Lent – A conversion of the mind and heart
We are now Two weeks into the Liturgical Season of Lent. Lent is a time for self-reflection and for action. Lent is not a time to merely "give up something." It is a season to do something. For others. And for God. It is a time to focus the heart. As Dr Drasko Dizdar explains so beautifully:
To think of Lent only as a time of penance is to do it an injustice. While the traditional practice of "doing something" for Lent is praiseworthy, there is much more to this wonderful season than just additional practices of piety or acts of penance and mortification.
Lent is a time to ask ourselves a simple question. How should we live our lives? If our answer gravitates more towards ourselves than others, it is time to reassess our motivation. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are only means to an end. We practice them to open ourselves up to God and the needs of others. So, during Lent, we should focus on relationship, not on reputation. When we sincerely seek God's will and the good of others, reputation will follow, for good or ill. As one wise man said, "My reputation is the responsibility of others."
Project Compassion 2024
Members of each family received a Project Compassion box to take home for the Season of Lent. Donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.
The theme of Project Compassion in 2024 is For All Future Generations, with Caritas Australia highlighting the inspiring journeys of three resilient women from the Philippines, Malawi, and Samoa.. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.
We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Boxes are to be returned to the school office in the week before Easter.