We are called to be the light in the world. To be God's hands on Earth.

The last lines of last Sunday's 2nd Reading. "I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it." Apocalypse 22-23

The final book of the bible is full of imagery and 'code' due to the persecution faced by followers. Jesus is the Lamb, and earlier mentioned in this passage is the 'bride'; this refers to Christ's followers. Love, faith, service and endurance are the qualities of the bride. Those who encounter Jesus are full of light, and this light is to shine out into the world and builds a new city. "Come Jesus", the Holy Spirit and the bride called out.

After World War II, in France, US Soldiers assisted these communities in restoring order as each village was liberated. While helping the communities rebuild their towns and communities, they also helped clean up and fix what had been destroyed. One village asked for assistance restoring the Church. The statue of Jesus had been shattered. Most of the figure was restored; however, the hands could not be found in the rubble. While they were trying to decide what to do about replacing Jesus' hands, they put the statue of Him by the altar where it once stood. One day, the people were amazed at what a soldier had printed on a piece of paper and attached it to the statue. It read, "He has no hands, but yours." The statue was completed without the hands, and the message with its profound words remains there. The story reminds me of Jesus' words recorded by His disciples.

Our Lord often repeated the phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." We, however, need to do our part.

Attendance

Each Tuesday, we meet as a staff and monitor the progress of all our students. We are concerned with many students, particularly in years 11, 12 and 13, with a high level of absenteeism.  The strong factor we can control in ensuring academic success is attendance.  Today we had 26% of the school missing or late for their first class.  Please encourage your tamariki to be at school on time, if unwell, to communicate with their teachers, and please contact the school office.

Pink Shirt Day

We had a great day last Friday, and this was one way we could shed light on the issue of bullying.  How to be an active bystander and say no to behaviours that do not build people up.