As we prepare for the upcoming Year of Lasallian Spirituality in 2025, Christian Brothers Conference will publish occasional reflections to provide spiritual inspiration and stir continued dialogue around Lasallian spirituality.
By Brother Michael Phipps, FSC
For most of my life, Advent has been my favorite liturgical season, a time of reflection, preparation and hope. Part of my affinity for the season is a personal fascination with deserts, with those parts of the world (and human existence) considered barren, desolate, bereft of life. And yet, deserts teem with life, often hidden in plain sight. Similarly, hope, a theme deeply embedded in the season of Advent, finds its abode in unsuspecting spaces.
One of my favorite Scripture passages during Advent comes from the Gospel of Matthew referencing the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist is “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” What a powerfully direct message. The prophet minces no words, calling each of us from stagnation to action. Similarly, Saint John Baptist de La Salle names educators as ambassadors of Jesus Christ, tasked with going out to meet those entrusted to us. As a spiritual ambassador, how do I continue to share the message of hope?
The Hope of Education
This Advent season, I am more consciously aware of the subtle threads of hope that weave through my ministry and vocation. As a teacher, I have prepared lessons, tests and projects with the hope that the young people entrusted to me will grasp the necessary concepts. As a counselor, I create supports and plans with the hope that young people will respond and experience increased success. As a Brother, I accompany my students with the hope that they will learn to be brothers and sisters to one another. Indeed, hope drives many of my ministerial decisions.
We often speak of faith and zeal in detail, offering them as pillars of Lasallian spirituality. If faith and zeal stand as the pillars, I would offer that hope creates the foundation. Hope provides a space by which to embrace faith and embody zeal.
The Hope of Salvation
As Lasallian educators, we are called to the hope of salvation and liberation for the people we minister to. In his keynote address at the 2024 Huether Lasallian Conference, Brother Hernán Santos González, FSC, shared the realities of life at Bethlehem University. The heart-wrenching stories shared by Brother Hernán also offered glimpses of authentic hope in the desert of Palestine. As I have reflected on his sacred sharing, I cannot help but consider the measure of hope I carry into community and ministry.
I do not live in a warzone, nor do I experience food scarcity or loss of housing on a regular basis. However, I walk with young people each day who have or are currently experiencing these realities, faced with a diminishing sense of hope. My ministry, my Advent rests in preparing the young people entrusted to my care for hope, in creating safe spaces that encourage them to embrace compassion, love and liberation. My Advent rests in reflecting the love of God, present in the world through Jesus Christ, to each person I encounter.
In this season of Advent, may we find renewed hope in the mystery of God’s gift of his Son to us. May we encourage each other to prepare the way and challenge ourselves to not turn a blind eye to the suffering around us. May we take the time to slow down on the path of hope, allowing God to speak to and through us, molding us to be beacons of hope to the world.
Brother Michael Phipps, FSC, is the spirituality project manager for Christian Brothers Conference, the office for the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN).