We welcomed back our weary Year 5/6 students and teachers as they returned from Campaspe Downs on Wednesday. They have shared many stories with us of their adventures, especially on the Leap of Faith and their heroic survival of “the worst storm ever”. It's great to have them back with us as I know they were sorely missed by their Prep buddies. I would like to publicly acknowledge and thank our wonderful staff and their own immediate families who were so supportive in making it possible for our students to be able to have this valuable experience.
It was wonderful to be able to gather as a whole school community for our Ash Wednesday Mass last week. Our children were very confident sharing all that they had learnt about Ash Wednesday and the significance of Lent with Father Thomas. Last Friday, I attended my first Principal Network Meeting and I would like to share with you a reflection on Lent presented on this day:
Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. (see Psalm 51)
As we begin Lent, a great place to start is with a better understanding of mercy.
Mercy is all about charity. It's about love in the way God wants us to love. It’s about being free to let love consume us and take us over so that, in the end, all we want to do is love. This can be a hard practice to establish in our lives but is the source of great joy and fulfillment.
Often when we think about Lent, we think of it with a sort of dread. “I have to give something up.” It’s true that God wills this and has spoken this practice of self-denial and self-discipline to us through His Church. But it’s much more of an invitation to grace than the imposition of a burden.
Giving something up is really all about entering into God’s abundant mercy on a deeper level. Mercy is all about charity. It’s about love in the way God wants us to love. This can be a hard practice to establish in our lives but is the source of our joy and fulfillment.
Mercy is an act of love that, in a sense, is not deserved by another. It’s a free gift that is given purely from the motivation of love. And this is exactly the love God gives us. God’s love is all mercy. And if we want to receive that mercy, then we also have to give it. And if we want to give it, we need to properly dispose ourselves to giving mercy. This is accomplished, in part, by our little acts of self-denial.
Reflect upon mercy and how it is present in your life. Do not hesitate to make God and His abundant mercy the central focus of your life. Make this a great Lent, but don’t get stuck thinking that the Lenten sacrifices are burdensome.
