I recently watched the film Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story. The title gives it away. It’s a film about the life of Fr. Edward J. Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s an excellent film and well worth watching! Fr. Flanagan devoted the entirety of his life and priesthood to the education and formation of children. Personally, Fr. Flanagan is a hero of mine. Two quotes of his resonate with me profoundly and sum up the entire mission of Catholic education. The first requires a bit of context and is included in the film. There was a young boy who, one day at Mass, Fr. Flanagan noticed did not receive communion for whatever reason. Like a good priest, he did not ask the boy why he didn’t receive communion so as not to pry and to always remain respectful. Rather, he knelt down, looked the boy in the eyes and said to him, “Don’t you know that there is so much here that could make you a saint?” Of course, he was speaking about the Eucharist. Fr. Flanagan is spot on! The mission of Catholic education is to first and foremost form saints and, as we know, the source and summit of the Christian life is the most Holy Eucharist. That’s what we are striving for at St. Martha School - to become Eucharistic people not only in devotion but in the very core of our beings - in the ways we think, act, feel, behave, and speak. We strive to imitate what we celebrate so that when our earthly pilgrimage has come to an end we can honestly say with the words of St. Paul, “I love no longer, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The second sums up our worldview and philosophical outlook. “Without God at the beginning, there can only be confusion at the end.” I think it goes without saying that we see this confusion ever present in our world today. At St. Martha School, we believe that God must be at the beginning, the lens through which we see the world. Otherwise, as Fr. Flanagan rightly points out, only chaos and confusion ensues. God must be the lens through which we see the world, ourselves, and our neighbors, otherwise there is no meaning to this project called life. I am so incredibly proud of our school. Our school is not a building or an institution. Rather, it is a living organism because it is Christ Himself. I am proud of our principal, Andrea Patton, and our amazing faculty and staff who, every day, take up the mission to form saints and scholars. Likewise, I am proud of Jackie Rosalez and our committed catechists who take up the mission of evangelization and formation in our Faith Formation Program. Parents, if, for whatever reason, you have not considered Catholic education, I strongly encourage you to do so. Open enrollment begins in the next couple of weeks here at St. Martha School. Lansing Catholic High School has begun the enrollment process. Take a look. Pray about the decision. I am confident you will be happy you made the choice. Thank you to our generous parishioners and benefactors who are committed to supporting the Affordable Tuition Fund. In the Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council Fathers remind us that the Church has a duty to educate, “especially because she has the responsibility of announcing the way of salvation to all men, of communicating the life of Christ to those who believe, and, in her unfailing solicitude, of assisting men to be able to come to the fullness of this life. The Church is bound as a mother to give to these children of hers an education by which their whole life can be imbued with the spirit of Christ” (Gravissimum Educationis, 3). It is our duty as a parish to educate our children not only in reading, writing, and arithmetic but, most importantly, in matters of the faith. Through the Affordable Tuition Fund, we participate in this sacred duty. Through the Affordable Tuition Fund, we make Catholic education available, accessible, and affordable. I cannot thank you enough for your participation and your generosity. As we move through Catholic Schools Week, please pray for our teachers, faculty, staff, and catechists.
Gospel Reflection
In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus coming back home to Nazareth after having spent a significant amount of time in isolation and retreat in the wilderness. Jesus enters a synagogue, opens a scroll, and reads from the prophet Isaiah. He proclaims that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him to bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, give sight to the blind, and set the oppressed free. This event is both a proclamation and an invitation. It is a proclamation of who Jesus is and what He intends to do - bring healing, hope, comfort, and ultimately freedom from slavery to sin. It is also an invitation as Jesus invites each of us into His mission. We, too, are called to participate in Jesus’s mission here and now. We are called to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Jesus not only invites us into His mission, He challenges us to take up His mission. For us, the question is how? To help us answer this question, might I offer both the spiritual and corporal works of mercy: Spiritual Works of Mercy: Instruct the ignorant Counsel the doubtful Admonish the sinner Comfort the afflicted Forgive offenses Bear patiently those who wrong oneself Pray for the living and the dead Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the hungry Give drink to the thirsty Clothe the naked Shelter the homeless Visit the sick Visit the imprisoned Bury the dead Both the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy tangibly and practically allow us to respond to Jesus’s invitation and challenge. They also allow us to see Christ’s presence within us. As we pray today, perhaps we can ponder the question, how do I actively and daily participate in Christ’s work? Or, how am I called to be Christ for someone else? Know of my prayers for you all! Fr. Ryan