out of growing grain crops like wheat for bread, etc. His parable about the mustard seed describes a tiny seed that grows into a great shrub ‘so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade’. A farming community that was growing grain crops would be greatly alarmed at the thought of actually attracting birds to their fields or even nearby. Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God is that it is actually disruptive and invasive. The kingdom brings unrest and disquiet to the predictable. The kingdom of God is unsettling. This is a much more challenging parable than it appears from a literal reading.
Gospel Focus – The Kingdom of God
The references to the kingdom of God in the gospels always carry a paradox. It exists in the present, yet is something to be achieved in the future. It is here, but not yet. If we live ‘as if’ we are living in the kingdom here and now then we hasten its coming. The kingdom of God is not a place but a way in which the world operates. It is a kingdom that is ruled by justice and gives precedence to those who are regarded as nothing in the world. It is a kingdom of promise and hope that inspires and calls all people to more than they currently are.
Scriptural context – Kingdom Parables
Jesus sought to describe the kingdom of God by comparison and analogy – ‘The kingdom of God is like … ’; ‘To what can we compare the kingdom of God?’ He never gave a lecture about the kingdom, rather, he painted a picture in terms that were readily recognised by his audience but forced them to think differently about the image he used. It forced them to think about themselves and their world in a different way. Kingdom parables begin innocently enough with a familiar image but very quickly shift to a challenge about the way we normally perceive things. The kingdom is often portrayed as a contradiction.
Living the Gospel – Seed on the land
The first parable in the gospel passage describes the unerring work of the kingdom. It is like the seed that almost magically transforms into a fully grown plant that may be harvested – apparently without any external forces. Of course, we know that plants need to be fed, watered, weeded and nurtured to ensure their proper growth. However, the kingdom of God works in our lives in a similar way – if we feed and nurture it, the kingdom will produce a great harvest. Even if we don’t pay it attention, the kingdom is present and acting in our world.
Adapted from Greg Sunter
Blessings for the week ahead,
Amanda Basedow- Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)