Sacramental News: First Eucharist

First Eucharist Masses

This weekend, there will be three masses in which our Year 4 students will partake in the Sacrament of First Eucharist. The masses will be taking place at the Parish of the Transfiguration Church in Curtin on September 21st at 6:00pm, and Sunday 22nd at 9:30am and 5:30pm. I thank the parents of all our candidates for their support and guidance of their children, and I thank the Year 4 teachers for their support of these students. 

Grandfriends Day

We are looking forward to welcoming Grandfriends to Sts Peter and Paul at the end of this term! On Friday September 27th, all Grandfriends (grandparents and/or special friends) are invited to join their grandchildren to see the wonderful learning happening at SPP. 

Timetable of the Day:

9:00-11:10 - Regular classroom activities

11:10-11:50 - Regular lunchtime (please provide lunch for your child)

11:50-12:30 - Regular classroom activities

12:30pm - Grandfriends classroom visits - Welcome!

1:10-1:50pm - Grandfriends picnic meal (grandfriends byo food to share with your child)

1:50pm - Grandfriends depart - Thank you!

Gospel - Mark 9:30-37

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Jesus teaches that to rank first, disciples must serve all.

Last week’s gospel, in which Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do you say I am?’ marked a turning point in the gospel of Mark. Having established in the minds of the disciples that he is indeed the Messiah, Jesus now begins to explore with them what that really means and also what it means to be a follower – a disciple – of the Messiah who must be put to death. Having finally come to some level of understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, the disciples have latched on to a very limited understanding of Jesus’ Messiahship. They have assumed that being Messiah meant that Jesus was going to lead a triumphant victory over all the woes of the Jews – it was a common understanding and expectation of what the Messiah would do. With this in mind, the disciples begin to argue amongst themselves about who will hold positions of respect and power in the aftermath of Jesus’ great triumph. Despite what Jesus had just said about being put to death and rising again, the disciples simply couldn’t grasp what he was saying and fell back onto a familiar picture of the Messiah.

To really shake up the disciples and try to make them pay attention to what he was saying to them, Jesus put his arms around a small child and told the disciples they had to welcome little children in his name. Like so many gospel images there is more going on here than meets the eye. Children were regarded as complete nobodies in the culture of the time. They had no status and absolutely no authority. Jesus is saying to the disciples, don’t argue about who will be the greatest; this child – this nobody – is greater than anyone who lords it over others. If you treat a nobody like this with respect, you treat me with respect.

Adapted from Greg Sunter

Blessings for the week ahead,

Sarah Walsh

Religious Education Coordinator (Acting)