RE News
Holy Spirit Rocks at St Joseph’s
Welcome to 2024, the Year of the Holy Spirit, leading us to:
- Learn from the Holy Spirit;
- Be in His presence;
- Create time for Him; and
- Collaborate with the Him in our community.
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Our focus scripture for 2024 comes from the words of St Paul to the Romans:
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Romans 8:14 - 17 ‘The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us children of God.…And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say that we are God’s children. If we are God’s children, then we will receive the blessings God has for us. We will receive these things from God together with Christ.’ |
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person equal in splendour and worthiness with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is often the neglected third member of the Holy Trinity. We can associate the Holy Spirit with flames and flying doves however the mystery of the Holy Spirit can be difficult to understand and comprehend.
The Holy Spirit is the living breath uniting God the Father and God the Son within each of us. He is the one who opens our hearts and leads us on the right path when we take the time to stop and listen to His direction. The Holy Spirit pours seven gifts out upon us (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord) so that we can share His fruits like joy, peace, patience and kindness with all those we meet.
The other day I took the time to just sit in my garden and be in the presence of the Holy Spirit. After a while my attention was drawn to the grass area to the side of me, where I noticed three tiny finches silently frolicking around looking for food. I spent some time watching them darting backwards and forwards into the hedge behind me looking for shelter and safety. This encounter led me on the path of researching and planning about other native shrubs we could plant to provide more shelter and food for one of God’s smallest and beautiful creations.
I encourage each of you to stop and listen and Be in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the days ahead. Be open to being led in a direction you haven’t planned for or thought about..
Palm Leaves
Father Thonn has asked for all community members who have palm leaves from last year’s Palm Sunday to please bring them in to church or place them in the box in the hallway, near the courtyard doors at school by the 12th of February..
Ash Wednesday Mass
You are all invited to join us for our Ash Wednesday Mass on the 14th of February at 10am in the St Joseph’s Church.
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Kirstie Buckley
Religious Education Coordinator