Dear Parents and Caregivers
~ SPRINGTIME ~
Season of Creation
Spending time in my garden last weekend, I was amazed at the colours that were everywhere: beautiful pinks from the peach and nectarine trees, the deep red that is appearing on the roses, the bright white colours of the apricot trees and the green colours of the leaves as they begin to appear on the vines and trees. Even the greens of the grass, and the weeds, from all the rains we’ve had.
The colours reminded me that of course we have left behind the bareness of winter and are now in the season of Spring, the season of creation. Although given the weather conditions of late, one might be forgiven for thinking that we are still in winter. Spring is the season between winter and summer and often marks the time when we emerge from ‘hibernation’. It is a time to clear the clutter, sometimes called ‘spring-cleaning’ and fields become a hive of activity as hay is cut and harvesting occurs. It is also a time for planting and reflecting on how we are caring for our environment – our small part of God’s creation in the universe.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared St Francis of Assisi to be the Patron Saint of the Environment. Here we were, in all our modern sophistication, turning to a person who lived in the 13th Century, seeking his guidance and inspiration to deal with our global pollution and the collapse of our planet’s eco-systems. What would St Francis have known about matters such as these?
Certainly, he would not have been familiar with the terminology but St Francis held a very strong belief that God was present in everything around him so that wherever he encountered nature, in its many expressions, he encountered God. For St Francis the world around him drew him to God, and everything around him was an expression of God’s love. His attitude to nature was a humble one in that he realised that all of us are reliant on the environment for our survival.
Psychiatrist, Becky Headmaun, who assists people who have been abused, talks about how nature connects us to God when she says, “When we go hiking in the bush, we are surrounded by all of God’s creation: the trees, the animals, rocks, birds, water. There is a sense of holiness about it. If you just stop and listen and close your eyes, you can almost feel a part of everything that is going on around you. When I am in the great outdoors and think about the complexity of it all, I am overcome with a sense of wonder and awe.”
Pope Francis was so inspired by St Francis that he took his name when he was elected Bishop of Rome. As he says in Laudato Si (On Care for Our Common Home)10, “I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”
The guidance and inspiration that St Francis and friends give to parents and their children, is a reminder that we are part of nature, part of God’s creation and gifted with privilege and responsibility. To restate this in a natural setting, we might borrow these words:
“Your mind is a garden,
Your thoughts are the seeds,
The harvest can be either
flowers or weeds.”
(Author Unknown)
How Well Do We Know Our School?
Another beautiful area of our school is pictured above.
Have you seen it before, do you know where it is?
Sacramental Program 2022
If you have any questions about the program for next year or; if you are considering starting your children’s Religious Journey with the Sacrament of Baptism, please contact Franco Canil at the School Office or email fcanil@sjms.catholic.edu.au.
This Week’s Sunday Readings are:
First Reading: Habakkuk 1:2-3,2:2-4
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14
Gospel Reading: Luke 17:5-10
Also, as a quick reminder that Mass times at St Ignatius Church, Norwood are:
Saturday: (Vigil) 6:00pm
Sunday: 8:30am, 10:00am, 5:00pm
“We are all a reflection of God’s love”
Franco Canil
Acting APRIM