Growing up, I really enjoyed the last few days of school. One day would be field day. There would be a day where we take our desks outside to the courtyard at All Saints, and we’d make a huge mess as we scrubbed and cleaned the desks. Then we’d hose everything down, which made an even bigger mess. Then on the glorious last day of the school year, we’d have Mass, we’d receive our report cards, and we’d leave.
Over the summer, my friends and I would play outside. We’d walk or ride our bikes to all sorts of places, and we would get into all sorts of silly hijinks. One thing that I distinctly remember is saving up money (also known as rummaging through the couch cushions to find change) and thinking that the absolute best plan for our hard-earned money was to go to Taco Bell and get a Chicken Soft Taco Supreme. After a few months, though, I was ready to come back to school. I wasn’t really looking forward to sitting in the classroom, but I liked learning new things, and I really liked seeing my friends who didn’t live very close to me.
Our students came back to school on August 13th. This is always a moment of great joy. Now, our teachers will strive to help our students become aware of the truth, the goodness, and the beauty of God’s creation. But the reality is that it takes more than some great teachers to provide an education for our children.
Every one of us has a part to play in the education of our youth. When we live our faith boldly and joyfully, we show our children the truth and beauty of Christianity. We show them that we have been saved, that God loves us, and that he has called us back to him. Each of us, as we strive to live out our unique relationship with God, help the children of the parish—and each other—to encounter the truth of God’s love. In this encounter, God helps us to become aware of how we fit in the grand scheme of things, of who we are in relation to truth and to reality.
Every single person has, at some point, asked the question, “Who am I? How do I fit into all this?” True education of the mind, body, and soul gives us the freedom to start piecing the answer together. Education is not just about what we read in a book. It is also about how we live as people and as a community. This recognition, that it’s about a community, can be challenging, because it means we all have a role to play. What have we done to build up the community of St. Joseph this week? Or today? Have I invited that parent I haven’t seen at Mass in a while to sit with us next Sunday? Have I prayed with my kids?
The beginning of the school year is a good time to take a look and see if our actions match our words on how we practice our faith. We might be surprised by the results.
Fr. Matt