REC Update – W4 – T1

Ash Wednesday Mass
Ash Wednesday is next week, February 22, and is of course a very important event in our liturgical calendar as it signifies the beginning of the season of Lent. We will be attending Mass as a whole school on this day, and as such all family and community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Mass begins at 9am. Kindergarten will not be attending Mass, however Fr Mark will visit them during the day to share a Liturgy of the Word and to distribute the ashes to them.

A friendly reminder that Catholics are required to fast and abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and additionally, they must abstain from meat on all Fridays during Lent. While children are not required to abstain from eating meat on these days, you might like to include them in the fasting and discuss with your child the reasons for doing so. Parents are the first and most important teachers of the children, and teaching by example is a great way to build understanding with them.

Spiritual Reflection
Please find attached a spiritual reflection as shared with staff within the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong:

Love and The Law
The gospel message for this week tells us that Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfil it. For Jesus, fulfilling the law is an invitation to love. The Psalm (118) we prayed also expresses the connection between law and love.

The whole psalm is like an ABC of the love for God’s Law. Each verse uses the word ‘Law’ or one of its synonyms (e.g. ‘statues’; ‘precepts’). For the Hebrews, the concept of Law is not a list of do’s and don'ts. Instead, it is the greatest gift from God, the guarantee of his Covenant with humankind, the expression of his love. It might therefore be helpful to try replacing the word for Law and its synonyms with the word LOVE as we pray the psalm: They are happy who follow God’s law: They are happy who enjoy the love of God.        

Teach me the demands of your statutes: Teach me how to really love. Train me to observe your Law: Train me to live in love.

                                                 
God’s law is not some impersonal body of rules which can easily be broken. It is rather a covenant between two people who are bound in love.
Over the coming week, be attentive and notice the invitations for you to love.

All the best,
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Coordinator