Dean of Identity | Mr Charles Brauer

Remember those Easter eggs?

Remember those Easter eggs? Remember the extra-long holiday we were blessed with because of Easter Monday? Since then, we have shared another term together as a Terrace Family. We’ve enjoyed long weekends, shorter days, Mother’s Day and the onset of winter. Furthermore, behind these happenings has been our shared Easter journey. If we pause for a moment and ponder more deeply, we might find that we’ve also received wonderful gifts.

Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge. Good Judgment. Courage. Reverence. Awe. You won’t find these gifts on Amazon - they are far too valuable. At tomorrow’s Term 2 Thanksgiving Liturgy our students will consider how their mates, their family and their teachers have gifted these to them this term. Most importantly, we will take time tomorrow to recognise that when these gifts were received, or gifted to others, we see the Holy Spirit at play.

There are three large feasts commemorated by the Church. The first two, Christmas and Easter, are well known to all, believers and non-believers alike. But it is possible that Christians are not always as familiar with the third great feast, the festival of Pentecost - the great feast that marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit. We celebrated Pentecost almost two weeks ago with great joy and thanksgiving knowing that Jesus Christ left us with many gifts.

Each of us who have been baptised and confirmed have received these gifts. A gift is useless unless someone uses it. Pentecost is a good time, as is our end of term thanksgiving, to encourage ourselves to ask the Holy Spirit to help us make these gifts an important part of our lives.

Before setting off on your holiday or holiday routines, I hope you’re able to find time to recognise the gifts with which you’ve been blessed. I wish all members of our Terrace Family a safe and joy filled break and leave you with a simple prayer:

Holy Spirit help me to become a person of;Wisdom, so that I will live my life in harmony with your divine will;Understanding, so that I will be a person of compassion;Knowledge, so that I will be open to truth and goodness;Good Judgment so that I will make choices that reflect your will;Courage, so that I will be able to stand up for what is right and just;Reverence, so that I will enter into your divine mystery;Awe, so that I will see the beauty in all of creation. Amen