Alliance for Catholic Education
Reflection by Maggie Gunther
Music teacher, Marymount School of New York
The Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, Cohort 20
I grew up with a family that discussed directions often. My mom and her sisters loved trying to find the fastest, most efficient routes for toting their children around the streets of Long Island, New York. Looking up directions via Mapquest was out of the question! “Just get off at exit 15N, make the first left, first right, and then make sure you’re on the west side of the block.” When you arrived, you’d hear a familiar line of questioning: “How long did it take you?” “Did you take the shortcut through the park?” “Did you hit the long light on ____ road?”
People, look east.
The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
In the familiar Advent hymn, “People Look East,” Eleanor Farjeon wrote about looking east, referencing the journey of the three Magi who traveled to visit the Christ child, “for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). As I reflect upon my Advent season thus far, I am flooded with the overwhelming busyness in schools. As the semester draws to a close, grades are due, preparations for Advent liturgies are abounding, items for charitable drives are collected. Amidst endless to-do lists, I often feel exactly how my mom and aunts did. How can I get tasks finished quickly and efficiently?
At times, we get so busy as leaders in our Catholic schools that we forget to consult others for direction and guidance, as we feel the crunch to move our schools from point A to point B. When the to-do lists overwhelm us, it is easy to forget that our jobs are about journeying with and providing direction for the precious children entrusted to our care. The beauty of the spiritual life reflected so perfectly in the lyrics of “People Look East” is that it is not about how quickly we are moving towards God’s call to holiness, but about constantly changing or reaffirming our direction. It is a loving nudge, a gentle tilting of the heart toward the direction of Christ that we are invited to throughout the Advent season.
Stars, keep the watch.
When night is dim.
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
As teachers and leaders in schools, we often feel like we are fumbling through the darkness trying to meet the myriad needs of our students and their families. The image of the star as a guiding light toward the Christ child makes me think of those in my own life who have lit the path on my spiritual journey. I think of friends, neighbors, and family members who have helped my bowl to brim this Advent season. Who in your life has brought you closer to Christ this Advent season? As my aunts navigated the different routes to destinations on Long Island, I am struck by the fact that there is not one particular route that brings us closer to Christ each Christmas. However, the Church provides us with communities and sacraments that help us along the journey. Perhaps on this fourth Sunday of Advent as we near these final days of school, we might pay extra attention to the opportunities that we have to meet Jesus in the Eucharist, through communal prayer and song, or through quiet reflection with Scripture.
Set every peak and valley humming,
With the word, the Lord is coming.
Once we are oriented towards Christ, how do we live? I think immediately of the joy of my kindergarten students preparing to be angels in our Christmas pageants. The purity with which they seek and know God is something I want to emulate on my own Advent journey. Our schools are living and breathing communities, and they certainly are humming with preparations for Christmas. I think the answer is simple: We live in love. We lead with love. We are open to encountering love. My Advent prayer for our ACE community in this final week of Advent is that we might experience Christ’s peace amidst the bustle. Because regardless of our sense of direction or perceived readiness, Love the Guest, the Rose, the Bird, the Star, the LORD is on the way.
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