It has been a busy time for all who are preparing for the new school year! Whether you embrace the homeschool, PSR or day school models of learning, I know much work has been accomplished to prepare for the months ahead. I know life here at St. Francis de Sales has been filled with many days of preparation so that our teachers can be ready to share the Lord with our children. This Wednesday, August 23, will be our first day of school. It will be a great day! It is also the time when our college students are going to campus to learn—some for their freshman year. In the midst of all of this, I think the best thing we can do is to ponder and pray. That’s why I wanted to share these quotes and prayers focused on teachers, students and parents that will help you in the days ahead. Peace!
Pope John Paul II on Teaching:
The life of a teacher, as I know from personal experience, is very challenging and demanding, but it is also profoundly satisfying. It is more than a job, for it is rooted in our deepest convictions and values. To be intimately concerned in the development of a young person, of hundreds of young people, is a highly responsible task. As teachers, you kindle in your students a thirst for truth and wisdom. You spark off in them a desire for beauty. You introduce them to their cultural heritage. You help them to discover the treasures of other cultures and peoples. What an awesome responsibility and privilege is… the teaching profession.
A Student’s Prayer (catholic.org)
Loving Father, I stand before You in the midst of confusion and complexities of life. My future sometimes seems distant and unknown. Give me, O Lord, the vision to see the path You set before me. Grant me the courage to follow Your way, that through the gifts and talents You have given me, I may bring Your life and Your love to others. I ask this through Jesus, Your Son and my Brother. Amen.
A Prayer for Parents Sending Their Kids to College (guideposts.org)
Holy Spirit, help me pray for my child’s deepest needs, for her soul and heart. Keep my prayers from centering on my fears and uncertainties; keep my eyes on Christ. Help me accept this ache of letting go and teach me to interpret it as a sign that I need to pray for all kids—not just my own—who are setting out on the path of independence. Show me what I need to see, not what I want to see. Amen.
May God’s peace and love be with all of you these days,
Fr. Jeremy