MKempleHaving faith can be tough. It means believing in something that you cannot know for certain and in a world where there is an answer for almost everything, this can be difficult! Have a think about your faith and what you believe in. What makes it hard to believe in God? Asking questions is a really important part of growing in faith so this week make some time to ask questions of the people around you – ask them why they believe what they do and, through this, try and understand your own faith a little bit more.
Notices
- All forms for the Y9 Briars Trip should now be handed into the Chapel, if you’ve not given yours in yet then make sure you do so ASAP!
- It’s Stop the Clock P1 on Wednesday
- It’s House Council during Form on Friday so House Reps should go straight to the Chapel (with your notes from Form Time discussions) and you will be registered there.
- Don’t forget to keep working on your entries for the DT House Competition which is due in next Friday. Further information can be found on the posters around the school or by seeing Mrs Brown.
- Faith in Action Award projects must be submitted this week so that they can be moderated.
- If you have been confirmed since 25th May last year then sign up in the Chapel for our Confirmation Retreat which is taking place on the last day of term, next Friday!
We start with the Sign of the Cross.
As we heard, prayer is a way to restore our faith and our well-being when we are challenged. Let’s pray together now asking Mary our Mother to pray with us and for us for our own intentions as we say:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
We end by making the Sign of the Cross.
We start with the Sign of the Cross.
On Friday we have this half term’s House Council meeting. During our week of faith it is important that we put our faith into action and work together to build the best community that we can, looking after those who are vulnerable and placing our faith at the center of everything we do.
The letter to the Hebrews describes faith as:
To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1
We place our faith in one another and today we will be thinking about how we can work together for the good of The Becket School community.
In preparation for our House Council Meeting on Friday use the sheets in your tutor wallets to make notes around the following themes and questions. Your form reps will take your ideas to the House council meeting on Friday so we can collate them as a House.
- We offer students the chance to go to The Briars, Lourdes and Flame but what other opportunities would you like to help strengthen your faith? What could we make even better about the trips we already offer?
- Catholic Education is about more than just getting good grades but what could we do more of to help every student develop their whole person?
- Our Parishes are an important part of our School community but what could we do so that we can reach out and connect with them even more effectively? How would you like to be involved?
- Any other comments/ suggestions for our school community…
We end with the Sign of the Cross.
We start with the Sign of the Cross.
Sometimes we need to have more faith in ourselves.
In this scripture from the Gospel we hear how Peter loses faith, not in Jesus, but in himself:
Between three and six o’clock in the morning Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water. When they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and screamed with fear.
Jesus spoke to them at once. “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid!”
“Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water. “Save me, Lord!” he cried.Then Peter spoke up. “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”
At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?”
They both got into the boat, and the wind died down. Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus. “Truly you are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
Matthew 14: 25-23
If Peter can doubt himself, even when he was in Jesus’ presence, then it is something we may do too. When we doubt ourselves we should remember the words of St Paul in his letter to the Philippians:
I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.
Philippians 4: 13
When we lose faith in ourselves it may be because we have not taken the time to care for our own well-being so to help us to focus on this the Psychology department – who celebrate the feast day of their Department Saint, St Dymphna on Wednesday – have come up with a competition to help us to remember some top tips!
The Psychology House Competition is:
- Connect
- Be active
- Be self aware
- Keep learning
- Give
The deadline for the competition is Friday 24th June and all entries should be handed into the Chapel or to Mrs Byrne. Individual entries, group entries and Form entries are all welcome.
We end with the Sign of the Cross.
We start with the Sign of the Cross.
As always we take time in our week to listen to Sunday’s Gospel.
We end with the Sign of the Cross.