Daily Gospel Reflection

25th June 2020Mrs D Ferris

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25

This passage above is followed by the contrast of one who built his house on sand. The wind and rains came and the house collapsed. It’s a clear contrast that leads anyone to conclude that having your house built on solid rock is much better.

The house is your life. And the question it raises is simply, how strong am I? How strong am I to face the storms, hardships and crosses that will inevitably come my way?

When life is easy and all goes smoothly, we do not necessarily need great inner strength. When money is plentiful, we have many friends, we have our health and our family all gets along, life can be good. And, in that case, life can even be easy. But there are few who can go through life without facing some storm. When that happens, our inner strength is tested and the strength of our inner convictions is required.

In this story from Jesus, the rain, floods and wind that buffeted the house are actually a good thing. Why? Because they allow the foundation of the house to manifest its stability. So it is with us. The foundation of our lives must be our fidelity to the Word of God. Do you believe the Word of God? Have you pondered it, studied it, internalized it and allowed God’s Word to become the foundation of your life? Jesus makes it clear that we will have a solid foundation only when we listen to His words and act on them.

Reflect, today, upon how deeply you believe all that Jesus says. Do you trust in every word He has spoken? Do you believe Him enough to rely upon His promises even in the midst of life’s greatest challenges? If you are not sure, then this is a good day to recommit yourself to the prayerful reading of His Word. All He says in Scripture is true and those truths are what we need to create a firm foundation for the rest of our lives.

Lord, help me to listen to Your words and to act on them. Help me to believe in Your promises and to trust You even when the storms of life seem fierce. Amen

Year 12 University Virtual Fair 

24th June 2020Mrs D Curtis

Year 12 recently took part in a Virtual Fair. The students had the opportunity to virtually visit various universities’ kiosks and ask questions about course specifics. There were also a range of webinars hosted.  Students had the opportunity to ‘live chat’ with university representatives and download materials which ranged from finance and personal statements to specific courses. 

Read what our students had to say:

Harjan

I thought the virtual fair was very useful and informative. There was an extensive selection of top tier universities in the Exhibition Hall, with lots of information regarding virtual open days, courses and prospectuses etc, which will greatly help me with my research. In addition to the stands, the webinars were also beneficial, as they covered many topics, such as: ‘Picking the right course for you’, ‘Personal statements’, and ‘Russell Group Universities’, just to name a few. The webinars gave me an opportunity to gain much more information regarding various aspects of higher education, in particular, I found the ‘Personal Statement’ webinar to be very helpful.

 

Monique

It was an informative and engaging fair which provided me with a clear insight into the wide range of universities available to me. It also provided me with the opportunity to ask current students questions about any enquiries I had and explore universities I would have never even considered before. Personally, the webinar about studying for law was particularly convenient for me as it enabled me to fully understand the route required to become a solicitor, whilst providing me with an in-depth understanding of what the university had more to offer in comparison to other universities. 

Leah 

I thoroughly enjoyed the Virtual Fair as it truly opened my eyes to a wide range of universities. I was able to chat with the top Russell Group Universities and ask them questions regarding my chosen degree and any insecurities I had about the course. Not only was I able to ask about my course, I felt that it was extremely important to know about the city I may move to hence why I questioned the representatives from the University of Manchester, about life as a Manchester University student. In addition, it enabled me to talk to other students who were in the same ‘boat’ as me, about being unsure of what degree and course to do. Many universities had given us access to some of their materials particularly to help with personal statements as it is a vital part of the application process.

Shea

The fair was very useful to us who are unsure on the pathway we want to enter post sixth form. The different webinars gave us much more information regarding courses, personal statements etc. Whether we were certain or unsure about a future course to study at university, the fair provided us a plethora of information and selection to enhance our knowledge. Personally, I think I would like to continue studying business after sixth form therefore I found the information available at the fair has given me more idea of my intentions.

Hello Year 6: From Mrs Hand – Head of Year 7

24th June 2020Mrs D Curtis

Hello to all the parents and carers of our new Year 7 students starting in September.

I am Mrs Hand and I am the Head of Year 7. Can I ask that you watch my video with your child and reassure them I am so excited to see them in September.

I will be adding more TRANSITION information over the next few weeks on the St Edmund’s website.

We are really looking forward to welcoming you and your child into the St Edmund’s family.

 

Bishops’ Statement on Racial Justice

24th June 2020Mrs D Curtis

Archbishop Bernard Longley:

During the last week I have been thinking about the impact and implications of the Black Lives Matter protests within England and Wales and especially what the issues they have highlighted might mean for our Archdiocese.  I am therefore happy to share with you the following statement made on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which I fully endorse.

Within our own spheres of influence, with family, friends and colleagues, we can find ways of living and expressing the Church’s rejection of racism as completely contrary to the values of the Gospel.  I would urge you to share the following statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales as widely as possible:

Bishops stand in solidarity with US sisters and brothers as they challenge the evil of racism and the brutal killing of George Floyd

“We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the USA as they challenge the evil of racism and the brutal killing of George Floyd.  As the US Bishops made clear: ‘we cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.’

“Systemic racism is embedded in our own society.  The disproportionate harm suffered by BAME people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted profound inequalities, marginalisation and injustice here in the UK.  The peaceful Black Lives Matter protests taking place in our towns and cities this week reflect the understandable anger that so many people feel about this.

“As Catholics we recognise that racism is an evil which must be opposed; we all have a responsibility for actively promoting racial justice.  Whenever we ignore racism or dismiss BAME people’s experience of it, we are complicit in violations of human dignity.  We pray for God’s help to overcome racism in all its forms and that we might protect everyone who suffers its consequences.  We are all made in God’s image.”

Bishop Declan Lang
Lead Bishop for International Affairs

Bishop Paul McAleenan
Lead Bishop for Racial Justice

Please find this article here: https://bit.ly/37U4OQ8

Daily Gospel Reflection

24th June 2020Mrs D Ferris

He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Luke 1:63-64

Zechariah provides a great witness to all of us of one who sinned by lacking faith in God, but after suffering the humiliation of his sin, he became truly faithful and ended up “blessing God.”

We are familiar with his story. His wife became pregnant with John the Baptist by a miracle in her old age. When it was revealed to Zechariah by an angel that this would take place, he failed to have faith in this promise and doubted. The result was that he was struck mute until the moment that John was born. It was at that moment when Zechariah acted in fidelity to the revelation of God by naming his baby “John” as the angel had requested. This act of fidelity on Zechariah’s part loosened his tongue and he began to speak the praises of God.

This witness of Zechariah should be an inspiration to all who seek to follow the will of God in their lives but have failed. There are many times when God speaks to us, we hear Him, but we fail to believe in what He says. We fail in fidelity to His promises. The result is that we suffer the effects of that sin.

At first, the effects of sin in our lives can seem like a punishment. Indeed, in many ways they are. It’s not a punishment from God; rather, it’s a punishment of sin. Sin has devastating consequences in our lives. But the good news is that those consequences of sin are permitted by God as a way of drawing us back to fidelity to Him. And if we allow them to humble us and change us like Zechariah did, we will be able to turn from a life of infidelity to the will of God to a life of fidelity. And a life of fidelity will enable us to ultimately sing the praises of our God.

Reflect, today, upon the ways that you have not been faithful to God in your life. But think of it in the context of hope. Hope that God will receive you back and transform your life if you return to Him. God is waiting and His mercy is abundant. Allow His mercy to fill you with a heart that blesses the goodness of God.

Lord, help me to see my past sins not so much in despair, but as reasons to return to You in greater fidelity. No matter how many times I have fallen, help me to get back up and to faithfully sing Your praises. Jesus, I trust in You.

International Women In Engineering Day

23rd June 2020Mrs D Curtis

I was fortunate enough to take part in the BMW Girls Go Technical Programme at the Hams Hall Plant in Coleshill Parkway. It was a very interesting and valuable experience.

I initially applied for the programme on the BMW website, there I learnt about the programme briefly and the activities that would be set for the applicants during the three day work experience. To begin with, mechanical engineering wasn’t my main career choice, however the programme most definitely made me more interested in engine manufacturing.   

The first day, the other girls at the programme and I had a tour and introduction to the plant itself. There I saw various types and sizes of machinery and tools that are used to assemble the BMW engines.

I got more hands-on the next day. I was taught how to build and put together different parts needed for the engine. The manufacturing aspect of vehicles captivated me even more as a result of the activities and even the friendly staff and team that helped the girls taking part in the programme.

On the last day, the Girls Go Technical team at Hams Hall drove us down to the ‘MINI Plant’ in Oxford, where we met all the other girls in the programme from Oxford and Swindon. The ‘MINI Plant’ is where all the parts are assembled and come together to make a Mini road-ready model. We got given a tour of the assembly area where all the parts are put together and also a tour of the paint area where the cars get customized.  

Overall, the experience was very enlightening because of the activities and even the staff, it was a happy and friendly environment. After my participation in the Girls Go Technical, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in anything automotive as it is a vast sector and there are many jobs that are involved in the making of a vehicle.

by Emmanuela Esedebe

Daily Gospel Reflection

23rd June 2020Mrs D Ferris

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 7:12

This familiar phrase was a command from God established in the Old Testament.  It’s a good rule of thumb by which to live.

What would you have others “do to you?”  Think about that and try to be honest.  If we are honest, we must admit that we want others to do a lot for us.  We want to be respected, to be treated with dignity, to be treated fairly, etc.  But on an even deeper level, we want to be loved, understood, known and cared for.

Deep down, we should all try to recognize the natural longing that God gave us to share in a loving relationship with others, and to be loved by God.  This desire goes to the heart of what it means to be human.  We as humans are made for that love.  This Scripture passage above reveals that we must be ready and willing to offer to others that which we desire to receive.  If we can recognize within us the natural desires for love, we should also strive to foster a desire to love.  We should foster a desire to love to the same extent that we seek it for ourselves.

This is harder than it sounds.  Our selfish tendency is to demand and expect love and mercy from others while at the same time we hold ourselves to a much lower standard regarding how much we offer.  The key is to put our attention on our duty first.  We must strive to see what we are called to do and how we are called to love.  As we see this as our first duty and as we strive to live it, we will discover that we find much greater satisfaction in giving than in seeking to receive.  We will find that “doing onto others,” regardless of what they “do to us,” is what we actually find fulfillment in.

Reflect, today, on the natural desire you have in your heart for the love and respect of others.  Then, make this the focus of how you treat those around you.

Lord, help me to do to others what I desire they do to me.  Help me to use the desire in my own heart for love as the motivation for my love of others.  In giving of myself, help me find fulfillment and satisfaction in that gift.  Amen

 

 

 

 

Get into Medicine – By Faith Katanga

23rd June 2020Mrs D Curtis

I want to do something to help others which makes me happy and so I know becoming a doctor is the ideal career.

The “Get into Medicine” virtual conference on June 6th was very helpful as it provided an insight on what I would need to do to get into medicine. It was enlightening to hear information that I had not heard before from the medic mentor team and statements from current students on how they dealt with things like interviews and exams.

I had never heard about Medic mentors before but I am looking forward to hearing more about them and what information they can provide to help me in the future.

By Faith Katanga, Year 10

Daily Gospel Reflection

22nd June 2020Mrs D Ferris

Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”  Matthew 7:1-2

Being judgmental can be a difficult thing to shake.  Once someone falls into the habit of regularly thinking and speaking in a harsh and critical way, it’s very difficult for them to change.  In fact, once someone starts down the road of being critical and judgmental, chances are that they will continue down that road becoming more critical and more judgmental.

This is one of the reasons Jesus addresses this tendency in such a strong way.  After the passage above Jesus states, “You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first…”  These words and Jesus’ strong condemnation of being judgmental is not so much because Jesus is angry or harsh toward the judgmental person.  Rather, He wants to redirect them from the road they are heading down and help to free them of this heavy burden.  So an important question to ponder is this: “Is Jesus talking to me?  Do I struggle with being judgmental?”

If the answer is “Yes,” fear not and do not get discouraged.  Seeing this tendency and admitting it is very important and is the first step toward the virtue which is opposite of being judgmental.  The virtue is mercy.  And mercy is one of the most important virtues we can have today.

It seems that the times we live in demand mercy more than ever.  Perhaps one of the reasons for that is the extreme tendency, as a world culture, to be harsh and critical of others.  All you need to do is read a newspaper, browse social media, or watch the nightly news programs to see that our world culture is one that is continually growing in the tendency to analyze and criticize.  This is a real problem.

The good thing about mercy is that God uses either our judgmentalness or our mercy (depending upon which is more manifest) as the measuring rod of how He treats us.  He will act with great mercy and forgiveness toward us when we show that virtue.  But He will also show His justice and judgment when this is the path we take with others.  It’s up to us!

Reflect, today, on mercy and judgmentalness in your life.  Which one is greater?  What is your primary tendency?  Remind yourself that mercy is always far more rewarding and satisfying than being judgmental.  It produces joy, peace and freedom.  Put mercy in your mind and commit yourself to seeing the blessed rewards of this precious gift.

 

Lord, please do fill my heart with mercy.  Help me to set aside all critical thinking and harsh words and replace them with Your love.  Jesus, I trust in You.