Principal's Newsletter
Newsletter Thursday 29th August
We the staff of St Patrick’s acknowledge the traditional owners, the Kulin nations, of the land on which we learn and play.
We pay respects to the Aboriginal Elders, past and present, who are our teachers.
We thank them for taking care of children and country for countless generations.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
You forget the commandments of God and hold on to human tradition.
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:
This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’
He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
The Gospel this week tells us that Jesus makes it clear that the source of our sin is the corruption of our hearts and that there's nothing that we can do to make ourselves clean. And it is interesting to note that he is addressing 3 different audiences. In Mark 7:1-13 Jesus is confronted by religious leaders because His disciples were eating without ceremonially cleansing their hands. But the message is not what is coming from the outside, rather from within us. Are our hearts corroded and do we intentionally block out people we do not want anything to do with? This Gospel also looks at customs and traditions, but we cannot assume that not everyone completely ignored these customs. But people are quick to judge and to make assumptions without having all the information.
Jesus knows, of course, that when the scribes and Pharisees ask why some of his disciples do not wash their hands, the question is not an innocent one. It is meant to indict Jesus. Asking why some of his followers “do not live according to the tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:5) is really accusing Jesus of not following the law himself, of acting as if he believes himself to be above the law. Knowing this, Jesus responds with a rebuke from Isaiah (Isaiah 7:6-7), which changes the direction of the conversation: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mark 7:6b). Jesus calls them “hypocrites (Mark 7:6a),” because they “abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition”. Ultimately, Jesus is not rejecting the law; in fact, he is rebuking them for their failure to uphold it.
Jesus’ three different versions of this message build on one another, thus enabling a fuller understanding of what is at stake: we must prepare our hearts, and thereby ourselves, for the kingdom of God. This requires not worrying over what we “eat,” but how.
Last Friday we had the most wonderful Book Week celebration day. A huge thank you to Donna Ward for her work in getting this organised and to my incredible staff of St Patrick’s for ensuring the day went off so smoothly! As I visited the rooms, it was clear to see how excited and engaged all the students were. Thank you to the many parents and grandparents who came for the parade. So much fun as we watched the students move around and show us with pride their costumes they had put so much effort into.
Tomorrow, Friday 29th August some of the students from years 3-6 will be attending the Pakenham District Athletics Carnival at Casey Fields in Cranbourne. We wish them all the best in their events. We wish all of these students the best of luck as they represent St Patrick’s. Many thanks to the staff for supporting these students.
On Monday 2nd September, we will be holding our Father’s Day celebration. Once again we will be inviting all the dad/grandfathers to St Patrick’s to come and enjoy a coffee on us and to spend some time with their children and joining in some fun activities.
Meg