Catholic Schools Week

“I want to stay with Father”

“John, you no longer have a father.”

Sadly this exchange happened between John Bosco and his mother, Mama Margaret, when John’s father died of pneumonia. He was just three years old.Born on a small farm in Becchi, Italy, school was a luxury. Mama Margaret was the primary educator for her children, teaching them their Catholic Catechism. She saw an aptitude and desire in John for an education, but John’s step brother Anthony, who as the oldest became head of the household after the death of John’s father, forbade it. Anthony’s expectation was that John would work on the farm like the rest of the family.

Not giving up on the dream that her child would be educated, Mama Margaret, asked her sister, who was the housekeeper for the head of school, to consider taking John. The pastor agreed but John could not attend school during peak farming season and had to walk the three miles to and from school every day. Often, he would walk barefoot to save the leather of his shoes for school.

Sadly, John was not able to spend much time at school, as Anthony increasingly wanted him to stay home and work. As the boys grew older and John’s desire to become educated increased, there was much tension in the household. It came to a boiling point when Anthony chided John that he never went to school and was still strong enough to make a living. John’s response to Anthony was that the donkey didn’t attend school either and was much stronger.

Out of fear for John’s safety if he stayed at home, his mother had to send him away at the age of 14. He found work in a nearby town doing odd jobs for a widow. This allowed him to earn money and go to school. Because of his inconsistent schooling, John was placed in a lower school and attended classes with students five or six years younger than him. Despite the embarrassment and challenges presented at school, John Bosco worked hard and improved at a rapid pace, quickly moving from grade to grade. Eventually he was able to enter the seminary and fulfil his desire to study to become a priest at the age of 20. 

It is amazing to believe that this man, who received such an inconsistent and non-traditional education, would later establish a system of education that is still practiced today in our Salesian Schools. John Bosco had very little choice in his education and struggled. However, he had a goal and never gave up on his pursuit of the priesthood. As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, it is important to remember that someone made the choice to send our students to a Catholic school. Here they are given the opportunity to earn a consistent, faith-based, and academically challenging education. That is a blessing. Our students’ mission this week is to find someone each day that has contributed to their Catholic education—a parent, grandparent, teacher or support staff member—and say, “Thank you.”

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support of Catholic Education.

*Much of the biographical information about John Bosco’s life was taken from the book Saint John Bosco by F.A. Forbes.  

It's Not OK!

As we continue to "Accept Forgiveness" as part of our 3rd quarter mission, it is helpful to better define the idea of forgiveness. Unfortunately, as parents we probably encourage the wrong idea in our children at a young age. Consider the following:

Two five year old boys are playing with blocks. One child purposefully knocks down the tower the other child has been building for the last 20 minutes. Screams erupt from the builder like lava from volcano. You rush over and make the offender apologize to the victim, "I am sorry," he mumbles. "It's ok," the victim replies. The two boys resume building.

This scenario implies that granting forgiveness means being "OK" with the wrong done to you. I think this is why many people struggle to forgive others. They don't agree that the hurt done to them was OK--and they are right. Forgiveness is not recognizing that things are OK or giving your approval of what has happened; instead, forgiveness is accepting that what happened was wrong but you agree to move on with the understanding the hurt won't happen again. This heals the relationship damaged by the sinful action.

If we need an example of how this works, we should look no further than the confessional. During confession, we are not asking God to accept what we've done as OK; rather, we're acknowledging that our actions were wrong and our willingness to avoid sinning again. Consider again the above scenario, perhaps a better response from the builder should have been, "I accept your apology" or "I forgive you." 

These responses acknowledge the wrong without implying that it was OK. Granted, the difference in meaning by the subtle change in words is probably beyond most 5 year olds. However, it is never too early to teach the idea of real forgiveness and give children the tools to practice it. Although it is just a small step, hopefully it can lead them towards true forgiveness and peace.

Accept Forgiveness

This quarter, our mission at Christ the King Catholic School is to “Accept Forgiveness.” This mission has multiple meanings for our community. Primarily, it is a reminder that God is always there to hear our confession and grant us forgiveness for our sins, with our firm intention to sin no more. This is an important concept for our students to understand—that no matter what wrong they have committed God is willing to accept them back into His arms. It is a reminder for us as teachers and parents to show the same kind of love for even our most wayward children.

Last school year, Sr. Colleen Clair, a Salesian sister, came and spoke to our students. She told a powerful story of St. John Bosco illustrating the importance of confession and forgiveness. It has been documented that Don (Father) Bosco had many prophetic visions and dreams. One morning at Mass, he noticed that some of the boys were not paying attention, fidgeting in their seats, and even whispering to each other. As he looked more closely he noticed little monkeys whispering into the ears of these boys. As he approached the boys, the monkeys disappeared. After another week and much prayerful reflection about what he had seen, Don Bosco saw the same sight at the weekly mass. However, the number of inattentive boys—and the number of whispering monkeys--had doubled. Upon seeing this, he made the decision that all the boys should make an honest confession before next week’s mass. The boys did as Don Bosco asked, and at the next mass the monkeys were gone and the boys reverence for mass was restored.

Sr. Colleen’s story is a great reminder why it is important to “accept forgiveness.” Like the monkeys in the story, our sins can be a constant distraction, taking our focus away from God. However, through confession, God is willing to take these distractions away from us. In exchange, with a clear focus, we can rededicate our attention to God, who has spiritually taken the monkey off our back. Through the acceptance of His Love, no matter how far we have strayed, we can always return to Peace.

If you are interested in seeing more of Sr. Colleen’s work, she has a YouTube channel with many entertaining and educational videos. You can even see what some of the Salesian sisters who served at CKS are doing now: https://www.youtube.com/user/happynun.

Resolution Solution

For me, and I am guessing many Catholics, the new year reminds me of the beginning of Lent. Not for any religious reasons but trying to make a good resolution is almost as nerve wracking as figuring out what to do during Lent. Do I give up some vice or guilty pleasure (so long Walking Dead)? Do I resolve to make a lifestyle change (goodbye morning coffee)? Do I challenge myself to reach a new health goal (farewell 20 lbs)? 

Judging by the number of people I see at the gym in January and the drop off by March, I would guess many people are challenged to both make resolutions and keep them. Like a Lenten sacrifice, I think the key to keeping a resolution is to pick something realistic, something that will make you a better person, and someone to hold you accountable.

At CKS, as some of you have picked up from previous posts, our mission this school year is to be agents of Peace. Bringing peace to others starts with bringing peace to ourselves. We live in a busy connected world. It is difficult for many, me included, to break away from that world and take a few moments for myself and spend them with God in silence. I find that when I do, I soon find peace.

My resolution this year is to take at least one minute each day and sit in silence listening to what God has to say. Too often my conversations with him are one-sided—not because God is silent but because I never give him a chance to talk. I fill our time with what I have to say and wrap up quickly with an “Amen” hardly giving Him a chance to respond.

In 2015, I hope I can change that by giving time each day to both talk to God and listen to His response. Hopefully, it will bring me more peace. If I start to fall off from keeping this resolution, hopefully you will hold me accountable.