Editorial:
Dear Parents & Carers of Good Samaritan,
Over the last week we have entered the significant season of our Church’s year - Lent. This is a time of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.
Lent is also a time to hear the Word of God, to be reconciled with one’s self and with one’s neighbour. It is a time to do good works, to fast and to prepare for Easter. Interestingly, this time is marked by the symbol of the ashes received last week. This is an ancient practice which converted sinners. The act of putting ashes on the forehead is a symbol of fragility and mortality and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. This act is the first step in preparation of renewing the Easter commitment and promise of new life.
Throughout Lent we are prompted to ask questions of ourselves and our own spirituality similarly to the great prophets, such as Isaiah and Saul, who had significant religious experiences that were the turning point in their lives.
Such experiences are often not mystical or even filled with great joy. These experiences are quite often those that turn your life upside down, that create confusion and angst and that seem insurmountable at the time. Perhaps it is not until we work our way through these times that, in hindsight, we are able to recognise them as a truly religious moment. Moments such as these bring us closer to God, allow us to forgive and recognise that mercy within the chaos.
Sometimes, this confusion in life is created by the mistakes we make. But mistakes must be acknowledged in order to learn and to move forward with a renewed heart. In Lent we need to ‘outgrow the past and enter the present.’ Often we don’t know how to do this because we are so caught in the moment and cannot help but think about what could have been if this or that didn’t happen. So this is where we come to know the importance of reconciliation because through reconciliation comes God’s mercy. Remember, mercy is found within the chaos of life.
Mercy is also God’s way of telling us we are loved. So, how can we hear and listen to what God is saying? Prayer! Prayer leads us into conversation with God. And true conversation leads to conversion. Conversion of heart and mind. St Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, reminds us that God is the ‘Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort.’ (2 Corinthians)
As we begin our Lenten journey for 2020, how will prayer become more integral to your life? How will you welcome the mercy of God in the confusion of life? How will you recognise that reconciliation may be needed for you to ‘outgrow the past and enter the present’?
Embrace these first weeks of Lent with open arms and allow God into your life as you have never done before.
As we journey together, with Jesus,
Toni Sillis
Principal