"For the Christian, the season of Lent and Easter tells of a God who intervened in human history in an unimaginable way. God didn’t come to a perfect time or a perfect place. Jesus entered the chaos of people’s lives and the chaos of our world. Let us not be afraid then, of the chaos that is often around us and within us. In particular, let us not be afraid of the chaos that we see in the lives of others: the homeless person, the refugee, the person recovering in hospital. If God entered our chaos, let us not be afraid to step into the chaos of those we serve and love."
In the chaos of our own age, Lent invites us into the immediacy of our own lives, in relationship with others: to reflect on our need to forgive, to make peace, to heal, to give generously of our gifts and resources. Lent invites us to concentrate on the spiritual quality of our lives. Just as we have been reminded throughout the pandemic of the importance of the mental and physical quality of our lives, this spiritual dimension turns our attention outside of ourselves toward others and to God. As Christians, and in our Dominican tradition, we view this spiritual dimension as critical not only to our personal wellbeing but also to a holistic education; one which regards the full flourishing of the human person as deeply reliant on the full flourishing of all of humanity: God’s vision.
Lent asks us to see and be God’s grace at work in the world. This week, I was able to witness this in the work of our student leaders. Following their leadership of our Ash Wednesday liturgies, this week student leaders met to prepare for Project Compassion initiatives which will run over the remaining weeks of term. In their collaboration, these fine young women showed their commitment to helping the Siena student body deepen their knowledge of and response to the cry of the poor and marginalised. Their meeting began with a beautiful prayer for the people of Ukraine, with fervent petitions for an end to this tyranny.
Within this newsletter, you will find some updates from the International Women’s Day breakfast, Student Wellbeing, Public Speaking and Debating, the English, Maths, Music, Learning Diversity and Sports Departments, the Learning Centre, as well as the ever popular Careers Department.
