My Dear Parishioner,

We welcome back our school families as the children begin their classes this week. The teachers and support staff have already been working hard to get everything ready for the children’s return to school. We wish them all a happy and successful term one.

We look forward to seeing the children preparing for Reconciliation this Term. Bookings open for this Sacrament on Monday 6 February.

The month of February is fast approaching and with that the season of Lent and our Parish Retreat which will be held on Saturday 25th February from 10am and ends with the vigil Mass. The retreat is being held at St Anthony in the Fields and Fr. Ronnie George VC, director of the Divine Retreat Centre, Somersby is coming to facilitate the retreat. I invite and encourage you all to join in this special day. This will be a good opportunity to spend time with the Lord and recharge our batteries. Please don’t miss this parish event.

As you know, Fr. Shiju and Deacon Peter are leading a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in September. If anyone is interested, please contact to the Parish Office or Fr. Shiju.

We hear the Beatitudes in this Sunday’s Gospel; this is the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus presents to us a new interpretation of the right way to be in relationship with God. One that we can all live by.

Please continue to keep in your prayers all those who are sick in our community and all those who are housebound or in hospital.

Thank you, as always for your ongoing support.

May God bless you,

Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH

Jesus doesn’t start in a fantasy dream world of perfection. Jesus looks at the world as it often is for many people, perhaps for most people around the world: ‘the poor in spirit’, ‘those who mourn’, ‘those who are gentle’, ‘those who hunger and thirst for justice’.

Jesus astonishes the crowd by saying that such people are ‘Blessed’. How can this be? The answer lies in our Lord’s emphasis on the new community he is establishing under the reign of God: what he calls ‘the Kingdom of God’.

Those in such wretched circumstances will have things set right, but only if followers of Jesus do everything possible to lift the poor out of the poverty which crushes their spirit, do everything possible to comfort those who mourn, do everything possible to make sure the gentle share the earth’s resources, do everything possible to satisfy the craving for justice.

We could pause for a moment to pray the ‘Our Father’ pledging ourselves to help construct this new society where the Beatitudes can come true:

‘Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’