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"On the Very Spirit of Human Beings" Feb 5, 2021
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This week we celebrated Catholic Schools Week in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Every family wants their son or daughter to excel in school; to be the best version of themselves; to “Shine Brighter” as a disciple of Jesus! That is exactly what St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School offers our families. Students “Shine Brighter” because they are in a safe community; they are known and loved, and they are formed to be faith-filled leaders strengthened by the love of Christ.
SEAS students learn to experience God’s grace and presence in their lives through their relationships with family, friends, and teachers. The loving and supportive relationships they experience are reflections of the love and life-giving dynamic of the Trinity. As a parish and school community, we celebrate our successes and achievements. We share grief and downfalls. We unite together in solidarity, and even challenge each other to become better reflections of the Divine. We are preparing our young men and women for life as successful scientists or authors or engineers. But more importantly, our faculty and clergy prepare our students for a lifelong relationship with God that spans from this life into life eternal.
A friend of mine (who retired after teaching 2nd grade in a local Catholic School for almost 30 years) recently wrote in a social media posts: “When I was teaching second grade, I sometimes felt sorry for my colleagues in the upper levels. They didn’t receive the kind of love notes that appeared on my desk each morning. One of the most memorable was a thank you card from one of my more rambunctious students. His message of gratitude sticks with me: ‘You teached me things I never knewed.’”
Okay, so maybe my friend did not quite succeed in the spelling and grammar departments, but the meaning of the little boy’s message is crystal clear: To learn is to experience something wondrous! One of my favorite fictional characters is the wizard, Merlyn. He teaches young Wart (later to be crowned King Arthur) by turning him into different animals and, in doing so, offers first-hand knowledge of their lives. In T.H. White’s trilogy, The Once and Future King, Merlyn describes a benefit of knowledge: “The best thing for being sad…is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails…Learn why the world wags and what wags it.”
I like to ask our teachers and catechists what excites them about teaching children. Inevitably, someone responds by describing the joy of uncovering something new! Opening up a parable or teaching of Jesus, inviting contemplation on a perplexing problem, piquing curiosity about “what wags the world” – all are tremendous experiences that stimulate the mind and expand the spirit. The role of a Catholic school teacher is not only to impart academic information, but also to set an example for what a healthy and holy life looks like. The Congregation for Catholic Education places a spotlight on the vocational nature of teaching: “Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of man’s most excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material, but on the very spirits of human beings.”
Wow. Think about that! The teacher writes “on the very spirit of human beings.” While I continue to wish that we had the financial means to compensate our teachers more justly for their contributions to our Church and society, I know there are few professions that reap the kind of rewards they receive. One love note can make the headaches worth it. One smile can remind a teacher that they are writing on the very soul of a human being!
This year our SEAS students – like all of us – are seeking answers beyond their usual subjects of math, reading, and science. Questions like: why can’t we have our normal school activities? When will this pandemic end? Why would God allow this to happen? Perhaps what all of us are seeking more than anything else during these times is the little word of Hope.
In a year where so many questions beyond those found in textbooks are being asked by our students, I am so grateful for the extraordinary leadership that Mrs. Kathmann and her administrative team have provided. They have been a great source of hope for our teachers and our little scholars. I am amazed by the ways our faculty and staff have consistently gone above and beyond to creatively educate and to provide words of hope. Please join me in praying for our SEAS school community and giving thanks for the tremendous work that they have done. Let us all give thanks to the Lord for the great gift of Catholic education at Divine Mercy Parish!
Rev. Fr. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor
Divine Mercy Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School