One Lasallian's thoughts

A thought for the third week of Easter - Teacher Appreciation Week

Posted by Jerry Meyer on May 2nd, 2022

From yesterday's gospel: "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' Simon Peter answered him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' He then said to Simon Peter a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Simon Peter answered him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' Jesus said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'"

From De La Salle: "The members of the flock of Jesus Christ are also obliged to hear their shepherd's voice. It is, then, your duty to teach the children entrusted to you, this is your duty every day. . . . [You] must be very alert to whatever can harm or wound [your] sheep. This is what leads the sheep to love their shepherds and to delight in their company, for there they find their rest and comfort." (Med. 33.3, 33.2)

What Jesus asks of Peter is what is asked of all of us: to take care of the flock, the students, entrusted to us. The love, forgiveness, and mercy shown to Peter is that which we also share with our students. It is only in communities that extend true care for one another that effective learning takes place. During this teacher appreciation week, we honor all of our educators for the work of learning that takes place in our classrooms. But more importantly, we celebrate the accompaniment and relationships that you build in order to truly scaffold learning. The work demands much, it is exhausting, and calls from us all that we can give. The celebrations and gifts that we share with teachers are but a small token of thanks for the gift of self that you daily offer to students. In the joy and love of your students shared with you, may you be sustained in the love of God reflected in their faces.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the week of Epiphany

Posted by Jerry Meyer on January 2nd, 2022

From today's gospel: "When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage' . . . Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.' After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it cam and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of god. frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way."

From De La Salle: "But the Magi then left without concerning themselves any further about King Herod. . . Behold the faith that profoundly filled their spirit and caused them to respond in this way." (Med. 96.2, 96.3)

"They departed for their country by another way." We, like the Magi, know that we see the image and likeness of God, the face of Christ, in the students entrusted to our care. But in many ways, we find ourselves in different times: students missing time due to COVID, some changed student and family attitudes about attendance, difficulties (but great progress made!) in having all students at a CWSP worksite, student stress about returning to in person classes, and students still learning how to be high school students, among other things. In this, I think we are being offered opportunities to find "another way" to touch the hearts and minds of our students. How will we find different, creative, high quality ways to engage and teach our students? What can we learn from the ILT focus on assessments, our accreditation process, or our review of the Lasallian educational mission? Like the Magi, will we find ways to make this journey, and the accomplishments of our students, known?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the week of the feast of San Miguel Febres Cordero (Feb. 9)

Posted by Jerry Meyer on February 8th, 2021

From the second reading of the feast day (2 Cor 2): "You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all, shown to be a letter of Christ administered by us, written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets that are hearts of flesh."

From St. Brother Miguel's diaries: "I must look for every possible way of making the lessons and work agreeable and pleasant for the pupils."

From Br. Luke Salm, FSC, Brother Miguel: "Brother MIguel manifested the awareness possessed by every good teacher: the youngsters being educated are more important than the subject matter they are expected to learn."

On Tuesday, we celebrate the feast of Miguel Febres Cordero, Brother, saint, and the patron saint of our school. From what we know of San Miguel, he was the teacher that all of us aspire to be. Focused on the needs of the students, making sure that they knew that they took first place in teachers' hearts, and taking care that work and lessons meshed well with the care and concern shown to pupils. This week, as we ask Brother Miguel to pray for us, may we be ever more mindful that, in following his example, we seek to write Christ's message of faithfulness and love on the hearts of our students. Let it be our hope that, like Brother Miguel, the students entrusted to our care will say of us that it was our example and teaching that helped them understand and live that message for their own benefit, and for the benefit of all of their neighbors in Christ.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts, forever!

A thought for Catholic Schools Week

Posted by Jerry Meyer on February 1st, 2021

From today's first reading (Dt 18:19): "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him."

From De La Salle (Meditations for the Time of Retreat, 3.2): "Because you are ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ in the work that you do, you must act as representing Jesus Christ. He wants your disciples to see him in you and to receive your instructions as if he were instructing them. They must be convinced that your instructions are the truth of Jesus Christ, who speaks with your mouth, that it is only in his name that you teach, and that he has given you authority over them."

This week is part of the annual celebration of Catholic schools throughout our country. In the "before time", we would celebrate mass together, have a food drive or service opportunities, dress for "Disney Day", "Superhero Day", or a spirit day leading into a basketball game. But in this time of separation, what are we celebrating? "In a Catholic school, everyone should be aware of the living presence of Jesus . . . in whom all human values find their fullest perfection. The inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ideal into the real" (Congregation for Catholic Education, The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School). I think that we can justifiably celebrate the presence of Christ in the reality of our school (on campus and virtually) daily. Parents who allow their students to do content recovery on campus, students who have adapted to getting up and keeping on a schedule, young men and women earning technology certification through CWSP, all do so because they see something in the people who have asked them, called them, cajoled them, and taught them. That "something" is beyond the ordinary, or just trusting a person, or a basic respect for authority. I believe that they see the words and presence of Christ in what you convey in word, attitude, and action, just as De La Salle instructed us to be. They could easily have just dropped off the grid, as so many of their peers throughout the country have. Could we really say that we have achieved what we have achieved this year without being connected to and bringing Christ to our students and families? Why else would so many students work, try, and continue to succeed in these times of change? A cause for celebration, indeed!

Live, Jesus, in our hearts, forever!

A thought for the twenty-second week of Ordinary Time

Posted by Jerry Meyer on August 30th, 2020

From today's first reading: "You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. . . I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grown weary holding it in, I cannot endure it."

From Lasallian Reflection 4 (2018-2019): "De La Salle and his first companions made the birth of our Lasallian family possible. They let God touch their hearts, which started beating in unison with the hearts of poor children and young people. God touched the depths of their being and enabled them to walk along with others to set their hearts on fire. They became the source of a new charism for the Church and the world . . . We have freely received a charism as a gift for those whom God has entrusted to us, and who are the center of our mission: our students, especially the poorest among them. This is what our Founder says: 'Act in such a way through your zeal that you give tangible proof that you love those whom God has entrusted to you.'"

What is in the depths of our hearts? What sets our hearts on fire? Jeremiah wrote that it was God, despite his struggle against him. De La Salle and the first brothers discovered the presence of God in their lives.

What are we compelled to do? Jeremiah continued his preaching of the Word of God. The first Lasallians found their call to be a part of the lives of the young, especially the poor, teaching and walking with them.

Perhaps we find it more difficult than Jeremiah and De La Salle, who were not isolated from their communities, to answer these questions. But even in these more insular times, didn't we come to San Miguel to educate the young people entrusted to the care of this school at Lerdo and San Fernando? How has teaching outside of a classroom sharpened our focus on where God makes God's self present in our lives? How has not having students on campus inspired us to walk with them on their journey of faith and education?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the nineteenth week in Ordinary Time - the first week of classes

Posted by Jerry Meyer on August 9th, 2020

Today's first reading: "At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. Then the LORD said to him, 'Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.' A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD -- but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake -- but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire -- but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave."

From Declaration on the Lasallian Mission: Challenges, Convictions and Hopes (2020): "We believe that in the faces of the impoverished and vulnerable we find God's saving power. Our tradition is rooted in the preferential service for the poor, the excluded, those considered irrelevant, that is to say those children and young people for whom their vulnerable condition is an obstacle to the building up of their dreams for the future and to their having a dignified and happy life. Today our commitment is to identify the new forms of poverty - which are always to be found the frontiers of dehumanization, in a lack of opportunities and in marginalization - and to serve those who suffer from these poverties."

How ironic that today's first reading directs Elijah, and us, to find God in the smallest of sounds and events. Tomorrow, we begin classes with students at home, not in a classroom. Our ability to hear their voice, see their face, and experience their responses to us and to each other, is limited. Their voice, already restricted in reach by circumstance of geography, economics, and a myriad of other obstacles, is lessened further. Yet we are taught that these children, their voices, are God's presence and salvation. What can our creative teaching ideas do during these first weeks of school to bring their voices to the fore, let them know that what they think, say, and do is of the utmost value, and emphasize that their dreams and future truly matter? May our prayer and our actions remind them that they are loved, in possession of human dignity, and our guidepost to salvation.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the week of the Feast of the Ascension

Posted by Jerry Meyer on May 24th, 2020

From today's gospel: "[Jesus] said, 'Go, therefore, . . . and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'"

From De La Salle: "Recognize Jesus beneath the poor rags of the children whom you have to instruct; adore him in them. . . May faith lead you to do this with affection and zeal because these children are members of Jesus Christ." (Med. 96.3); "[R]egard the children whom God has entrusted to you as children of God. . . Do you honor Jesus Christ in their person?" (Med. 133.2, 133.3); "The faith that must inspire you ought to make you honor Jesus Christ in their person and prefer them to the wealthiest children on earth, because they are the living images of Jesus Christ. . . ." (Med. 80.3).

We have reached the end of teaching and learning for this rather extraordinary academic year. We are not "done", of course. Grading and review boards remain. In addition, we have begun our thinking and planning for the next academic year, about which much remains uncertain. But we do not need to be troubled, for Christ has promised that he is with us always. However, it is worth reminding ourselves, called to be Christ's teachers, of how Jesus is present. We recognize him in our students, entrusted to us by God. To remain in God's promised presence, may we keep our students, the image of Christ, and not our own needs, first and foremost in our grading, reviewing, and planning. How will our actions and plans honor the presence of Christ in them?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the fourth week of Easter

Posted by Jerry Meyer on May 3rd, 2020

From today's gospel: "So Jesus said again, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. . . I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.'"

From De La Salle (Med. 201.3): "Tell the parents also what Jesus Christ said about the sheep of which he is the shepherd and which must be saved by him: 'I came,' he said, 'that they might have life and have it to the full.' For this had to have been the kind of ardent zeal you felt for the salvation of those you must instruct when you were led to sacrifice yourselves and to spend your whole life to give these children a Christian education. . . ."

I believe that the successes that we have had as a school during this time of off campus learning can be attributed not just to the determination of our students, but to their willingness to listen to you, trust you, and follow where you are leading them in their education. Why else would young people, who could listen to, and follow, the siren songs calling them to indulge in many non-productive things during this time, do their reading, work math and science problems, and struggle to engage with difficult concepts? They trust that we will not abandon them, and that we will lead them where they need to go for the betterment of their own lives. During this Teacher Appreciation Week, let us be mindful that our zeal to instruct those entrusted to our care is best recognized in the responses that we have received from our students, especially in those short notes saying "thank you", "I miss you", and the good work that makes us sit up and say, "they get it!"

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the octave of Easter (Online learning continues)

Posted by Jerry Meyer on April 12th, 2020

From the gospel of the great Vigil of Easter: "Then the angel said to the women in reply, 'Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.'"

From Lasallian Reflection 5 (2019-2020): "Lasallians do not close their doors to dreaming and believing. We want to think big, to get rid of old dreams and give God the opportunity to shape His dream for humanity through us. We expect great things from God and undertake great things for Him."

Perhaps it does not feel like Easter. No gathering in Church, minimal family gatherings, no students at school on Tuesday, COVID-19 news surrounding us everywhere. Perhaps this year, we truly feel what the women in the gospel experienced at the tomb, what the disciples must have felt in hiding: What has happened? Our joy has been taken from us!

It is not so. We need to seek joy beyond our normal expectations. The disciples were instructed to meet Jesus in Galilee. As Pope Francis said last night, "Galilee was the farthest region from where they were . . . Jesus sends them there and asks them to start again from there. What does this tell us? That the message of hope should not be confined to our sacred places, but should be brought to everyone." The Brothers' General Council tells us to work with God's dreams for us, shedding the old and seizing the new life of Christ. We are certainly, as a school, in a new place, much different than where we started. How, then, will we work to spread the good news of new life and new dreams through a human and a Christian education, in ways, in places, and to people, who are in need of Easter joy? How will we see Jesus, who promised to meet us, in those new places?

Jesus is risen, He is risen indeed! May we work together to bring new life to our school community, undertaking great things for Christ in response to his resurrection.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the fourth week of Lent (Online week 2)

Posted by Jerry Meyer on March 22nd, 2020

From today's second reading: "Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth."

In the Church, we celebrate today as Laetare Sunday; literally "rejoice Sunday". Halfway through Lent, we take a little break to celebrate the Light who is Jesus, as we walk toward his resurrection at Easter. During this difficult time, celebrating the light/Light is an important booster as we continue to navigate uncharted waters. To help us celebrate, and see goodness and righteousness, I share a reflection (edited for length) that I received in the Friday homework load:

"'Unconditional' captures the essence of Lasallian spirituality. We are mean to use our gifts and talents to help others, not ourselves. We do this without conditions or limitations of any kind. There are no bargains or contracts by which we should abide. We are called to help others without expected anything in return, just as God has done for us.

At first glance, the word might frighten some. How can we give ourselves unconditionally? What is left for us in the end? It is important to understand that giving ourselves completely to others does not mean that we lose sight of who we are. On the contrary, we come to find our true selves in our relationship with God and others.

Even after completing our service learning requirements, my friend and I continued to volunteer at a nursing home prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to volunteer at the care center for a longer period of time. Staff members offered to pay my friend and I for our service, but we did not accept. Truly, the greatest thing of all is seeing people's face light up when you show them compassion and care. I do not expect a smile or genuine sentiment in return for any of the work I do. However, you come to realize that the most pure and genuine parts of yourself are found where conditions and limitations are not. Further, God's will for us is to be sharers in the divine nature, which we have learned means to love selflessly. By living unconditionally, we give ourselves wholeheartedly to others and to God so that we may become instruments of peace and justice in the world."

May the Light that is Christ similarly inspire us.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!