Mr Carrabs' Blog

20th March 2017

Our beloved chicken pen was in need of a major renovation. The current pen was falling apart and our one remaining chicken lost her friends and her home. A need arose.

The season of Lent dawned upon us.

I offered the opportunity for a group of students to step forth and donate time and money to renovate our chicken pen and buy new chickens! A challenge. Many students expressed a desire to help but four students maintained energy, perseverance and determination to see that this job would indeed be completed.

Now, when I proposed this task, I was thinking of how Father Paul told us that we need to give service and charity as well as fasting. I was also thinking of how our compost program has slowed down, as we do not have chickens to help the worms devour our organic waste.

On the weekend, an afterthought came to me, something that seems so obvious now, but at the time, I did not see it. EGGS! Chickens produce eggs, and eggs are the symbol of New Life and Rebirth. Might I even go so far as to say, that the compost which the chooks eat will also produce new life as well! How perfect that Yolande, Samiah, Sydney and Molly have put such vested interest into our chicken pen during this Lenten Season. The rewards are numerous, but the symbolism couldn’t be more ideal.

For those of us trying to live a more mindful life, may our renovated chicken pen, be a humble reminder of the New Life that Christ has promised us on earth as it is in heaven!

I wonder what the symbol of the 3 Chickens may be?

1st March 2017

Often, as teachers, we ask our kids to rise above their own ability and to take on extra responsibility and we expect this to happen. This is called having high expectations and in some situations the students can’t complete the task. Well today, the Year 6s were certainly able to rise to the occasion.

Earlier in the week I was told that the Year 6s would be chaperoning the Year 1s to the Ash Wednesday Mass. I probably should have let them know when I found out, but the truth is I let the them know that they were taking the Year 1s to mass about 5 minutes before mass.

We headed out of the Year 6 classroom with plenty of reminders from me, telling the students to “remain quiet” and be “good leaders” and “role models”.

We walked by Year 1 for a quick pick up and off we rolled hand in hand with the Year 1s. Yes there was a little chatter, but mostly just chatter to keep the Year 1s calm.

We arrived at mass and we entered with the students blessing themselves, genuflecting (to show reverence before entering the pew) and then kneeling to pray before the mass started. The students were perfect! I couldn't have been more proud.

The mass was just about to begin, when all of a sudden I heard a calm, yet familiar voice say “Hey Steve..” I turned around and was flabbergasted as I saw my wife and our friend holding Lake and Theodore. I almost started crying because just moments prior, I was praying about my lovely twin boys! Wow, God sure was working quickly in my life.

The mass began. The music seemed clearer than ever, the timing was perfect and the lyrics I shall not forget. “Turn back to God…” A simple message that we all need to reflect on.

That is it! Lent is about turning back to God, and 3 ways (Recommended by Father) in which we do this is by:

1. Fasting, which means giving up something we hold dear, (After all Jesus did give up his whole life for us!)
2. Praying - Spending time praying in a more dedicated way. Maybe more thanks or expressing to God how dependent you are on him for his help.
3. Charity/Service - We need to actually do something that positively affects others who are in need!

The mass continued with the students being reverent until the very end. We all received Ashes to show that we are a family in Christ, and we all received the Eucharist to solidify that bond.

The mass ended and my small family went back home, and I went back to class with the Year 6s. As I walked back to class, I thought that something special just happened. We are lucky to be in a Catholic School. We are lucky to share our Religion with each other. We are lucky to have the opportunity to ‘Turn back to God’ during Lent.

So the Year 6s have spent some time in class reflecting on the Mass and what Lent means to us. We all have had to complete this assignment (And Yes this will be marked… I am currently heading for a B, possibly and A if I can get the ending right).

More specifically we have all had to reflect on what we should do in response to Fasting, Praying and Charity/Service.

As for me, I think God is asking me to do away with eating before or after meals. I know this sound weird, but I sometimes snack mindlessly after lunch and dinner. This will have to include dessert and drinks (Such as tea and coffee) as well. For my Prayer aspect, I need to spend time praying (whether in public, or privately) before my meals. Finally For the Service/Charity component, I will donate ½ of my lunch money each week to Caritas. Seems as though much of my Lenten Journey will centre around food.

I hope that you have a special Lenten Journey in which you reflect on your actions. Adjust your attitude/gratitude and get in tune so you can listen to the message God will be speaking in your soul this Lenten Season. Let’s Turn back to God!

Check out this Song below! Doesn't it have such a great message?

Blessings

Mr Carrabs