(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Monday morning, 20 November 2017)

Good morning La Salle!

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

“You are here because someone loves you.”

Father Woodhouse spoke these words during the Freshman Liturgy in September, and from time to time I am reminded of them again. Not only profoundly beautiful, they struck me as being, well, true. And not only in the deeper theological sense wherein we believe that God created each of us out of love for us, and that He sustains our very being each moment in His love. But even in the more ordinary sense that each of you – and here I am speaking primarily to our students – is here at La Salle because someone loves you.

Someone loves you deeply enough that she sought out a school that would provide not only for your classroom education, but for your formation as a whole person – as an artist, an athlete, as a child of God. Someone loves you enough that he gets up early each morning to drive you to school before going to work, and waits in the parking lot to drive you home each afternoon. Someone loves you so much that she has taken on a second job, or taken money out of her retirement to help pay your tuition. Whatever the case may be, someone is sacrificing himself because he loves you. Who is it for you? Mom? Dad? A grandfather? Grandmother? Aunt? Uncle? A cousin? Or maybe your sibling?

As I looked on at the Harvest Ball on Saturday night, I was struck by the pure, unadulterated joy on the faces of those around me. I was struck by a sense of how fun it all seemed, how fortunate each of you was to be there. And suddenly I was reminded again of Father Woodhouse’s words: “You are here because someone loves you.”

Perhaps during this Thanksgiving Week, you could make a point of finding that person, or those people, and just say a simple “Thank you.” No gift necessary. But maybe, if you are up for it, you could find it in you to give them a hug.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, You are the giver of all good gifts. Please bless those people in our lives who sacrifice themselves out of love to provide for us. And may we, in our turn, heed your Son’s command to “love one another as He has loved us.” Amen.

St. John Baptist de La Salle….pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts….forever!

Brian Bennett–Religion Teacher