When most of us think of a Sacred Heart school, we often say (and feel) that this place is more than ‘just’ a school. We often refer to the Academy as a second home, a 21st Century neighborhood, or a family. The reason for that, I would suggest, is because of Sacred Heart’s holistic attention to each person’s life. Our ultimate desire is that each child is launched on this potentially 90-year journey ahead of them, well-grounded in what is important and what is not important. Through this process our hope is that our graduates will know the key to deep peace and ultimate happiness.
To launch our children well on this road of life, we, the adults, must be clear about what is important on the journey of life. Otherwise, how can we be helpful to those whom we are guiding? To continue the analogy, we— parents and educators—can’t always make the path smooth for our children’s life-journey, nor can we prevent storms or bumps as their journey is traveled, but we can indeed clearly point in the direction that leads to Life.
As we travel our own journey of life to Life, and as we guide those whom God has entrusted to us, the liturgical seasons become a helpful map. Each season, draws us ever more deeply in the direction of Life and Love. The liturgical season upon us now, of course, is Advent—a season rich in images, stories and songs, all of which are wisely leading us to an interior attentiveness meant to till the soil of our hearts and minds.
So, I implore each of us during this season to slow down enough and to be heart-open and mind-open enough to allow the soil of hearts and minds to be truly tilled. The purpose of tilling is for a future emergence—a future blooming. As we know, birthing and blooming never happen all at once! These are slow processes. So too with Advent. My deep prayer during this Advent season is that the exterior progression of candles being lighted symbolize the interior progress made within each of us on our journey! I also pray that each of our journeys eventually show evidence of our progress in the blooming forth of Christ (within us and through us).
For Christ to be more evident through us, our task NOW is to allow for the stillness—open our hearts, open our minds—and let God do God’s work within. THAT is the path! And, yes, bumps WILL occur along the way. But, we must stay the course. And, if we do, eventually the fullness of LIGHT, LIFE and LOVE (Christ within-us and among-us) will be ours! The direction is ‘to Christ.’ When we get there, we will celebrate.
In the meantime, day-by-day, step-by-step, week-by-week let us encourage each other on the journey!
Maureen Glavin, rscj
