Remember that You are Educating in the Holy Presence of God

Dear Brothers and Lasallians,

You wouldn't be human if you didn't have some treasured summer traditions and rituals. Things you have to do for it all to feel like it happened. For me praying the Meditations for the Time of Retreat (MTR) is one of those summer must-do's. A few years, well, centuries, before Rick Warren made a splash with 40 days of reflections on purpose driven living, our Founder developed eight days of vocation-driven meditations. We quote from them a good bit, and for good reason. One line from St. La Salle carries a preternatural punch. Still, there is no substitute for the whole text: just you and your memory, God, and St. La Salle. I'm never the last man standing in that encounter!

There is something special about the method St. La Salle brings to the table. He is demanding and affirming. He calls you to the highest standard and he reminds you of the help you have. He describes the nature of your calling and then asks you if you've been faithful to it.  It is of course the same method that Jesus employed. In the MTR, St. La Salle tells us that we should study the manner and the means that Jesus used to lead his disciples. So, what was our master teacher's manner and means? We know he was continually challenging, probing and goading. But what is often overlooked are his encouragements and affirmations.

His encouragements bring light to darkness: "Woman, how great is your faith!" "It is I, do not be afraid."  His affirmations lighten loads: "Today you will be with me in paradise." "Neither do I condemn you." It's a fair question to ask of ourselves: how do I affirm the best in each student, each community member, each colleague?

Another word about Jesus' manner.  It seems to me that he continually draws attention away from the exterior and invites us to the interior. From "over there" to "right here." From the law (outer) to the spirit (inner). This was his manner when the disciples couldn't imagine how they were going to feed thousands on a hillside.  This was his manner when Nicodemus couldn't imagine how a person could be born again. This was his manner when the Pharisees couldn't imagine the kingdom's arrival not having a timetable. This is a tall order—for us as well as for the young—so perhaps the best way to expand others' imagination is to practice it ourselves.

And, we are called to cultivate the means Jesus uses. Right off the bat I think about his storytelling, his parables, his symbols, metaphors and allusions. Jesus is a master at using story to name the needs we can't admit. He holds up a mirror and even if what we see ain't pretty, we are touched by gratitude and love. Tell me, is there a better way to "cultivate these young plants," as St. La Salle calls our students, than to show them how their story is a part of The Story? 

So as you welcome back your school's prodigal sons and daughters and enlist them as soldiers of the simple declarative sentence, remember manner and means. Remember encouragements and affirmations.  Remember the movement from the outer to the inner. Remember that you are educating in the holy presence of God.

Brother Timothy Coldwell, FSC
Visitor
New Orleans-Santa Fe District