Staff Spiritual Formation

"Making time for God need not be a complicated process. On the contrary, it can be as simple as taking a moment to gaze at the world, to see it with God's eyes".— Margaret Silf.

The staff met this week to reflect on and nourish their individual prayer life through faith formation experiences.

Each teacher chose a reading from “Landscapes of Prayer: Finding God in your World and your Life,” by Margaret Silf  (2011, Lion Hudson) These were all based on environments within Australia with beautiful photographs to enhance the readings. Each reading included a bible passage and a series of thought-provoking questions. The landscapes of garden, the mountaintop, the seashore, the river and the forest, are all fertile areas to stimulate a relationship with God.

The staff then shared their insights about the readings and their perspective and understanding of prayer. In reflections from the readings the staff discovered that the "Garden" is a sacred space where the heart can be cultivated. In the garden people take care of plants and give God the glory for creation.

“Consider our hearts as gardens, with beauty and nourishment to offer others, with weeds that need tending, with pruning to be done. It is work to keep a garden paradise. “The Mountain" involved a journey to the top of a mountain which can be viewed as a metaphor for our own spiritual journey. Walking on the “Seashore” enables us to sense the beauty of creation "The seashore is a moving boundary between the predictability of dry land and the restless mystery of the ocean. To walk the seashore is to allow the mystery to touch the edges of our everyday world." The “River” was compared to prayer life as it is constantly moving and flowing within our everyday lives.

Brain Breaks for Staff

After such an intense beginning to Term 2 staff enjoyed a well- earned ‘brain break’ during their staff meeting. The teachers had fun, enjoying a quick game of ‘Clothes Peg Samurai.’ There was lots of laughter and a little bit of cheating....but not by Mr Moore of course!