Gospel Reflections for September 8 2019
Ready for school and…
St. Bruno School began this week. Our large Religious Education program for public school students will start soon as well.
Each school day begins at home long before the school bell rings. There is the scramble to assemble all the stuff needed for the day: pencils, pens, notebooks, textbooks, and of course, that pesky homework! All of it goes into a backpack, and at that point, any student might think he or she was ready for school …but they would be wrong.
What went into the backpack were necessary things, but pens and pencils alone are not enough to make something good happen at school. What every student also needs to bring is what he or she carries inside themselves, their attitude, their character, and the virtues they cultivate.
An attitude of openness and curiosity makes learning easy and even fun. A character of courage and compassion ensures our students will assist others who might need help and even gently correct others who might be getting out of line. A virtue of integrity ensures that all school work done is honestly. Taken together, our attitude, character, and virtue combine to instill wisdom, the most important subject of all.
A wise student is truly well rounded, having both their materials and their character ready and prepared. That student will be successful in life!
Today’s Gospel describes a King who has all the materials needed to lead an army in battle but had not foreseen the character of the other side or even his own side. He will lose. The Gospel also describes a person who has all the materials needed to build a tower but had not prepared the ground on which it would stand. It will collapse.
It is not enough to have pencils and pens, or building plans and money. It is what you bring to your school or business project or family issue that is within yourself that is most important. Your cultivation of virtues such as hard work, honesty, courage, faithfulness, and optimism are what will ensure your success.
All of our programs at St. Bruno are designed to develop that inner strength of character that will make all the difference in the lives of our parishioners.
I hope it is the goal of every parish and school to especially instill that kind of wisdom in all our young people as well. They will then be ready for school …and anything they will face in life.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Good Morning Fr. Dave, you lift my spirits and give me hope in this world gone mad. Thank you for your weekly newsletter. Thank you for praying the Rosary Live that is a huge commitment, You help me to see the beauty that does exists. I really need to not view the world so negatively and focus on being Grateful for everything God gives me. I pray God will surround you with people who lift your spirits and make you smile and laugh. Stay safe. God Bless You. Amy
Thank you!
Love your beautiful words in achieving success in school and in life!! Attitude, Character, courage,virtues, compassion, integrity, wisdom are the beauty of the soul in a person and it begins in a loving home, in the persons schooling and in their living their precious Faith!!! If we all could live these gifts in light of Jesus’ teaching, we would transform the world in love!!! Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it!!! Have a beautiful day and thank you for your amazing, beautiful words!!! Our Jesus lives beautifully in you!!! Dick and I are so thankful to our loving God for the gift of you!!!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, franca and Dick
Thank you!
Yes Thank you Fr Dave for you words of love & family & faith. We hope for so many they can have a great school year & good friends to reach out too..
Love Kathleen
Yes, we wish for a great school year!
Every school administrators and teachers should get a copy of this article, Father Dave! Not every school concentrates on the children’s characters unfortunately. St. Bruno’s is very blessed to have you! We miss you Father Dave! God bless you always, Jeanie
We are lucky that we can talk so openly about character in all our Catholic schools.