“Let it be your chief study to put the Gospel into practice.” (St. John Baptist de La Salle’s Meditation 171.3 on the Feast of St. Remigius, Patron of Rheims)
“So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun….” (“So This Is Christmas,” John Lennon, 1971)
Christmas time is upon us, and it is so easy to become consumed by the “busy”ness of the season. I have quoted here the opening lyrics of John Lennon’s 1971 song “So This Is Christmas” because the words prompt us to pause, to reflect honestly about how we have been living our lives, and to make changes for the better going forward into the new year. As people of God, it is our hope that we can answer John Lennon’s question—“What have you done?”–by the actions to which St. John Baptist de La Salle calls us above; namely, that we have been “…[putting] the gospel into practice.”
Of course, wanting to put the gospel into practice and actually doing that on a daily basis can sometimes get suffocated by the frenetic nature of day-to-day of living. But, in his just-released December 25, 2016 pastoral letter to the Brothers of the Christian Schools and to their lay Partners, Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, the Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, breathes new life into our understanding of the evolving mindset that is necessary for us continually to put the Gospel into practice. In his pastoral letter, Brother Robert reinforces the call to put the Gospel into practice by challenging the Brothers and their lay Partners to “…constantly adapt, improve, and enrich the way we announce the Gospel to our students. We must commit to a never-ending process of openness to the Holy Spirit breaking into our lives, and the Spirit subtly breaks into our lives through ‘many voices’ and events.” (p.6)… Read the full article by clicking here: President’s Page December 17, 2016 (Full PDF)