This weekend, we will celebrate the Opening of our Parish Year across our communities to mark the beginning of our year together. A special Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, 9 February at 10.30 am at Our Holy Redeemer Church, where we will commission all those involved in the many ministries within our parish, including learning, outreach, stewardship, participation, and worship. For those unable to attend this Mass, we invite you to join us for a barbecue lunch afterwards, hosted by our Parish hospitality team.
As I was writing this piece for From the Parish House, I was also preparing to celebrate the Opening of the Year Mass for all the school teachers and staff at our three Parish schools. Interestingly, the gospel reading for their celebration which was held last Wednesday, 5 February was from Mark 6:1-6, where Jesus is described as “a prophet who is despised in his own country.” In this passage, Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth and teaches in the synagogue. Initially, the people were amazed at His teaching and the miracles He performed. But soon, they began to question Him. They said things like, “Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us?” As a result, they despised Him.
One of the main reasons these people despised Jesus was their familiarity with Him. They knew His parents, His family, and His upbringing. They knew everything about His family – their jobs, behaviours, and ways of relating to people. They thought they knew everything. Because they were so familiar with Him, they struggled to accept that He was now performing miracles and teaching with authority. In their minds, He was just a regular person from a humble background, and they couldn’t reconcile His humble beginnings with His extraordinary works, and therefore, His divine presence among them.
Sometimes, our preconceived ideas about the ordinary can prevent us from experiencing the surprises, beauties, and marvels of the extraordinary right around us. The routines of daily life and work can easily lull us into a sense of complacency, robbing us of the excitement and joy that life has to offer. In my homily for the school teachers and staff, I encouraged them to pray for an open heart so that they might be able to see the surprises and marvels in the ordinary moments of their daily routine. It is in these moments that our hearts can be filled with joy and hope.
As we begin our year together, let us also be reminded of the blessings and opportunities that lie ahead – opportunities to see God’s wonders and marvels in the world around us. This week, we come together not just as individuals, but as a parish family – united in our love for God and our desire to serve one another. Let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, seeking guidance and inspiration for the journey that awaits us this year.
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Faye Dennis says:
A new start. A new beginning . Today’s school mass at OLV for the Opening of the New School Year with all 3 schools from Our Lady of Pentecost parish was what all families and schools in our parish require – a sense of a faith community, a strong feeling of connection to a wider entity, support for parents in sending their children to a Catholic school and, for the children security in their learning about how people of faith journey together and can do good to others along the way as they learn to follow in the faith of their baptism.
Our children have been introduced to a wider faith community that operates under one parish, Our Lady of Pentecost. Thank you to all involved today in giving our children such support in their journey of faith.