Everything I Am Today Is a Gift

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Monday morning, 26 October 2015)

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of a loving God.

The funny thing about humility is that the moment you think you have it, you’ve lost it. In my new job in the Admissions Office humility is hard to come by. I spend most of my day explaining to perspective students and their families what makes La Salle the best high school and middle school in Rhode Island. This, of course, is not particularly difficult for me, as I truly believe we are. Do we have the most beautiful campus and facilities? I believe we do. Is our faculty and staff the most dynamic and caring? I think they are. Do we have the most talented and spirited student body? Yes, I believe we do.

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So to avoid the sound of arrogance and assume the perspective of humility, I am always sure to qualify that what makes us the best at so many things is ultimately a blessing from God. It is not by luck or by one person’s individual design that we are such a stand out school. It is all of us, the entire community that forms the greatness that is La Salle Academy.

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The Bible says do nothing from conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men….

You see, humility doesn’t have to be difficult and it doesn’t mean denying your talents or gifts. Humility is easily achieved so long as you are always aware of sharing that which makes you excellent with others. When you score a touch down or a goal, it isn’t just yours. It belongs to your team, your coach, to the Beehive. When you hear the roar of applause at the end of a show, the accolade is not yours alone. It is shared by the chorus, crew, musicians, and the directors. The success you have in the classroom is not exclusively yours, but the results of a partnership with your classmates, teachers and parents. And all of this cannot be done without our relationship with God, through whom all good things come.

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Because humility is funny, just when you think you alone have it, you’ve lost it. But when you know that you are part of something wonderful because it is shared by others and God, you can certainly be assured that it is indeed something special.

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Let us pray: Dear Lord, everything I am today is a gift I humbly accept from you and share with the community here at La Salle. Everything I can be tomorrow is a gift I humbly achieve for myself to give to my friends, family, and to you.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Brian Ciccone–Assistant Admissions Director and Social Studies Teacher

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