This session we looked at the first half of the Mass 

This session is all about the sacrament of Reconciliation. We hope you enjoyed the session and are looking forward to coming with your child to receive this sacrament of healing at the Family Day.

You can find Monsignor Tony's presentation on the Be-Attitudes here:

At the last session we reflection on who Jesus is.

​He is the incarnate, the word made flesh, the crucified and the risen. We say it so easily but it is massively important to understand what that means. Who is this Jesus who rose from the dead? How did he defeat death?
Let’s go back to some of the things Jesus said about himself. The Jesus portrayed in the gospels consistently spoke and acted in the very person of the God. To his disciples he said, “Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matt 10:37) One could easily imagine a spiritual teacher saying that his followers should love God more than the highest goods in this world – but himself.
To the paralysed man, Jesus said, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) Again, we would certainly imagine a spiritual teacher telling people to forgive those who harmed them, but who is the man who can claim to have the right to forgive the sins of someone’s entire life? “Why does this man speak like this? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7)
Defending his disciples against the charge of picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus reminds those accusing them that priests serving in the temple can, under certain circumstances, violate the Sabbath and still remain innocent, then he adds with breath-taking simplicity, “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” (Matt. 12:6)
The Jerusalem temple was, for the first-century Jews, the dwelling place of Yahweh, the God of Israel, on earth and so the most sacred place imaginable! The only one who could reasonably claim to be “greater” than the temple would be the one who was worshiped in the temple. Who was this man Jesus?
In a number of places in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states, “You have heard it said… but I say…” This almost casual dismissal of the Torah, the revelation given by Yahweh to Moses himself, would have overwhelmed any first-century Jew. The only one who could legitimately overrule the Torah with such confidence would be the one who was himself the author of the Torah. CS Lewis famously said about Jesus claims that he was either mad or God.
The reason Jesus was put to death was precisely because of his blasphemous identification with the God of Israel. The one over whose cross was placed a sign declaring him “King of the Jews”. He was being presented as a pathetically deluded character. However, the story does not end there, on the cross. After being seemingly defeated by the Empire, hidden and afraid his followers emerge from their hiding place and start to declare that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Why would they say that?
The Christian faith is based on the dramatic but seemingly impossible proposition that Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross and rose from the dead. Were they right? In this session we’re going to be looking at why Jesus died on the cross and what that means for you and me.

Please find the video by clicking on the button below:

If you missed the November sessions, we looked the Alpha video "Who is Jesus?". It offers us an opportunity to discuss the facts of Jesus’ existence, the legitimacy of the New Testament and what Jesus’ resurrection means to us. Some parents have found this a tricky topic, especially those who have been brought up to never questioned these things and feel that we should just believe it. Some may feel it might even be dangerous to question.
It is so important to question these things because our children will one day. Society has definitely tried to undermine the facts and tried to make it all seem like fiction. We want to be ready to answer our children and engage with them with their very valid questions about faith, the existence of Jesus and his claim to be God. God willing that our children actually want to talk to us about faith when they are older. It doesn’t mean we have to have all the answers. In fact, what is beautiful is the journey of discovery in trying to answer these questions together. This programme is a great opportunity to start those faith conversations at home and make it a norm in your family.

Please find the video by clicking on the button below: