On Friday, 28 August we celebrated our College Feast Day. This day celebrates the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into heaven. As a Marist school, Mary holds a special place in our College’s founding, history and values. Marists look to Mary for inspiration and as a role model for following Jesus and living out the Gospel. Catholics look to Mary as an example of being gentle in their approach and conversation with others, and as inspiration to boldly live out their faith in God.
In the reflection, one of the members of the Student Representative Council, Noah, spoke on the Gospel reading of the announcement to Mary of her pregnancy with Jesus found in the Gospel of Luke, part of which is below:
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Noah gave the following reflection to his College peers, staff and visitors:
The Gospel today tells the story of Mary who was visited by the Lord’s angel who delivered the news that she was going to give birth to the son of God. Many of us would recognise this from the Christmas nativity story, though today we are not talking about Christmas. In the beginning, Mary is no doubt worried and shocked about the prospect of suddenly being chosen for raising the Son of God but ultimately realises that God has a plan for her and that if she places her trust in him and continue to pray then everything will be alright. To put this in perspective, this story can be related much to the Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged our society. Our lives were changed drastically much like Mary’s when the pandemic set in, we suddenly had to change our routines and adjust to this new reality and we were all certainly afraid for what the future had in store for us.
But the bible and this reading teach us to not be afraid when new and frightening challenges are thrown our way. Mary knew that God had a plan for her, and she continued to pray to him and show him her sense of undeniable trust and faith. What has happened in the world is truly unprecedented in our modern times. But we ask you as a community to remain faithful to God, do not lose hope because he has a plan for us and everything will be okay in the end if we keep believing and trusting in his mighty grace.
Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who is also pregnant, spending time with her relatives. We see the importance of family in this time, and how comforting and encouraging each other is so important. We also need to lean on our family, our friends and those close to us for encouragement and support. It is important to keep in contact, to take care of ourselves, our well-being, but also showing hospitality and compassion to others.
The Lord sent his angels to reassure Mary and prove that if she listens to God’s word then everything will be okay. Even though God hasn’t physically sent his angels to reassure us, we can see through the actions and dealings of many people that he remains in our hearts because God’s disciples take many forms and they are here to help us through this turbulent time. And he is doing everything in his heavenly power to make sure his children are safe, loved and valued.
To sum up, please do not lose faith during these troubling times, no matter how hard the situation might be or the how hard it might seem to continue with your life. Keep believing in God’s grace just as Mary did because the Lord loves you and he will always be there when you need him.
Mr Patrick Fabian
Director of Faith & Ministry
