Good Morning!
The words of the prophet Jeremiah this
morning:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Before you were born
I dedicated you,
to be a prophet to the nations.
Wow…think about that boys and girls…
Before you were born,
God knew you
—God dedicated you
—which means
God had a plan for
you.
To be a prophet—hmm
Someone who speaks truth and brings hope to
others.
You know
when I was little I
used to think,
why did God make
me---what was God’s plan for me?
And then, I ask…
Why did God bless
me to born on January 31st
which happens to be
today?
But it also happens
to be the Feast of St. John Bosco.
A saint, who lived about 150 years ago,
and
who dedicated his entire
life to serving and educating youth
—boys and girls,
especially the poor.
I asked myself
I wonder if this
means something for me
--does God have a
plan for me being born on this day?
Well, I grew up believing that it did
—that God had
dedicated me to a future
that was going to
have something to do with teaching and serving the young.
…and then I’d become frightened,
I’m not smart
enough,
I don’t get good
grades
—why would God want
me.
…and just as my doubts would grow to the
point where I didn’t believe in my future anymore
--God would bring me
the words of encouragement that I needed
…words that came
from my parents
…and words that
came from my teachers
…words that kept me
believing in my future.
So, I believed it then
—and I believe it
now
—and everyday I try my best to be that
prophetic teacher I am called to be.
To bring truth and
hope to those I serve.
But what about you boys and girls?
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Before you were born
I dedicated you,
to be a prophet to the nations.
To what is God dedicating you?
How will you be the prophet God is
appointing you to become?
What are your
dreams…
…your hopes?
You know boys and girls
…those dreams that you
have
---those hopes that
you possess,
they will serve as the starting point
or the catalyst of
the prophet you will be
to bring truth and hope to others in
your life.
And your parents know this
because your dreams
& hopes
are your parents’
greatest desire for you as well.
Their desire that your gifts & talents
be discovered by you
—be fully developed
by you
and be shared with
the world by you.
To be the prophet
you’re called to be.
Your parents desire that your education
not only forms your
intellect,
your brain,
but informs your
character with virtue and purpose.
Lets be Good to One
Another!
Yes,
in a way, boys and
girls,
your parents, like
God,
had these desires
for you before you were born.
And parents,
God is celebrating
your vocation when you hear the words
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Before you were born
I dedicated you,
to be a prophet to the nations.
And as dedicated parents committed to your
family’s wellbeing
and your child’s
education
you are prophets to
this community,
bringing truth and
hope to all of us this morning.
Now parents,
---the desire you
have for your children
---that desire
is the life’s work
of these educators sitting before you today.
The vocation of the Catholic School
educator,
secretary, aide,
staff member, etc
… is to partner with your parental desires
by bringing the
world of knowledge to your child
---by instilling
confidence within your child’s giftedness
---and by inspiring
service in your child’s heart.
This is possible
because as Catholic
school educators,
all of you embody
Paul’s definition of love
—you are patient,
…you are kind
…your love for
children bears all things
and never stops
believing in them
…You will never LET this educational love FAIL.
Yes, Madeleine staff,
God is celebrating
your vocation when you hear the words
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Before you were born
I dedicated you,
to be a prophet to the nations.
And as dedicated Catholic School educators
you indeed inspire
truth and hope
and therefore,
are truly prophets
to the entire community.
And we THANK YOU!
You know Madeleine staff
—the aspirations you
have for your students become real
as a result of the
entire parish community
surrounding and
supporting you here this morning.
This Eucharistic Body
—that sacrifices
and nourishes each other,
embraces you this
morning
---this parish body
makes it possible
for the School of the Madeleine
to live its
Mission.
You, the Parishioners & Friars,
are the most
important prophets dedicated to the schools Mission,
because for 79
years,
you have believed
in the Dominican charism
and in the education
of the young
of St. Mary
Magdalen parish.
As we embark on the beginnings of Catholic
School’s Week
we want to thank
all of you
for your generosity
of time, treasure, and talent.
We want to extend our most profound
gratitude to
Therese Pipe, Ron
Larson and Helen Rendon
Who, through their
generosity, have established
scholarship funds
which allow us to broaden
our support of parish families
who find the cost
of tuition out of reach.
I want to personally thank the parish
for attending our
school fundraisers with good spirit and generosity
…I want to thank you for sharing your
“space” with us
—when its not
always convenient
…and most importantly
I want to thank you
for praying for us
—praying for the
staff
---praying for the
students
and praying the
families before you now.
There is one more body of prophets in the
congregation
I would like to
acknowledge and thank this morning
…Upon our return from Christmas break,
I found a letter
addressed to me from the National Catholic
Educational
Association.
This letter informed me,
that our Schools
Advisory Board was to be the recipient
of the Lead, Learn
and Proclaim Award
for Outstanding
Board Leadership.
Out of all the Catholic Schools in the
United States,
Of
which there are over 6,000,
the Madeleine’s
Board, is one of two nationwide
to
be honored for its excellence.
This award will be issued during the
National Catholic Educational
Association’s
Annual Convention
held during Easter
Break in San Diego.
Please join me in extending our
congratulations and our gratitude to them.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Before you were born
I dedicated you,
to be a prophet to the nations.
Yes,
as dedicated board
members,
parishioners,
teachers, parents and students
committed to the Mission of Catholic
education
at the School of
the Madeleine
we are all inspired
to bring truth and hope to those we serve
and in so doing we
are prophets,
not only to this
community of St. Mary Magdalen,
but to faithful of
the diocese of Oakland
and to the entire
Church.
God Bless and Happy Catholic School’s Week.
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