Author: Editor, Kingdom Revelator

Life 

OUR IDENTITY IS IN CHRIST

KNOWING GOD’S LOVE

As a teenager, I spent a few years living apart from my father and I guess that impacted how I relate to him now as an adult. All our experiences as we grow up mould us into the person we are and shape how we relate to different people. Recently, I was with a friend and we were talking about our relationships with our fathers and how that can make a difference to the way that we see and relate to God. It became clear that the kind of relationship one has with our earthy father will affect the way that we relate to our heavenly father. In our conversation, I came to realise that as I had struggled to receive and accept the love of my natural father, so without knowing it I had never really felt in my heart the love of God. I knew in my head that God loves me but I did not know it in my heart.

CHILDREN OF GOD

Recently, I was reading a passage of Scripture which talked about God’s love being lavished on me so that I can be called his child, his daughter and I prayed to understand the passage with my whole heart, for I long to experience God’s love in my heart. I hope that my struggles and this prayer encourage others to seek a closer relationship with God, our heavenly father. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.” (1 John 3:1-2)

A DIVINE TRUTH

The Bible says that when Jesus walked on the earth He knew what it meant to be the beloved. He had no struggle with His identity; because He knew who He was and what He was here to accomplish. I still struggle to comprehend the true meaning of God’s love for me, some days I am able to appreciate His love through His beautiful creation or through the joy and happiness that I receive from the people around me, but I know that feeling is only a small part of what God feels for me. I know that He wants me to experience His love more fully. Maybe the problem is that I am trying to use my head to understand this concept of love, and I am trying to understand a truth that is beyond human understanding. It is a Divine Truth, for in this human form I am not made to comprehend such truth. Maybe the fullness of truth will be revealed to me when I take on a form that can withstand such truth.

SEEK THE LORD

For now, let us seek the Lord and pray that the Holy Spirit of truth will guide us and help us to experience more of the love of God in our lives. “Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20) Let us pray for a taste of the life to come, because we want to know the truth. We need to seek the Lord with our whole hearts and pray for a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father every day of our lives.  For we are lost and need to be found, we are thirsty and hungry for the truth and need to be satisfied. We feel naked before our enemies and need to be clothed with the power of the Gospel. We are imprisoned by our sins and need to be set free by the Blood of the Lamb. We may feel alone, but we know that God lives in us. My prayer today is that by the power of your Holy Spirit, I may continue to hold on to the promise of your love for me, the promise that you will make me pure, like you. Even though I may struggle, may my heart never forget that I belong to you and that I am a child of God.

 

Written by Valerie Anne

Lent 

LENT-A TIME OF New BEGINNING

NEW BEGININGS 

Start the season of Lent with a determination to be open to new experiences, memories and blessings, having an open mind and heart to wherever the Lord may take you, with full assurance and confidence that He is with you. “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

NEW POSSIBILITES

There is no limit to what God can do in your life; nothing is impossible with God. He opens doors that no man can shut and closes doors that no man can open. With God the possibilities are endless when we live according to his will. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

NEW PLANS

Pray about what God has planned for you in the coming weeks and be willing to walk by faith in obedience as you follow His leading. Remember that His plans are always for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

NEW PURPOSE

God always has a purpose for what you will experience. He has a reason for what He allows in your life, and through it you can trust Him completely. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

NEW PROVISIONS

The Bible says not to worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has enough worries of its own. Trust in your Heavenly Father who knows everything you need, who is your God and your Provider. He is faithful and He will do it. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Matthew 6:25-27)

NEW GROWTH

When we are willing to let go and let God work in and through us, He will always stretch us and help us to grow. Continue to grow in His Word and your relationship with Him. Pray for God to mould you and make you pliable in the Potter’s hand. Then watch the Master Craftsman work on His masterpiece – you! “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

NEW WISDOM

With new experiences and lessons come new wisdom and insight. Make it a priority to seek out wisdom as a hidden treasure or as fine gold. Proverbs says that wisdom will set a garland of grace on your head and she will present you with a crown of splendour. “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power.” (Ephesians 1: 17-19)

 

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

 

RENEWED PEACE

When you are challenged by new experiences and new adventures, good or bad, I encourage you to keep your eyes fixed on Christ. He will give you rest and peace because He  is  our peace and He loves you and cares for you deeply. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Let us give thanks to the Lord as we look forward to what He has in store for us over the coming season of Lent. He is faithful and worthy to be praised!

 

Written by Neha Sebastian

Reflection 

THE MISSING PIECE

WHO WOULD NOTICE?

I was sitting in church one Sunday morning listening to the homily given by my parish priest when he asked us a rhetorical question – a question that was supposed to be left unanswered but was meant to make us think. He asked, “Who would notice if this Church was to be shut down or demolished?” The priest himself decided to answer the question by saying that perhaps the regular church-goers might notice or the parents of the children attending the parish school might think, ‘where has that funny little church on the corner gone?’ People seek different things from their church. An American survey suggested that people went to the parish that had the best parking spaces and facilities in the area. Others come to Church for baptisms, weddings and funerals. Others might come for the coffee mornings, social clubs or charity events. It is true to say that the Church is a place of memories, a place of occasion, a place of comfort and certainly a place of celebration.

A PLACE TO FIND JESUS

But, the church is not a shop which is open from early morning until late at night, for us to run to when we realise that we are missing an ingredient and we need to get some more. We live in a culture of consumerism but the Church is not a supermarket where people come and take what they want, when it suits them and only when they need to. No, the Church should be an integral part of our lives. It is a place where we can find the living Jesus in the tabernacle daily. The most important thing that we can take with us from the Church is Jesus and He will satisfy our every need and will never disappoint us. He can give us everything, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

MANY DISTRACTIONS

Thinking about the priest’s question it occurred to me, “Who would notice if Jesus Christ was taken out of our lives? Would I really notice?” I don’t know how you would answer this question but I do know that it has become much easier for us to forget Christ in our lives. Many different distractions, fashions, fads and trends are tapping their drums trying to catch our attention. We are living in a world where consumerism is digging its claws deep into the lives and hearts of many people and we, young people, are being distracted by these novelties which are constantly battling for our time and our attention. It is happening around the world and there are new temptations daily. “Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

 

“Even if your mother forgets you, I will never forget you.” Isaiah 49:15

 

HE MAKES US COMPLETE

Many see Jesus just as someone who gives a blessing and who is there when we need Him. But He is not just about blessings; He is also about love and mercy. He is not someone to ignore during happy times when things are going well and then expect Him to be there when things start going wrong, because we need Him to put things right again. Jesus is not a supermarket for our convenience and is definitely not a person to be dumped in the rubbish bin of our lives because without Jesus something is missing. He is like the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle, He is the one who makes us complete, He makes us a whole person. When He is forgotten or missing, then our colourful life becomes just a black and white picture, because He is the vivid colour in this black and white world. If Jesus isn’t the Lord of our life, then we are blind boys and girls trying to survive without knowing which path to take or which way life is going to toss us. Jesus is saying to us in Revelation 3:20, “Listen, I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” Jesus is a living and loving person. He is the greatest possession we can ever have. Let us make Him ours today. He doesn’t forget us and so we shouldn’t forget Him either.

 

Written by Gitty George

Editorial 

January 2015 – Editorial

Welcome to the first issue of Kingdom Revelator in 2015. In this issue we focus on the coming season of Lent, a time when Christians traditionally look at their spiritual life and focus on ways to deepen their faith in preparation to celebrate Easter. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, an important day in the Church’s calendar and we present an article that explains the significance of using ashes to mark a cross on our foreheads. We have also included some suggestions for how to approach Lent as a time of new beginnings in your spiritual life. There are the usual inspiring testimonies from young people and following our report on the mission to Punjab in the last issue, Neethu, who was one of the young people who went on the mission, reflects on what she learnt from the people that she encountered in India.

In October 2014 Fr Paul Moss, the Director of Vocations for the Birmingham Archdiocese and some of his team attended the second Saturday Catholic Convention and spoke to many young people. For those who did not get the chance to meet him, he has written an article about discerning our vocation – how to work out what God is asking us to do with our lives, a very important topic for young Christians. A new feature this month is the liturgical calendar on the inside of the front cover. This gives the daily readings so that you can follow the Scripture passages that are read out in Mass every day. We have received feedback from young people asking for more interactive features in the magazine so we have included a page of puzzles towards the end. Please do let us know what you think of these new features.

We thank all those who have sent in contributions to the magazine, we do try to publish as many articles and testimonies as we can, although it may take a few months for them to appear. Please do continue to send them to us at kfkmag@gmail.com. We hope and pray that God will speak to your heart through this magazine and that your faith will be strengthened. Please pass it on to a friend when you have finished reading it and let us know if you have any suggestions for improvements for future issues.

Thanks

 

Written by the editorial team

Christian Living 

SOARING LIKE AN EAGLE!

WHICH WAY TO GO?

If you had the choice to go across a river on a newly built steady bridge, where you are certain that you will get to the other side, or on a damaged rickety bridge where you could easily slip and fall, which path would you take? The majority of us would choose the easy and safe option. In the Bible Jesus says to us “Enter through the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the road, that leads to destruction, and many go that way. How narrow is the gate that leads to life; and how rough, the road; few there are, who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) The way to heaven is by way of the broken bridge but how many of us are truly courageous enough to take it? It is easy to say that we are but do our actions match our words?

LEARNING TO FLY

Like an eagle that throws its young eaglet from a great height, so that it can learn to fly; God sometimes throws us out of our comfort zones so we can experience the love of Christ. The poor baby bird doesn’t realize that its mother is flying very close by its side in order to catch it if necessary. In the same way, we are usually too blind to see that the Lord is carrying us in his hands. Each time the baby bird struggles and fears for its safety, it breaks the mother’s heart; but she knows that when she is not there, the baby has got to be able to fly to survive. God knows that we must be able to face and overcome trials and temptations in order to survive and that is why he is sometimes silent when we think we need him most! But he is always there beside us, ready to catch us if it is really necessary. “Like an eagle watching its nest hovering over its young, supporting them on its spread wings and carrying them on its pinions, the Lord alone led them without a foreign God.” (Deuteronomy 32:11-12)

TIME FOR US TO FLY

Some eagle chicks are too frightened to take their first flight away from the nest, so the parent will withhold food to force them out. This is similar to what happens to us when the Lord says it’s time that the fledglings got their wings. As we get older we have to take responsibility for our own faith journey, we have to try and hear what the Lord is saying to us for ourselves and we cannot rely on our parents or teachers any more. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar as with eagle’s wings; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and never tire.” (Isaiah 40:31)

HUNT FOR SPIRITUAL FOOD

Like an eagle, the followers of Christ must learn to fly and hunt for spiritual food. We should be able to rely on the Holy Spirit to hold us and guide us and our faith should give us the ability to rise above our circumstances. When we have faith, we can hunt and search for the manna from heaven, the Eucharist that will help us to grow strong and healthy in Christ and we will hunger for the Word of God. Initially those strong in faith feed the young souls, but soon they must learn to find food for themselves. The Bible says “Teach a child the way he should go, he will not stray from it while he lives.” (Proverbs 22:6

SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE

An old saying “Give a person a fish, and he has food for a day. Teach a person to fish, and he has food for a lifetime.” People learn by listening and watching others and by copying their actions. Let us be good role models and share our faith with other young people so that they can begin that process of learning to fly by faith. By the grace of God and with faith we can all soar like eagles.

 

Written by Lida Kuriakose

Uncategorised 

WHEN IS HE COMING?

As we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus at Christmas let us look at what the Old Testament says about the long-awaited Messiah that God had promised to the Jews.

 

PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS

Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, is a time when we in the Church prepare ourselves and look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Our preparations these days are very different to those of the people of Israel who for centuries longed for their coming Messiah. They knew from the Scriptures that God had promised to send Israel a Saviour who would be a great king and whose rule would last forever but they didn’t know when he would come.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS MORNING

So, on that first Christmas morning when Jesus was born in a humble dirty cave being used as a stable, surrounded by animals there was no fanfare of courtiers to herald the new king. Only the angels sang to greet the new born baby. God delights in revealing himself to the poor and his first visitors were lowly shepherds, some of the poorest people in Israel. While the world was asleep the shepherds were awake, watching and waiting. Later the kings would come, the rich people bringing expensive gifts signifying that Jesus came to save all people, both the rich and the poor.

THE PROMISED MESSIAH

The Jews were expecting a Messiah, they knew the prophecies but unfortunately they had not interpreted them correctly. At that time they were a persecuted people, living under Roman rule and they were expecting their Saviour to be a warrior who would get rid of the Romans from their land and assume the role as their king. They did not understand what God was trying to tell them. Let us look at some of the prophecies that can be found in the Old Testament that point to the coming of Jesus.

FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH

In Genesis 49:10, which was written over one thousand years before Christ was born, Jacob, on his deathbed addresses each of his sons, blessing them and revealing to them what will happen in the future. When he comes to Judah, his fourth son, he reveals that one of his descendants will rule over the nations saying, “ The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come  and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” In the New Testament in Matthew 1:1-16 the family tree of Jesus is listed and this includes Judah as a forefather of Jesus.

BORN IN BETHLEHEM

Micah was a prophet who lived over 700 years before Christ was born. He prophesied,  “You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2). Bethlehem, also called Ephrathah, was a small town in Israel. Luke Chapter 2 describes how Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem (the home town for those descended from the tribe of Judah) for a census, where Jesus was born. In Hebrew Bethlehem means, “House of Bread”, a fitting name for the birthplace of the one who later said, “I am the bread of life” and who comes to us in the Eucharist in the form of bread and wine.

GOD WITH US

God spoke through Isaiah, another prophet who lived around the same time as Micah, saying, “The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) This follows a passage where God asks King Ahaz to request a sign from him but Ahaz refuses saying that he will not put God to the test. This makes God angry and he says that he will provide a sign anyway. Immanuel means ‘God with us’ and this prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary seven hundred years later, a sign to all mankind of God’s love and care for his people.

HE WILL RULE FOR EVER

God revealed to his people, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5) Jesus will be their saviour and he will rule over God’s Kingdom, an eternal kingdom that will never end. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2: 44) Jesus’ reign will last forever. Only God Almighty can fulfil this claim.

RIGHTEOUS AND VICTORIOUS

Other Old Testament prophecies include, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) God is promising Israel a king who will be righteous and will win victory for Israel but this is not the normal vision of a great king. This king will be lowly and will ride on a donkey, a prophecy that was fulfilled on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on the way to his crucifixion.

BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED

The Messiah who was to come would not save the Jews from the Romans. In the great scheme of things that was unimportant, no, Jesus would save the people from their sins. This was the important message that God was trying to give to his people. That Jesus would redeem them by bearing their sins on himself and take them to the grave. He would suffer for them so that they could be saved “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5-6) Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we are saved. This is the real message of Christmas, that it is only the beginning of God’s divine plan for each one of us so let us celebrate and thank God for the gift of his Son, our Saviour.

 

“Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2: 6-8

Saints 

Saint Nicholas: The Saint behind Santa Claus

The most common image at Christmas is Santa Claus, the red suited American symbol of Christmas festivity and commercial activity. But in fact the figure of Santa Claus originated from Saint Nicholas, a fourth century saint, who has inspired great devotion over the centuries and invites us to bear the fruits of Holy Spirit in our lives and follow more closely the teaching of Jesus Christ to be generous and loving.

 

To many people the first person they think of when Christmas is mentioned is Santa Claus or Father Christmas, a legendary figure whose origins go back to St Nicholas, a revered and holy man who practiced all the virtues and was persecuted for his faith. As a Bishop he would not have wanted his name to be remembered in connection with Christmas and his Lord’s name to be forgotten, but Satan the liar and the father of lies (John 8:44) has blinded people to the truth. According to the world, Santa Claus is a mere gift giver coming during the Christmas season to amuse and make children happy.

 

DEDICATED TO SERVE GOD

The modern world doesn’t deny that Santa Claus derives from St Nicholas, the fourth century saint of whom, historically speaking, very little is actually known. There are many legends and stories told about St Nicholas and he has inspired a devoted following around the world. He is said to have been born in Patara in Lycia and was an only child of very devout and rich parents who died during an epidemic. Jesus told the rich young man, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21) It is said that St Nicholas used all his wealth to help the poor, the needy, the sick and the suffering and he dedicated his life to serve God. He is believed to have been the Bishop of Myra, part of modern day Turkey and was well known for his love for children and for his generosity.

PURIFIED BY PERSECUTION

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian there was a great persecution of Christians and St Nicholas suffered for his faith and was imprisoned. Like many Christians his faith was strengthened by being tested and he was purified by the persecution that he suffered for Christ, St Nicholas, on his release continued to preach and lead his people in the true faith. There are many legends about Nicholas’s life and works. The most famous one tells of a poor man with three daughters who could not afford the dowry to get his daughters married. A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the bride’s parents on the wedding day. One night Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down the chimney into the house. The bag is said to have fallen into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry. The oldest daughter was married with the money. This was repeated for the other daughters too. The father found out who had given them the money and the news of St Nicholas’ kindness spread among the people.

GREAT DEVOTION

St Nicholas died in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage for many people who sought healing and lots of miracles were attributed to his intercession. The anniversary of his death, believed to be December 6th became a day of celebration, called St Nicholas Day. One story tells of the prayers of St Nicholas calming a storm and saving the lives of sailors whose boat was about to sink. So sailors claimed St Nicholas as their patron and St Nicholas chapels were built in many seaports. Devotion to St Nicholas continued to grow and by 900AD it was written that, “The West as well as the East acclaims and glorifies St Nicholas and churches are built in his honour.” In the late Middle Ages nearly 400 churches in England alone were dedicated to St Nicholas. He is also known as the saint of Bari, Italy, as some of his relics were taken there by sailors in the eleventh century.

A MODEL FOR US

With his great Christian example of generosity to all in need, St. Nicholas is a model for all compassionate and caring Christians who want to follow Jesus by their words and deeds. Although he was wealthy, when Jesus was born in St Nicholas’ heart, he remembered those words, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33) By giving away all that he owned to the poor and needy, he built up for himself treasure in heaven. We too can store up treasure for ourselves in heaven. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew25:40) A single coin given to the poor or any act of love shown in Jesus’ name will add to our heavenly treasure store. Let us start depositing in our heavenly account this Christmas.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Give us the grace to follow in the footsteps of your beloved St Nicholas. Give us your Holy Spirit to celebrate Christmas in a holy way, particularly helping others who are in need. St Nicholas pray for us to obtain the gifts of the Holy Spirit rather than the earthly gifts, so that we can become more like Jesus in our words and in our deeds. Amen.

Be Creative 

A Love Letter to Jesus

Dear Jesus,

I thank you for all the good things you have given me and for all the pain and insult that you have borne for us. Most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly day by day.

My Father, I surrender myself to you, do with me as you will. Whatever you may do with me, I thank you. I am prepared for anything. I accept everything, provided that your will is fulfilled in me, I ask for nothing more.

My God, I place my soul in your hands. I give it to you, my God, with all the love of my heart because I love you and for me, it is a necessity of love, this gift of myself, this boundless confidence, because you are my Father and I love you.

 

Written by Samuel Raju

Uncategorised 

The Corpus Christi PROJECT

Following a trip to the Holy Land, Trinity School’s Pax Christi group in Leamington Spa wanted to help Christians living in the West Bank and Gaza so they bought crosses made by local Christian craftsmen and designed and produced representations of Jesus to add to the crosses.

 

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

This year Trudie Pabor the Head of Vocations and Curriculum at Trinity Catholic School in Leamington Spa went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. As well as visits to Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the pilgrimage included a visit to Hebron. Hebron is a city in the hills to the South of Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest continually occupied cities in the world and can be a dangerous place. In fact the visit to Hebron had been postponed for a couple of days because a teenager had been shot and there was a fear of reprisals. It is believed that the word Hebron comes from the Hebrew word for friend, which is “haver”. This word was used to describe Abraham, the Patriarch with whom the first covenant was made. The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12: 1-4)

A PLACE OF TENSION

Hebron is home to Jews, Muslims and Christians and is a place of tension. It seems strange that in a place called ‘friend’ many people suffer from poverty, high unemployment and a lack of social services at the hands of others. However one of the many highlights of the pilgrimage was a visit to the tomb of the Patriarchs which is where the bodies of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were laid to rest. There is a record of the site being visited by Christians in the 6th century. Today the tomb is part Synagogue and part Mosque and therefore it is a focus for tension and unrest but it is also an example of how people can work together.

RAISING AWARENESS

When we returned to school we heard about the plight of the Christians in Palestine, who had been very welcoming to us despite having very little to share, and the Pax Christi group decided that they wanted to help the people of Gaza and the West Bank. The students raised awareness of what life is like for the Christians in Gaza by taking assemblies and writing postcards to their MPs. “It was my idea to perform a flash mob drama in assembly. We walked in, took a pupil at random and walked them into a room where they stayed for half an hour in solitary confinement. It was a significant way of raising awareness of what life is like for people in Gaza. I think the more we raise awareness, the more likely people are to send help.” Niamh Burke year 8

OLIVE WOOD CROSSES

But the Pax Christi group also wanted to help financially. The school needed to replace some of its crucifixes and after a meeting, it was decided that we would buy crucifixes from a charity that helps Christians in Gaza. The school Principal, Chris Gabbett, contacted Friends of the Holy Land, a group which works to empower people in Gaza and the West Bank, to see if they had any contacts who we could buy crucifixes from. We could only purchase olive wood crosses that had been hand made by Christian craftsmen in the Holy Land but we thought that it was so important to support these Christians to help them to build a better community that we bought 40 olive wood crosses. Olive wood is an important resource for the people in Gaza and the West Bank, not only does it grow in plentiful supply but it is symbolic for Christians. If you chop olive wood down it will not die but grows again.

OUR VOCATION TO SERVE

At Trinity Catholic School we believe that as part of our vocation we are called to serve. We sang at the Papal Mass for the beatification of Blessed John Henry Newman and have really taken on his message that: “God created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which he has not committed to another. I have a mission.” On hearing that we could only purchase crosses, Simon Hill, the Head of Design Technology, launched the Corpus Christi project. Developing a theme of vocation as a call to serve, students set about working to design and batch produce individual designs to represent Christ. These were added to the olive wood crosses made by the Christians in the Holy Land. Students who had never had a chance to develop their talents for service were now able to help the school.

 

FEEDBACK

“The project has prompted discussion about how Christ is represented on the cross and led to some original use of the range of tools and materials available to the students. Many opted to sculpt wax figures and then cast these in pewter whilst others used computer aided design tools to laser cut designs.

” Simon Hill, Head of Design Technology

 

“I made a plastic mould from a wax pattern I designed. I have never done anything like this before and it has given me a sense of pride to see something I have made go up in the classroom.”

Luke Greene year 10

 

“I designed a mould of Jesus’ body and poured in the metal. I was surprised at how it came out because it looks really good and I can see people using it to help them pray. I thought it would be rubbish but it looks good..”

Robbie Humphrey year 10

 

If your school has any unusual faith based projects that you would like to share with our readers please send the details to kfkmag@gmail.com.