“We Do Not Know the Man”

(Prayer offered over the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Monday morning, 30 March 2015)

Let us remember that we are in God’s Holy Presence:

In yesterday’s Gospel according to Mark, we heard the crowd ask Peter three times if he was a follower of Jesus. Earlier, Peter had told Jesus that he would never deny him. But when he realized that he had betrayed his friend, he broke down and wept.

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We, too, would like to think that we would never deny Jesus. Yet every time we mistakenly “follow the crowd” or fail to stand up for what’s right, we too are saying, “We do not know the man” –just like Peter. As we enter into this Holy Week, we will have many opportunities to either admit we are followers of Jesus, or deny him. Which will you choose?

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Let us pray: Loving Father, you sent us your Son to redeem the world from sin. Help us to never deny Him; rather, give us the courage to publicly proclaim that we are followers of Jesus, in our thoughts, words and actions.

St. John Baptist de La Salle, PRAY FOR US
Live Jesus in our Hearts, FOREVER.

David Martinez–Religion Teacher

It’s All in the Directions!

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Wednesday morning, 25 March 2015)

Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of a Loving God,

Do you ever get a test or quiz back from a teacher and you realize that you got something wrong because you didn’t take the time to read the directions? And you get mad at yourself because you know that if you had taken the time to read the directions then you would have known how to correctly answer the question. This can cause frustration, because the only person to blame is yourself. You wish you could turn back time so that at the start of the quiz or test you could make sure that you read the directions so that you know what your teacher is looking for.

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This doesn’t just happen in the classroom….. with almost every new purchase we make there is a set of directions to follow. Whether it be new clothes that have washing instructions or even food that comes with a recipe, we are almost always given a set of directions to follow. The worst is usually a new electronic device. It usually comes with a whole booklet of directions that would probably take a couple of hours to read completely.

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This past weekend I purchased a new vacuum and decided to try it out for the first time. When I opened the packaging and noticed how long the instruction booklet was, I decided to ignore it and assumed that, since I had used numerous other vacuums in my lifetime, that I would know how to successfully operate this one. I was doing fine until it came time to empty the vacuum at the end of using it. I pushed the wrong button and before I had time to hold it above my garbage can…. Everything that I had just vacuumed up was all over my kitchen floor. I quickly came to the realization that this process would have gone much smoother if I had spent some time reviewing the instruction manual prior to using it. Like most people, I had initially skipped this step because of the length of the directions. Since we live in a time when our attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter…… the twenty minutes that it would have taken for me to read about my new vacuum seemed like a waste of time.

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Thankfully for us, God must have taken this into consideration when He came up with His set of directions for us to follow. As Catholics, we have only 10 directions, also known as the Commandments, to be able to live a morally just life.  Even with our sometimes limited attention spans…. I believe that we can all spare the time it takes to read 10 sentences. Some of these commandments may need to be updated to make them more applicable to our lifestyles. For example…. Instead of just agreeing to not use the Lord’s name in vain…we can broaden that and agree to not use any words that are hurtful towards other people, especially when we are on social media and hiding behind a computer screen. And when we think of the 10th commandment…. you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods….. that we should not be jealous when our friends get the newest I-phone or a new car… but rather be thankful for all that we have.

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So although the directions may need some modernizing…. They are still directions that we should all be following. If we skip them, then we run the risk of making mistakes that could not only affect ourselves but also those around us. We don’t want to look back on life with regret and wish that we had taken the time to simply read and follow God’s directions.

Let us pray,

We thank you, God, for loving and supporting us on this journey of life. Please help us to live moral and righteous lives by following the commandments that you provided us with.

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Saint John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Megan Maloney–Math Teacher

The Wisdom of Man’s Best Friend

(Prayer offered on the public address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Monday morning, 23 March 2015)

Let us remember that we are in the Holy presence of a loving God…

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can overlook when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can ignore a friend’s limited education and never correct him,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,
Then, my friend, you are almost as good

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as your dog!
—Author unknown

This poem is dedicated to two kinds of people: (1) animal lovers. (2) Those committed to learning and growing. The book of Proverbs states “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”

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Loving God, we who make up the Lasallian community are here because of our desire to learn. Students, teachers, administrative staff, support staff alike; we value the basic human desire for knowledge. We thank you for the opportunities we’ve had to further our learning and ask for direction and guidance for our students as they continue to satiate their thirst for knowledge.

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

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Eldon Santiago–Religion Teacher

La Salle Academy—Reaching Beyond Its Borders

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During Lent the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN) sponsors the Twinning Program, a program that links RELAN ministries to ministries in the Lwanga District (East Africa).  La Salle Academy is “twinned” with Rongai Agricultural and Technical School in Rongai, Kenya.

Each Wednesday La Salle students are challenged to share their wealth with their poor “brothers” in Rongai  through contributions to the Lenten “Mite Box.”  Faculty and staff also assist with Soup Wednesdays.  Each Wednesday during Lent teachers and staff volunteer to bring in soup and bread—their colleagues share in this for a $5.00 offering that is added to the “Mite Box” collection.

On Friday, 20 March, La Salle will have its Twinning Dress-down Day in which all proceeds from dressing-down are earmarked for Rongai A & T School and its students.  During the day La Salle students will pray with their brothers in Africa.

La Salle students have also been viewing a video prepared by the RELAN Regional Conference that explains the Twinning Program and its importance to the ministries of the Lwanga District.

In the past students and faculty have visited Lasallian ministries in Kenya and have seen first-hand the good their twinning money has done.  There is no doubt that La Salle students will continue their generous response to reach beyond its borders.

Pope Francis challenges all of us to go to the peripheries, to stretch ourselves beyond the ordinary and the routine, to leave our comfort zones (The Joy of the Gospel).  Twinning is a way for La Salle students to open their minds and to extend their hearts to their “brothers” whom they may never see.  It is a wonderful way to make Lenten sacrifice a reality.

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Loving God, Creator of all that is good and holy, through Your grace You inspired Saint John Baptist de La Salle, to open schools for the young so we may learn of Your love for us and receive a Christian education thereby becoming the sons or daughters you created us to be. Today, guided by Your Divine Providence, the Lasallian Mission enriches the lives of thousands of young people all over our world. During this time of Lent, we offer our prayers in a special way for our fellow Lasallian sisters and brothers in twin schools in the Lwanga District and the Lasallian Region of North America. As a global Lasallian faith community, we live in association through our Twinning Program, for we pray for one another, learn from one another, and support one another. Our hearts are filled with gratitude as we engage in this blessed opportunity to deepen the connection twin schools share. Loving God, we pray that you will touch our hearts, filled with zeal for the Mission, as we, Lasallians on two continents, come together in solidarity. May we gain a greater understanding that, although distance separates us, we have more in common than we may realize. We pray this in the name of Jesus, Your Son and our brother, Amen.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle … Pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts … Forever.

God’s Tender Love

(Prayer offered for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Tuesday morning, 17 March 2015)

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

For three or four centuries the British tried to eradicate the religion and the language of Ireland.

With regard to religion, they (notably, Oliver Cromwell) have certainly failed.

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With regard to language, they almost succeeded, but the native Irish tongue has survived, and is making a comeback. A shining silver lining in this episode of imposing the English language on the Irish is the gift of the Irish brogue – arguably the most charmed version of English on the planet.

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But, there is more. And by that I mean the great poets of Ireland, from Yeats, to Synge, to Seamus Heaney, who wrote, and still write, in the English language with such haunting beauty. So this morning, on this great feast of Saint Patrick, I offer you one such gift: the familiar “Ballad of Father Gilligan,” by William Butler Yeats.

The old priest Peter Gilligan
Was weary night and day
For half his flock were in their beds
Or under green sods lay.

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Once, while he nodded in a chair
At the moth-hour of the eve
Another poor man sent for him,
And he began to grieve.

‘I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
For people die and die;
And after cried he, ‘God forgive!
My body spake not I!’

He knelt, and leaning on the chair
He prayed and fell asleep;
And the moth-hour went from the fields,
And stars began to peep.

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They slowly into millions grew,
And leaves shook in the wind
And God covered the world with shade
And whispered to mankind.

Upon the time of sparrow chirp
When the moths came once more,
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Stood upright on the floor.
‘Mavrone, mavrone! The man has died
While I slept in the chair.’
He roused his horse out of its sleep
And rode with little care.

He rode now as he never rode,
By rocky lane and fen;
The sick man’s wife opened the door,
‘Father! you come again!’

‘And is the poor man dead?’ he cried
‘He died an hour ago.’
The old priest Peter Gilligan
In grief swayed to and fro.

‘When you were gone, he turned and died,
As merry as a bird.’
The old priest Peter Gilligan
He knelt him at that word.

‘He Who hath made the night of stars
For souls who tire and bleed,
Sent one of this great angels down,
To help me in my need.

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‘He Who is wrapped in purple robes,
With planets in His care
Had pity on the least of things
Asleep upon a chair.’

Let us pray,

O Creator God, the Lover, the Source of life, we thank you for the gift of language, and we marvel at the ways your creatures speak to each other and to you and about you. We also thank you for the tender love you show to us when we turn away from you or fall asleep. Your care for us both astonishes and embarrasses. Thanks be to you.

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St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.
St. Patrick, pray for us.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts. Forever!

 

Michael McNamara, AFSC–Mathematics Teacher