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!