A religious acquaintance of mine recently told a friend of mine he didn't think I should waste my time trying to alter the direction of our local public schools because even if this latest problem were solved, another problem would crop up.
The thing is, God calls us to do His work of justice and mercy, to places outside church doors. Sometimes, the work we do unexpectedly helps to draw those we encounter back to Christ. That's God's doing, not ours. This was today's Christmas miracle at the 11 a.m. Mass for me.
We live in a town with a high poverty rate. Forty percent of early elementary school students are eligible for free or reduced school lunches. Our local schools hired a new superintendent to help close a wide achievement gap in our borough between children of the haves - families like mine - and the children of the have-nots.
I have been speaking up because, paradoxically, the policies this man is promoting: laying off secretaries and saying their work is superfluous, laying off support staff who work with struggling students, and pulling paraprofessionals from their work in classrooms with special needs students to do the supposedly superfluous clerical work the fired secretaries did, will only serve to widen that gap. His policies do not promote the common good.
A funny thing happened on my way to advocating for the needs of all students, including those who live in poverty. Today at the 11 a.m. Mass, 13 new people were sitting in the pews. They were the parents and children of some of the families I have been working side by side with to make sure our schools remain a place where all children's needs are met.
These families had walked away from the church after awful encounters with parish priests who told them their "irregular" lives were not welcome in the pews. What drew them back? Not me. But Christ. Just as God became incarnate today, we too need to encounter Christ in the faces of others. And so I will continue to work - and pray - with my neighbors for a measure of justice.
“To love God and neighbor is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person and face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely. And you are, dear brothers and sisters, in the face of Jesus.” (Pope Francis, Address during Visit at the Homeless Shelter “Dona Di Maria,” 5/21/13)
The thing is, God calls us to do His work of justice and mercy, to places outside church doors. Sometimes, the work we do unexpectedly helps to draw those we encounter back to Christ. That's God's doing, not ours. This was today's Christmas miracle at the 11 a.m. Mass for me.
We live in a town with a high poverty rate. Forty percent of early elementary school students are eligible for free or reduced school lunches. Our local schools hired a new superintendent to help close a wide achievement gap in our borough between children of the haves - families like mine - and the children of the have-nots.
I have been speaking up because, paradoxically, the policies this man is promoting: laying off secretaries and saying their work is superfluous, laying off support staff who work with struggling students, and pulling paraprofessionals from their work in classrooms with special needs students to do the supposedly superfluous clerical work the fired secretaries did, will only serve to widen that gap. His policies do not promote the common good.
A funny thing happened on my way to advocating for the needs of all students, including those who live in poverty. Today at the 11 a.m. Mass, 13 new people were sitting in the pews. They were the parents and children of some of the families I have been working side by side with to make sure our schools remain a place where all children's needs are met.
These families had walked away from the church after awful encounters with parish priests who told them their "irregular" lives were not welcome in the pews. What drew them back? Not me. But Christ. Just as God became incarnate today, we too need to encounter Christ in the faces of others. And so I will continue to work - and pray - with my neighbors for a measure of justice.
“To love God and neighbor is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person and face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely. And you are, dear brothers and sisters, in the face of Jesus.” (Pope Francis, Address during Visit at the Homeless Shelter “Dona Di Maria,” 5/21/13)
Beautifully said, thank you. You are a light!
ReplyDeleteThank you Fran. But we are all lights, yes? Merry Christmas.
DeleteSorry I'm late, Have a Blessed Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteLove Heidi
and to you and yours, Heidi. It is good to hear from you.
DeleteThank you for hanging in there in an area of service that intimidates many of us. And thank God for Pope Francis' CLEAR call to love and serve our fellow humans!
ReplyDelete