Issue 23 November 2025

Kids corner

Sunday School camp

A reflection from one of our Sunday School children

Last week the years 3, 4, 5 and 6 Sunday School classes went on camp. It was so much fun!

We learnt about God being the Way, the Truth and the Life. We played so many games, including a balloon game and who can make the tallest tower, and we went on an awesome scavenger hunt. Breakfast, lunch and dinner would always make my tummy so full. It was delicious.

Father Anthony came as well. He prayed the Liturgy and taught us a new song to learn the books of the Bible easily. Camp was the best, and I had a blast.

I look forward to the next one.

From the pulpit

Action the Bible

Fr Anthony · Sermon summary · The parable of the sower

Today's Gospel is similar to last week's Gospel, except it's from the Gospel of Matthew. We read that the word of God, if it falls on the right ground, if it's received properly, has great potential. The desert fathers are a group of men, and there is also a group of women called the desert mothers, and as you can tell by their titles, they lived in the desert.

I will just give you a little summary of monasticism as it began many centuries ago. Then we'll try to learn from them about the relation between the word of God, which is what the seed represents in today's Gospel, and how to action these learnings in our own lives.

The desert became a city

As a brief summary, there was a time in the Roman empire when Christians were looked down upon and were persecuted. Then came along an emperor named Constantine. When he was in power, Christianity began to have imperial favour. People were no longer killed for their faith. It was even considered a good thing to be a Christian around that time.

As it gained popularity, there seemed to be a watering down of the standards of Christianity. Some did not like the faith being diluted. This group of people instead said, "We want to seek the Cross," as Christ instructed us all to "take up our cross and follow Him."

This group of people said, we don't want anything to be watered down; we want Christianity in its original form. And so many of them fled the city for the desert, living a life of asceticism, worship and prayer. People left in droves. There was one writer who even said that the desert became like a city, because there were so many people there seeking a deeper connection to God.

Knowledge that is lived

Something that they teach us when it comes to the word of God, or the Bible, is this: knowledge of texts is not true knowledge unless it is lived. That is how they lived their lives. They didn't believe that knowing the Bible cover to cover was sufficient "knowledge." To them, knowledge was the reality of the word of God in your life. That is what they cared about, and until today, this is what the Church cares about.

Every time, before we read the Holy Gospel, we always hear this prayer, and it is this: "Grant that we may hear and act according to Your Holy Gospel." That is the prayer of the Church for us all. Before we read the Bible, we seek to live it, so that we do not only hear, but that we also act on what we hear, according to the Holy Gospel.

Stories from the desert fathers

I will tell you a few stories from the desert fathers. You can find them all in the sayings of the desert fathers, and they highlight the above.

One time, there was a monk who went to one of the older monks. He told him he had memorised both the Old and New Testaments. A huge feat. The older monk's response was, "You have filled the air with words." Can you imagine having put in all the effort to memorise the entire Bible, and that is the response you get? What he means is, words without action are just words.

A second story comes from before the printing press. If someone wanted a chapter of the Bible, they would have to pay someone to write out the books by hand for them to read. The story goes that a monk went to a scribe to have a chapter of the Bible copied. The monk took the scribe's pages, but he realised the scribe had missed verses. He went back to the scribe and told him it was missing parts. The scribe said, "Go and practise first that which is written, and then I will write the rest." The scribe asked for action from the monk before he would deliver more words.

The third story is of a woman who went to the father of monks, St Anthony. Once a woman came to Anthony and made a similar claim about memorising the Bible. Anthony asked her, "For you, is being despised the same as being honoured?" "No," she answered. He then went on: "Is loss the same as gain? Are strangers the same as your parents? Is poverty the same as wealth?" She answered no to each question. He told her, "You have neither fasted nor learnt your Bible. You have deceived yourself." Why was his response so sharp? Because when he questioned her about the contents of the Bible, she answered "no." Knowledge to the desert fathers was in living the truth of the Bible.

There's a saint by the name of Abba Pambo. He is a great example for us. Early in his monastic life he went to one of the elders to learn a psalm. Having learned the first verse, which talks about controlling the tongue, he departed without staying to hear the second verse. He said to himself, this one will suffice: if I can practically acquire it, it's enough. More than six months passed before he returned to consult the elder again. When he came back, the old man reproved Pambo for staying away for so long. Pambo told him that the reason for his long absence was that he was fully occupied with living the verse he had been given.

A chapter a day this Advent

There are so many stories like this, but for the sake of time we have to finish. What does God want from us? Yes, He wants us to read the Bible. The Advent fast begins on Tuesday 25 November. Advent means coming. We are waiting for the coming of the Lord this Christmas. During this time it is beautiful for us to be consistent in our Bible reading. We tell children to read a chapter every day. Do we do that as parents?

This fast is a chance for a spiritual revival. Set yourself a rule to read a chapter of the Bible and be disciplined in it. The other lesson, of course, in the spirit of the desert fathers, is to action what you read from the Bible.

The first is to pray about what you have read. If the Bible instructs you to pray without ceasing, offer a prayer to God asking Him to turn your thoughts into prayers. Instead of feeding your anxiety, pray your thoughts.

We can also ask God, "How can I help, Lord?" Father Mark has wonderful advice. He says, never knock back a spiritual suggestion in your household. If your child wants to give to the poor, never knock that back. If your spouse wants to fast, never knock that back. Live the word of God together.

May God give us the hearts of the desert fathers, where we hear and then we act upon the word of the Bible.

May God give us the action of the Bible.

Glory be to God forever. Amen.

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