Pastor's Remarks
Grade Eight
Baccalaureate Mass
June 17, 2010
Way back in the Sixth Century before Christ, there lived a wise man in China by the name of Confucius. More of a philosopher than a religious leader, Confucius was disturbed by lack of social cohesion in China at that time. People were rude. People were mean to each other. People were only interested in advancing their own agendas. After studying the history of his people and Chinese culture, Confucius came to the conclusion that people once knew how to behave spontaneously. In other words, they did not have to be taught manners, kindness, virtues, sportsmanship, and an appreciation for music, art, history, and literature. It was something people just had second nature. With the passage of time, however, Spontaneous Tradition was forgotten. People became selfish and only interested in bettering their individual lives. So, Confucius developed and promoted what he called “Deliberate Tradition.” This meant that people, beginning in childhood, would learn manners, kindness, virtues, and an appreciation for art, music, history and culture. They would learn how to pray. They would learn how to be civil to one another and look out for each other. They would be taught not to be selfish but to take an interest in helping their neighbor. Soon, this Deliberate Tradition changed the face of China, as we know, Confucianism actually became an official religion of China for centuries.
When your parents decided to enroll you in St. James School they had some of the same concerns as Confucius. They could have sent you to public school or even chosen to home school you but they decided, after prayerful consideration, to plant the seeds of your education in St. James School. They wanted you, their children, to acquire a good academic education; still, they wanted more. Aware that society can be a tough place where peer pressure and temptation can lead to a bad end, they chose to entrust you to us. Why? They wanted you, the Class of 2010, to acquire a Catholic version of Deliberate Tradition, not based on the teaching of Confucius but on the person and teaching of Jesus Christ and the Church which he founded. In addition to reading, writing, spelling, language arts, world languages, social studies, science, mathematics and computers, art and music, they entrusted you to teachers who did their best to teach their subjects in the light of Christ. Every class, in every curriculum, of this School has elements of the Catholic Deliberate Tradition which we call the “Deposit of Faith,” a phrase which refers to all that has been revealed to us by Jesus in Scripture and Tradition. Every classroom has graphic reminders of this Deposit of Faith, be these on bulletin boards, quotations written on white boards, religion classes each day, recitation of the Rosary, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Stations of the Cross, May Crowning and monthly liturgies. Every day begins and ends with common prayer.
You were taught manners, respect for others, and virtues. You were taught how to take care of your bodies because these are temples of the Holy Spirit. You were educated in what it means to be good citizens, about Christian sportsmanship and how to avoid the temptation of drugs and alcohol. You were taught about abstinence and the need to keep God at the center of your lives.
As quick learners, as one of the brightest classes to pass through our rosters, you have acquired the tools needed to live as good Christian men and women. Now that you have the tools I encourage you to use these.
We, clergy, administrators, faculty and parents are counting on you to be ambassadors of Jesus, not by preaching to your new friends next year, but by your example. How you treat others, how you speak to others, how you behave in and out of school will be the way you implement what you obtained from the Deposit of Faith, which we pass onto you for your growth in holiness and for the edification of the Kingdom of God to which we are all called by our Christian vocation.
Live by the Golden Rule, measure yourselves by the Beatitudes, practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, adhere to the Law of the Gospel, which is the Law of Love. Remember that Christianity is not an individual affair but a team effort. Share your natural talents and God given charisms with those who might be lacking in these areas.
This is the last school Mass that you will attend at St. James. Today, you will leave as role models for the grades which follow in your footsteps. Class of 2010, you are dear to my heart. I will miss you as you graduate from our school. I will miss not greeting you in the halls, during recess or having you in class. I will miss not seeing you at our monthly liturgies. But you are ready to move on. So, go in peace and, may God be with you always.
CATHOLIC_SCHOOLS_WEEK_2008.pdf
Catholic_Schools_Week_Mass_1-31-07.pdf
Jr_High_Back_to_School_Night_9-21-06.pdf
Back_to_School_Night_9-26-06.pdf
 |
Printable versions of this document are provided in Adobe Portable Document Format. To receive free software to read these documents, visit Adobe's site to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader (click here). |
