​Catholic schools trust in the Lord

Catholic schools trust in the Lord

Speaking about the importance of Catholic schools, Pope Francis recently said that Catholic education “gives soul to our globalized world and radiates the promise of Christian salvation.”

Those are some pretty big words and some very important words. The pope said those words because he knows that education is more than just learning to read, to write, to do mathematics, or using a computer. Of course, these are important things. But, education must do more. It must give soul to the world!

By using the word “soul,” the Holy Father means spirit, grace, and importance. Even more, it’s about bringing the message of Jesus and the truth of the gospel to everyone! So, our Catholic Schools are doing something that is so important. They are learning, but learning for Christ!

Catholic school students have the chance to hear the voice of Jesus when they pray, when they celebrate the Mass, when they take religion classes, and as they prepare for the sacraments. This is very important; Jesus wants us to have this opportunity.

Through studying together and worshipping God together our youth are bringing “soul” into their education. In turn, their education will help to bring light to the world!

These days it can be hard to see God’s presence. There is so much sadness. People are so angry. The world has a hard time seeing reasons for faith.

Our world teaches us that we need to protect ourselves from disappointment. It teaches us not to trust. But the Gospel challenges us with the opposite. The Lord has chosen us, and he asks us to choose to follow him into a future we do not fully understand.

When the world says to be ready for what’s coming, it means something very different than what God means. The Gospel demands that we “must be prepared.” But what does that look like for people of hope, especially those in Catholic schools?

To be prepared is to live in peace and trust in the Lord. We all know well that living in peace can be very difficult. Every day a new struggle, or worry, or pain can happen. How can we have peace in our hearts with all of this going on? The answer is because we have hope.

We do not hope because God has eliminated pain from the world. We do not have faith because we know all the answers. We have peace in our hearts because we have encountered the Lord, and he has shared his life with us. When we find ourselves in despair, when we are angry, this is the moment to remember the love of God.

The Lord has loved us even when we have proven unworthy. This is the core of our faith. We have hope in the things we cannot see, because we have indeed seen the love of God.

Our Catholic school students must be people of hope and faith. They must be prepared to share their peace with those who are distracted by the world. Our faith does not disappoint.