Lesson of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’

By Taryl Thomas

Head-Prefect, St Mary’s College

On Wednesday, April 15, student leaders of St Mary’s College, St Anthony’s College, St Benedict’s College, and Holy Cross College were given the opportunity and honour to engage in discussion and dine with Archbishop Gordon.

The encounter was a moment, both deeply thought-provoking and peaceful. It was an encounter that continues to linger within me, even now, as I attempt to put it into words.

From the very beginning, the Archbishop attempted to create a space of comfort and openness for myself and students alike. It felt neither like an obligation, nor a formal address where he spoke not at us, but to us, and in doing so, removed the invisible barrier of nervousness. It became a space where our thoughts could be heard, and where even the most difficult emotions could be acknowledged without fear.

What struck me most profoundly was his willingness to confront the reality of temptation with honesty and grace. He did not present purity as an unattainable ideal, but as a lived and ongoing choice.

In one particularly memorable moment, he offered an allegory drawn from the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. The Archbishop compared anger and impurity to the towering beanstalk: something that, once allowed to grow unchecked, can lead us into places we never intended to reach. Yet, as Jack ultimately confronts and cuts it down, so must we recognise and discipline those impulses before they consume us.

It was a simple story, one many of us had known since childhood, yet in the telling, it changed from a fairy tale into a fable. That image, I believe, has remained with many students, myself included.

Discussions ranged from the diverse and changing nature of religion in politics, new hardships of young men in the present generation, addiction and peer pressure, LGBTQIA+ rights and the stark differences in everyday issues between men and women.

Throughout the session, there was a sense of reassurance that we were not alone in our struggles and he highlighted that struggles aren’t even foreign to him. And in that moment, vocation ceased to feel distant or impossible; it became an active choice that can be made.

To pursue one’s vocation, as the Archbishop so beautifully conveyed, is to enter into harmony with both God and self. The session concluded with Confession where we were all given the opportunity to participate. This was not only humbling, but deeply honouring.