This Sunday’s Gospel is from the Gospel of John 15:9-17: Live on in Christ. Jesus’ command to ‘love one another’ is given twice in this short passage. As such, it needs be taken seriously and become the guiding principle in our daily lives. But, as Pope Francis once said, expressing Christian love means going beyond ‘words, words, words’.

‘First and foremost,’ the Pope points out, ‘it is important to realise that Christ’s love is not a superficial feeling.’ In this Gospel passage Jesus was not telling his disciples to be unflappably polite or overtly nice to each other. This was not a message about social conventions. Jesus is concerned with our attitude toward others, and those actions that flow from it. ‘Love,’ as the Pope points out, ‘is fulfilled in everyday life, in attitudes, in deeds.’

As the Pope has repeatedly stressed, loving another person often requires us to challenge our own attitudes. We are called to love everyone, with openness to, as the Pope puts it, ‘however they may be and whatever their situation.’

While sometimes hard, this is our Christian duty: We are called to love in response to being loved.

Which means it is not our place to judge or put conditions on the love we receive and share. ‘To love as the Lord loves us,’ the Pope says, ‘means to appreciate the people beside us, to respect their freedom, to love them as they are, not as we want them to be.’

Confirmation

This week our Confirmation program begins for the Year 6 students enrolled in the sacrament. Our Parish Sacramental Coordinator, Mrs Anne Gowen will lead two Parent Formation sessions this week. Details are as follows:

Wed 1/5/24  7pm Holy Family Church

Thurs 2/5/24 5:30pm Holy Family Church.

Please keep these students and their families in your prayers as they are guided by the Holy Spirit to receive this beautiful Sacrament!

Have a wonderful week

Rachel Kennedy

Religious Education Coordinator