Alliance for Catholic Education
My principal started off our first professional development meeting of the new school year by exclaiming, “I just can’t wait for the kids to get here, the first day of school has always felt like a Christmas morning to me!” Though met with a few sarcastic laughs and groans from the more seasoned teachers, this sentiment imbued our staff meeting with a sense of excitement and anticipation for new opportunities. This got me thinking — despite the strong San Jose sun in the middle of August — about Christmas and what makes Christmas morning so special for kids. It comes from the true faith that kids have that new and exciting times are coming. Similarly, we can enter a new school year and a new community with a true faith that despite some stressors or draining situations, we can look forward to new promise and opportunity. Anticipating future happiness and growth throughout the year can show a faith in God’s timing and plan for your current moment, even if the thought of welcoming 30 over-energized and fresh-off-summer kids back to the classroom might not seem appealing at that moment.
This year, my community of ACE teachers plans to live out our faith in a manner similar to kids on Christmas morning, or a principal on the first day of school. Even if we find ourselves worn down after a long day or feeling too busy for weekly prayer, we will treat time together as a chance to show our faith in bright days ahead and unforeseen opportunities. Praying before meals is a quick way to bring God back into our minds and center our daily work. Having faith means having fidelity to our missions together and individually. We can show this fidelity through simple actions, such as coming to each other's school events even on hectic week nights, or making time to cook a community dinner together. Some routines such as community dinner and prayer might feel familiar and expected, but having fidelity to these rituals means treating them with excitement and openness to change.
San Jose’s new community members, Brian and Aiden, have come into the house with many new ideas and hopes for how community life will look. This has given us a chance to practice faith and fidelity to the fact that newness brings opportunity. The cyclical nature of ACE houses and community life allows for re-evaluation of routines with each year, something which can breathe new life into old rituals. Brian has gifted our house with a mantle full of prayer cards, and Aiden has brought his spirituality of cooking into the kitchen. Audrey continues to find God in nature and welcomes everyone along for adventures, and Catie offers her laugh and wisdom for all. Faith in our community means working together to find the spirit of Christmas morning throughout the year, faithful to the promise that God provides in the current moment and in the hope of future blessings. These first few weeks of the year might not reveal how every routine will work out or how the entire year will unfold, but we can orient ourselves with fidelity to each other and to our missions through an openness and excitement for things yet unseen.