Module 3.1 The Centrality of Jesus
There is a plaque that can be found in many Catholic schools that reads,
The Vatican document, The Catholic School puts it this way
"Christ is the foundation of the whole educational enterprise in a Catholic school. His revelation gives new meaning to life and helps people to direct their thoughts, actions and will according to the Gospel, making the beatitudes their norm of life." (n34) How do students get to know Jesus and what it means to be and live as a disciple? For Jesus to be the foundation of a Catholic school and the Model offered its students, requires staff who are living examples of what it means to live as disciples of Jesus.
View some of the video, The Faces of Christ introduced by Bishop David Walker. The video lasts a little over 30 minutes. It consists of 32 images sourced from Australia in a variety of forms – paintings, drawings, icons, Indigenous images, stained glass, statues, etc. Each image is on the screen for about 50 seconds, accompanied by a quiet, meditative soundtrack. The images can be viewed either on their own, or accompanied by a short text from the New Testament. Click here to view.
Jesus 'the Model which the Catholic school offers to its students'
The Vatican document, The Catholic School puts it this way "The Catholic school is committed thus to the development of the whole person, since in Christ, the Perfect Man, all human values find their fulfilment and unity… He is the One Who ennobles humanity, gives meaning to human life, and is the Model which the Catholic school offers to its pupils." (n35) 2. Who are the models that young people seek to imitate today? Do you think young people are influenced by the behaviour of sporting and celebrity figures? For better or worse?
3. How can support staff serve as models for their colleagues, students and parents in both word and deed? Mary and the saints as models which the Catholic school offers to its students
Mary, as the Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church, occupies a central role in the faith and life of Catholics. Mary’s trusting response to God's invitation to be the mother of Jesus can serve as an inspiration for all Christians. She invited God’s will to be done, welcoming all the blessings and challenges that would accompany it. Her whole-hearted acceptance of God’s plan for her life would later be reflected by Christ, as he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to his Heavenly Father, “not my will but yours be done.” The place of Mary in Catholic belief, however, is often misunderstood. "Catholics do not worship her, nor do they assign to her any power which belongs to God alone. But from the beginning of the Church, Catholics have looked on her as their spiritual mother because of the great things God has done through her.... The saints
The saints, like Mary, are models for us and students in our schools. Fr Michael Guinan in 'Saints: Holy and human' explains that "Saints are not perfect, but they show us that a wholehearted Christian life is possible." The saints show us that,
"It is possible to love God above all things and to center one's
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