From today’s first reading: “When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ God said, ‘Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,’ he continued, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’ Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. But the LORD said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying for help on account of their taskmasters. Yes, I am well aware of their sufferings. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.'"

As of the most recent data (datacenter.kidscount.org), here are some things that we know about our students:

  • 66% of Tucson children living in households with an income less than 200% of the federal poverty level are in households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing. “According to HUD, households that must allocate more than 30 percent of their income to housing expenses are less likely to have enough resources for food, clothing, medical care or other needs." [66% of our school population is 223]

  • 5% of Tucson children living in households with an income less than 200% of the federal poverty level are in households where no adult worked either full or part time in the past year. [5% of our school population is 17]

  • The four year graduation rate for Hispanics/Latinos in Pima County is 66%, for Native Americans it is 56%. Economically disadvantaged students have a 64.7% graduation rate. (The total national four year graduation rate is 81%.)

  • 28% of young Hispanic/Latino adults in Pima County aged 18-24 are enrolled in, or have completed, college (national average: 37%). The number declines to 24% for Native Americans (national average: 28%).

  • 25% of Arizona children lived in a household that was food insecure at some point during the last measured year (2013) (national average: 21%). [25% of our school population is 84]

  • 35% of children in Tucson under 18 live in a family at or below the federal poverty level.

  • 69% of 8th grade students in Arizona public and charter schools tested below proficient in reading achievement; 26% tested below basic. 83% of fourth graders who tested below proficient reading levels were eligible for free/reduced lunch.

These are not the happiest of statistics. All of us who are entrusted with the education of youth in Tucson have a lot of work to do in overcoming the obstacles presented to our students. But there is more here than just producing good grades and college ready test scores. “I have seen the misery. . . I have heard them crying for help . . . I am well aware of their sufferings. . . ." As De La Salle puts it, we are here to help God save our young people, just as he called Moses to participate in Israel’s salvation from Egypt: “God wills not only that all come to the knowledge of truth but also that all be saved. He cannot truly desire this without providing the means for it and, therefore, without giving children the teachers who will assist them in the fulfillment of his plan." (Med. 193.3) While we must provide our students with the best education possible, we must go further in their salvation: “Those who have dedicated themselves to instruct them must devote themselves especially to bring them up in the Christian spirit, which gives children the wisdom of God, which none of the princes of this world has known. It is completely opposed to the spirit and wisdom of the world . . . ." (Med. 194.2)

We know from experience that this is possible. We can think of so many graduates who have gone on to persist in college and share their education for the benefit of the community in so many ways. But we also know others who did not make it through San Miguel, or college, or have yet to find gainful employment. In the same way, we know which of our current students are likely to succeed and which present difficulties. As we examine ourselves during this season of Lent, let us redouble our efforts to “assist them" and “devote [ourselves]", no matter their current grade status, because we are the hands of the God who desires their salvation.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!