Gospel of the Week

Luke 9:11-17

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

They all ate and were filled.

Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing.

It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.’ They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected, they filled twelve baskets.

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

The Gospel this week tells us that throughout Luke, Jesus teaches that living in God's kingdom means looking to God, rather than human effort, as the ultimate source of the things we need for life. Our labor is not optional, but neither is it absolute.

The Holy Spirit will lead us to do what He has planned for us and give us the ability to follow through. The Holy Spirit will also work in the hearts of those we minister to according to their own faith; we can't orchestrate the relationship others have with God, nor should we try to do so.

In the feeding of the five thousand (Luke 9:10-17), God, in the person of Jesus, takes responsibility for meeting the crowd's need for food. He does it because they are hungry. Exactly how Jesus works this miracle is not stated.

Luke 17 lists several responsibilities expected of those who live in God's kingdom: proper understanding of sin, faith, humble service, thanks, and watchfulness. Let us reflect on this list and see how many we can tick off each day; and decide which ones are more difficult than another.

Yesterday we welcomed back our Year 5s from the city. They had a wonderful time, and I was so proud to hear of so many positive things said about our students from members of the public. Our students have been instrumental in always being respectful. A HUGE thanks to Sarah McGill, Belinda Couch, Shiny Antony, Cathy Edwards, Melissa Britt and Paul Beswick for their efforts on camp and making it such a successful and memorable occasion for all.

Tomorrow, we farewell one of our wonderful Education Support Assistants. Rupinder Chehil, who has worked with us here of the last 12 months in year 4 and year 5, is returning to India with her family. It has only been a short time that Rupinder has been with us, however she has made an incredible impact on the students she has worked with. Thank you, Rupinder, for all your dedication and hard work. We the community of St Patrick’s wish you every happiness as you return home.

Thank you and God Bless,

Meg