House mass in the College Chapel
From the Director of Mission, Phil Davis
Last Friday, 18 May, 2018, the Lacey House Mass, was celebrated by College Chaplain Fr Bernie Thomas ofm. The Gospel (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26), which was acted out by Lacey students, mirrored the message Speak through Action, the theme which our Year 12 Leaders have chosen for 2018. Lacey Prefects Felix Valentine and Ben Webster connected this theme with life at Waverley College in their Reflection.
Other features of this Mass included the Entry Procession and Gospel Procession, while the Communion Reflection Song, If You’re Out There by John Legend, aptly connected to the idea that actions speak louder than words. I would like to thank the staff and students responsible for their organisation and specific roles during the Mass. I would also like to thank Mr Thompson, Head of Lacey House, for his assistance, as well as the parents who attended the Lacey House Mass.
Reflection
From Felix Valentine
Speak through Action
This is the motto that the Class of 2018 has chosen to represent what we believe is an imperative mentality. A mentality that likens back to the actions of Jesus two thousand years ago, as recorded in the Gospels. In the previous reading (Matthew 9: 18-19; 23-26), Jesus was ridiculed for his attitude towards the child’s life, publicly embarrassed before all who were assembled. “They laughed at him”. It would have been easy for Jesus to back away at that point, and let his hopes remain only hopes, never transcending into a taken action. Yet this was not the case, Jesus followed his thoughts through with action, restoring life in the young boy. The disdain that Jesus had endured quickly became overshadowed by the respect that he had earned from his community, as “Reports of this spread throughout the district”. However, it was not only Jesus who spoke through action. The leader of the synagogue demonstrated a fulfilment of this motto, seeking Jesus out for his help, casting aside the scorn that he would inevitably receive in order to do the morally right thing. The same principle applies to Edmund Rice’s actions, opening a school for impoverished boys, as he had the drive to follow through with his hopes for a better future. The domino effect that a single taken action can have may turn out to be insurmountable, the same cannot be said for a nice thought, or hope for a better outcome. Modelling your life after such beliefs is by nature difficult, however the payoff for such a mentality is threefold, benefitting not only yourself, but the larger community as a whole. When nobody speaks through action, nothing is achieved.
From Ben Webster
Speak through Action
Speaking is easy, actions are much harder and are more likely to reveal the true belief. It is easy to lie but effort must go into actions. In real life, people don’t always say what they mean. It doesn’t mean that they’re lying or even in denial. Sometime people think they’re telling the truth, or sometime they don’t know the truth. Maybe they’re just not comfortable expressing the truth. Actions, however, tell the truth, even if the words themselves lie. That is where our 2018 motto comes in. People either communicate with their words or through their actions. Words are merely sounds uttered by the tongue. The action is what puts the meaning into the words said. I completely agree with our statement “Speak through Action.” To say something and to do something are two different things. It is a well-known fact that people often do not do what they say. It is why people value hard work more than mere promises. For example, politicians make many heart- touching promises before elections. But after the election is over, and they get elected we all know what happens to their actions!
Secondly, actions depict a person’s character and personality. What someone does and how they behave in that particular situation reveals their real side. For example, if your team is down, and looking beaten, what would you do; would you roll over, or would you lead by your actions and dig that bit deeper? Actions carry more meaning and importance than what a person says. A person must, therefore, think twice before saying anything because words can be easily expressed but doing it, in reality, takes real effort and dedication. As Martin Fischer said “The great man is the man who has to the courage to act”.
