Give Thanks and Spread Joy

This past weekend we celebrated our Auction at Christ the King. It is always amazing to see the community gather together in support of our school. I am always entertained by the enthusiasm of our guests at the event—I think the dance floor had as much excitement as the Live Auction.

Speaking of excitement, this past weekend was a wild one for college football—there were 8 upsets among teams in the top 25. I saw several videos of excited students taking down goal posts. There was also a small concert at Raymond James Stadium attended by many of our students. Dale Mabry was backed up with traffic in both directions, but One Direction was getting all the attention. However, I think the most exciting part of the weekend was the fall weather that finally arrived on Sunday.

This morning at assembly I asked our students how many of them cheered this weekend for a sports team or an entertainer. Most of them raised their hands and excitedly began chatting about the event. I asked our students this follow up question, “How many of you cheered this Sunday at mass”? There were fewer hands and even fewer excited conversations. “Why don’t we get excited for mass like we do for a football game or a concert?” I asked. I understand that wild cheering and tearing down goal posts may not be acceptable at mass, but there are many ways to acceptably show our excitement—like responding to the priest, following the readings, concentrating during prayer, and singing the songs. By doing these things, we show God our joy for his ultimate entertainment event—mass.

Our 3^rd through 8^th grade students will have a special opportunity to express this joy on Friday at the Salesian Youth Rally with Villa Madonna and St. Joseph. We all have been practicing songs and chants at morning assembly the past two weeks to prepare. My challenge to the students this week is to take joy in Jesus—through prayer, through mass, and through their actions. This will allow them to practice kindness for God, others, and themselves, helping them be Agents of Peace. 

God Bless,

Nick Tanis