Dear Parents,
Blessed New Year and welcome back!
Every year, the children, especially those in Kindergarten and the younger grades, always look so much more grown-up after the Christmas holiday. Such growth brings with it a sense of freshness, promise and marvel. At the same time, it may also bring with it a feeling of nostalgia - as much as we delight in seeing our children grow and mature, we may also wish that they could remain small.
Children grow up so quickly. In fact, so do adults. Life is very short. It is also very fragile. In the past couple of weeks, we, as a community, have mourned the loss of two parents: Mr. Jim Dock and
Mr. Brian Kilbane (the Kilbane children attended SCS until last year when their family moved to Tampa). Some of our families have members who are seriously ill; others are experiencing various kinds of hardships.
The darkness of death, sickness, and suffering may at times seem overwhelming. Yet it is precisely because of such darkness that the Son of God became human. In his Christmas homily, Pope Francis tells us:
Christmas has above all a taste of hope because, for all the darkness in our lives, God's light shines forth...God, who is in love with us, draws us to himself with his tenderness, by being born poor and frail in our midst, as one of us...There is a straight line between the manger and the cross where Jesus will become bread that is broken. It is the straight line of love that gives and saves, the love that brings light to our lives and peace to our hearts.
In his apostolic letter on the topic of suffering, St. John Paul writes: "suffering is present in the world in order to release love." This statement refers first and foremost to God Who, in His great love for us, sends His Son to save us from the ultimate suffering of alienation from God. At another level, this statement also applies to us when we reach out to help those who are suffering. Seeing the outpour of prayers and other kinds of support from many of our families toward those who are experiencing hardships, I can attest to the truth of this statement here at St. Catherine's. Such love, while it does not erase the pain of suffering, can transform suffering into beautiful gifts of grace.
A most vivid memory from my childhood was an incident during which I witnessed my father reaching out to someone in need. One day, as my family was about to get onto a bus, my father told my mother: "get onto this bus - I'll catch up with you later." He did not give a reason but simply dashed away. As I looked out the window of the bus to try to see where my father had gone, I saw he had reached an elderly woman across the street and appeared to be talking to her. Puzzled, I turned to my mother who explained: "he wants to give something to that lady - she is very poor and has to sell vegetables on the street to earn a living." This was a lesson on compassion which I will always remember.
Thank you for the beautiful examples of compassion which you give your children. Thank you for being conduits of God's love to all within our SCS community and beyond.
With prayers for a grace-filled New Year,
Sister Mary Jacinta, O.P.
Principal
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