Principal’s Piece
Kia Ora Koutou
Ko te Whaea te takere o te waka
Mothers are like the hull of a canoe, they are the heart of the family
On Sunday was Mother’s day. It’s an opportunity to thank our mothers for the little things that they do for us that go unnoticed. We hope that everyone had a lovely Mother's Day, celebrating the special people in our lives that are mothers to us. We know that this can be in so many ways. You do an incredible job and we thank you!
Welcome back to Term 2. With the unusually warm weather we had for our recent holidays I am sure you had lots of pleasant outdoor family activities which helped to recharge us all for the busy term ahead. We are looking forward to an action packed term which includes Museum trips, tennis lesson, production rehearsals, winter sports days and Matariki.
The school website, Facebook, school app and Hero are the main forms of communication from school. You will find calendar dates for the majority of school events on the school app and website. School Newsletters will also be on these communication tools. Please make sure you stay updated by checking the website and school app.
Kia manaaki te Atua koutou katoa
Grant Stuart
PRINCIPAL
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Gospel Reflection
Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Gospel Reading
John 15:9-17
Jesus commands his disciples to love one another.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today’s Gospel follows immediately after the Gospel proclaimed last week, in which Jesus taught that he was the vine and that his disciples were the branches. In the example of the vine and the branches, we learned that our union with Jesus will lead to fruitful service. Today’s reading extends this teaching to describe the kind of service that Christians are called upon to offer to others.
When John wrote this Gospel, his community was influenced by a set of religious beliefs called Gnosticism. It appears that one of John’s intentions was to distinguish Christian belief from the beliefs held by the Gnostics. Evidence of this can be found in today’s Gospel.
One of the tenets of Gnostic teaching was the importance of knowledge, or gnosis, as the determining aspect of faith. We read today’s Gospel as a response to this teaching. In John’s Gospel, we hear Jesus affirm that he is known by the Father and that his disciples will know the Father by knowing Jesus. In this passage, however, Jesus reminds his disciples that this knowledge is to be expressed in love. Those who know Jesus well—and Jesus says that his disciples do know him—will love one another. Knowledge leads to love, which leads to action. John reminds his community that Jesus taught that love is the sign of a true disciple and, thus, a true Christian. Even more, a true disciple shows a particular kind of love, sacrificial love.
In the Greek, there are two words for love that are used in this passage. The first is agape. The second is philia. The first word is most often used to describe love for other persons and for God. It is understood as the highest and most perfect kind of love. The second word is used to describe the affection of friendship. In this context, John appears to use these words as synonyms. The root of the Greek word for friend comes from this second term for love, philia. By using this word, Jesus transforms the terms of his relationship with his disciples and redefines for them their relationship with God. In the Hebrew Scriptures, faith in God made one a servant of God.
Here Jesus teaches that his relationship to his disciples is based on friendship, not servitude.
Another aspect of Gnostic belief taught that a believer was an elect person, chosen and set apart from the world. John reminds his community that Jesus also taught that a disciple is one who had been chosen—one who had been chosen by Jesus. To be chosen by Jesus, however, is not to be set apart from the world. Instead, to be chosen by Jesus is to be sent to serve the world as he did. The disciples of Jesus were chosen and were sent into the world to bear fruit by serving others, by sacrificing for others, in love.
This reading, like last week’s, is part of Jesus’ Last Supper discourse. In the context of John’s Gospel, these words are spoken before Jesus’ Crucifixion. We read his instruction to the disciples in light of his death and Resurrection. We know that Jesus himself gives us the greatest example of the kind of love and service that he teaches to his disciples. He has, in fact, laid down his life for his friends, for his disciples, and for us. Through his death and Resurrection, we have received the grace to love others as Jesus has commanded.
May is the Month of Mary
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Entertainment Book
2021 Term Dates
Term dates for 2021 are:
Term 1: Tuesday 2nd February - Friday 16th April
Term 2: Monday 3rd May - Friday 9th July
Term 3: Monday 26th July - Friday 1st October
Term 4: Monday 18th October - Thursday 16th December
The Teacher Only Days are:
Term 2: Tuesday 8 June (Week 5)
Term 3: Monday 30 August (Week 6)
Term 4: Tuesday 26 October (Week 2)
