One Lasallian's thoughts

A thought for the third week of Lent and the first week of online classes

Posted by Jerry Meyer on March 15th, 2020

From today's first reading: "In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?' So Moses cried out to the LORD, 'What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!' The LORD answered Moses, 'Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.'"

De La Salle (Letter 101): "Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God's hands, for he will take care of you."

On Friday, we embarked on a journey to a familiar goal, the successful education of our students through the end of the semester, but using a means of transport that we have never tried. We will undoubtedly take a few stumbles, feel a few frustrations, and just wonder why we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. But like the people of Israel on the Exodus, here we are. God will be with all of us, just as he was with the Israelites, as we recognize that we need to listen and to trust. And since God will care for us, we can then care for our students.

"Many things have been cancelled because of the coronavirus. Love is not one of them. . . Jesus, then, understands all the fears and worries that you have. Jesus understands you, not only because he is divine and understands all things but because he is human and experienced all things. Go to him in prayer. And trust that he hears you and is with you" (James Martin, SJ, America Media 3/13/20).

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the second week of Lent

Posted by Jerry Meyer on March 7th, 2020

From today's gospel: "Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him . . . ."

From De La Salle (Med. 152.2): "Because Jesus Christ always possessed this glory within himself, when he was transfigured, the change that appeared in him was only external. It is not the same with us. The change that must take place in us is interior; we must be entirely transformed by the light and the fullness of grace and by the possession of the Spirit of God."

As Melissa reminded all of us on Ash Wednesday, one of the graces of this Lenten season is to work on improving our focus on prayer, no matter how hard this may be in our own individual circumstances. The Transfiguration, as De La Salle pointed out, requires interior changes on our part; prayer lets God into our lives to help with that transformation. As Pope Francis said, "God is the Father who has immense compassion for us, and wants his children to speak to him without fear . . . For this reason we can tell him everything, even the things that are distorted and incomprehensible in our life. And he promised us that he would be with us for ever" (General Audience, 12/12/18). In what ways do we let God into our life through prayer? How do we encourage our students to do the same, and model that for them?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the first week of Lent

Posted by Jerry Meyer on March 1st, 2020

From today's gospel: "[Jesus] replied, 'Human beings live not on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' . . Jesus said to him, 'Scripture also says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' . . Then Jesus replied, 'Away with you, Satan! For scripture says: The Lord your God is the one to whom you must do homage, him alone you must serve.'"

Forecast: The rain and chill returns to Tucson tomorrow. Spring energy continues to blossom in our students, especially as the weather returns to sunny and 80 on Friday. The very beginning of senioritis symptoms can now be detected. Lent is only four days old! What to do? The gospel excerpt above contains Jesus' responses to the devil during his temptation in the desert. The common thread? Be centered in God. Without God, we can do nothing. De La Salle reminds us that we should "be attached only to God during this holy season" (Med. 16.2). When we face the inevitable difficulties of teaching in this season, how do our own personal, pedagogical, and relational practices allow us to be guided by God alone, and share that with our students?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for Epiphany and the first week of the second semester

Posted by Jerry Meyer on January 5th, 2020

From today's first reading: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise you eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you."

De La Salle (Med. 96.3, for the Feast of the Epiphany): "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. In this way this divine Savior will be pleased with you, and you will find him because he always loved the poor and poverty."

On the Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus as God and savior to the entire world. A great celebration with light, joy, and fine riches, as the first reading details. But De La Salle reminds us that we should see riches and radiance every day. They are our students, in whom we should recognize Jesus, for they are members of the savior. What joy and wonder we are called to show when the children entrusted to our care return to campus on Tuesday! May your week be filled with the glory of the Lord in your classroom, your heart overflowing with light and love, as you begin this semester of teaching and learning with our students.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the third week of Advent/finals week

Posted by Jerry Meyer on December 11th, 2019

From today's first reading: "The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. . . They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those who hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God . . . he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing."

From today's gospel: "When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?' Jesus said to them in reply, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.'"

"Pupils in a Brothers' school found themselves in a school that was demanding, but which was there to help them. All attention was really focused on them. Everything was organised to help them to make progress, and they were able to see the progress they were making . . . The treatment the pupil received from the teacher was permeated with respect and love . . . As a result of such treatment, the artisans and the poor could be led to believe in a God of love and hope." (Bruno Alpago, FSC, The Institute in the Educational Service of the Poor)

If you have any doubt at all, even as you are grading finals and putting the final touches on semester grades (both of which sometimes disappoint), about the impact of San Miguel on the lives of our students, go and proclaim what you see and hear! Freshmen developing maturity and academic ability; juniors and seniors growing in leadership skills by leading retreats; sophomores immersed in research for National History Day projects; juniors growing in confidence in oral presentations; so many students and alumni helping to run a full-fledged robotics tournament; the Shining Star of the quarter evaluations for students at each grade level; and every individual success, known to each one of us in so many differing ways and students. In a county in which 73.8% of students graduate from high school, a state in which 74.5% of Hispanic students have a high school diploma, and 28% of children in Tucson live at or below the federal poverty level (42% of that total live in high poverty areas), San Miguel is a place where the good news is proclaimed and seemingly miraculous things happen. Because, as Brother Bruno points out, students are helped here, and students are loved here. Attention is given, and respect and love are seen daily. Thank you for the efforts that you make to bring the God of love and hope that we celebrate most particularly during this Advent season to our students!

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the week of the Feast of Christ the King

Posted by Jerry Meyer on November 24th, 2019

From today's gospel: "Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.' The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, 'Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has does nothing criminal.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' He replied to him, 'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

Eileen Burke-Sullivan, Creighton University: "To recognize and honor the Kingship of Christ is to know our humanity in all humility and gratitude. It is to receive the gift of salvation from one like us in all things but sin, and it is to be drawn so close to Christ's suffering in our lives that we can ask through suffering to be re-membered -- placed with Christ in the Reign of perfect mercy and everlasting joy."

It occurs to me, teaching in a school network named for Christ the King (Cristo Rey), that what Dr. Burke-Sullivan described is the network goal. Like the second criminal, our students want to be re-"membered", to know and to be included as members of the Body of Christ and Christ's kingdom, through our being Christ for our students. As De La Salle reminded us, we are to be "ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ", as God wants "all to come to knowledge of the truth but also that all be saved" (Med. 195.2, 193.3). What in our educational efforts seek to include and reassure our students that they are a part of Jesus Christ? Of salvation? Do our daily plans and objectives emphasize content that must be covered before the semester ends to the exclusion of the Kingdom that is mercy and joy?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the thirty-second week in Ordinary Time

Posted by Jerry Meyer on November 10th, 2019

From today's second reading: "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word."

From today's gospel: "[H]e is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."

De La Salle (Letter 2): "Remembering that God is with you will help and inspire you in all that you do."

Lasallian Core Principles: "Faith in the presence of God: We believe in the living presence of God in our students, in our community, and in our world"

This is a time of year when we are deeply focused on student performance. We worry about potentially failing students, student absences, or measuring mastery on semester assessments. We have already figured out how many class days there are until finals arrive. Given this potential for angst, it is also a marvelous time to remember that God is with us daily. How do we let God in our classrooms and duties to strengthen us? How do we inspire our students with God's living presence to encourage them in all that they do? Our God wants to live with us. Will we let him pitch his tent in our classroom, our office, or the forgotten corners of our campus?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time

Posted by Jerry Meyer on September 29th, 2019

From today's gospel: "[The rich man] said, 'Then I beg you, father, send [Lazarus] to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

From Lasallian Reflection 5 (2019-2020): Great Things are Possible: "Faith, together with zeal, identifies us. Without faith, we run the risk of fatigue, loss of meaning, and weakening of our commitment to change. Alternatively, supported by faith, we make room for God to come and change us. . . While respecting other religious traditions with which we share a path to God, we believe in the Risen Christ who invites us to follow Him and to continue His work."

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and the Brothers' General Council, both remind us to bring a singular focus to our efforts. We have programs, initiatives, new ideas, and all of these things are wonderful ways to bring beneficial change to our students. But they take effort and energy, which can be draining even as we keep our regular teaching efforts going. Our students, as continual positive change touches them, can become worn out as they also deal with growing up, as well as their own individual challenges. It is our basic focus, and not a desire for the newest or trendiest, that will sustain us: a focus on Christ who shows us our mission, changes us, and gives us a model of love for us and our students to follow. In all that we do, how do we nurture a life-giving relationship with God for ourselves? Our students?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time

Posted by Jerry Meyer on September 22nd, 2019

From today's first reading: "Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! 'When will the new moon be over,' you ask, 'that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? . . . We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!' The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!"

From Lasallian Reflection 1: A Gospel Journey (2015-2016): "As Brother Álvaro RodrÍguez, former Superior General, emphasized, poverty takes many forms: there is the poverty of isolation and abandonment; the poverty of the excluded, who live on the edges of rich and opulent cities, those branded the society's 'failures'; the poverty of the victims of a culture of identity that refuses to accept what is different . . . yet another poverty is the condition of those with physical or mental problems; the poverty of migrants and refugees . . . the poverty of those who live without God, of those who have deliberately removed God from their lives; finally, there is the poverty of those young people who live without meaning or trust in their lives."

It is too easy to say that we serve the economically poor. The Brothers remind us of the multiple ways that our students can be marginalized and isolated that are just as pernicious as being economically deprived. We are warned by the prophet Amos that we must not surrender their needs to our own prepackaged desires. In what ways do we become more familiar with the concerns and needs of our students? How do we fashion the education that we provide in a way that addresses specifically the hearts and minds of the young people entrusted to our care?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!

A thought for the twenty-fourth week in Ordinary Time

Posted by Jerry Meyer on September 16th, 2019

From today's gospel: "So to them [Jesus] addressed this parable. 'What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'"

De La Salle (Med. 196.1): "Consider Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd of the Gospel, who seeks the lost sheep, puts it on his shoulders, and carries it back to restore it to the fold. Because you are taking his place, consider that you are obliged to do the same thing."

There is nothing quite like grading to allow us to "discover" the lost sheep. But grading also reminds us that there are lost sheep who have returned to the fold: "Wow! I had a feeling there was some improvement, but look at that!", "Hey, so-and-so isn't on the ineligible list!", "Wow, she really did study for the big test!" I love those moments, because they remind us that we are trying to be the shepherd that Jesus and De La Salle tell us that we should be. So let's celebrate! For the student who came back from a D or an F to a B or C, did we put a celebratory comment in PowerSchool? Send a note home or call parents? Make it a point to congratulate them on the way out of class? Perhaps we can make this week a party for our returned sheep.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!