Dear Friends,
A new school year has begun. Teachers have been meeting and preparing their classrooms. Families have been shopping for school supplies and taking last minute trips. While the weather remains warm, the school year is underway.
At the beginning of a new school year, our younger students return with great eagerness and an excitement to learn. Often our older students are not quite as excited and can sometimes see the new school year as a burden to be borne or a trial to be won. Perhaps, I can offer a different metaphor at the beginning of the year that combines both.
To discover new wisdom and to discover what Jesus teaches us requires ascent – climbing. The kind of ascent that Moses knew when he climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 commandments from God. The kind of ascent Abraham knew when he climbed Mt. Moriah and God delivered Isaac and blessed Abraham and declared to him that he would have more children than the stars in the sky. The kind of ascent the prophet Elijah knew when he climbed Mt. Carmel and witnessed the power of God to deliver Israel from the prophets of Baal. The kind of ascent the disciples of Christ knew when they ascended a mountain near Capernaum to hear the consolation taught in the Beatitudes. The kind of ascent that Peter, James and John knew when they climbed Mt. Tabor to receive a vision of the Transfigured Christ. The kind of ascent that Jesus himself knew when he was taken up on Golgotha to rescue us from sin and teach us how to love one another. The ascent the apostles knew when they climbed the Mount of Olives to be commissioned by Christ, to receive the calling to go out into the world and preach, and to witness Jesus’ glorious return to the Father. To bear witness to these miracles, to participate in them and be blessed by them, climbing was required. Movement, courage, dedication and a resistance to distraction is essential.
Any of you who have ever climbed a mountain know the experience of seeing a broad vista for the first time after a strenuous climb. All the pain of those many steps up a mountain trail is quickly forgotten by the beauty that is spread before you. Learning is like that. Sometimes it seems like we are not getting anywhere. We work day after day only to be frustrated by our lack of progress. Then suddenly, we see through all the clutter and have a great new insight into whatever subject we are studying.
May this new school year be a blessing of discovery for all students – young and old. May the challenges of the pandemic come to an end. May you discover fresh new visions. Most importantly, may God be your companion on the journey.
Peace,
Fr. Damian