Commitment

Our vocation as Catholic Teachers asks a lot of us. We are the face of the Church. We are called to be people of hope and joy who understand our Catholic Traditions and share the mysteries of the Kingdom of God with our students, who struggle to make meaning of our faith in a world often in conflict with the Gospel message. 

As schools, we strive to remain calm and nurturing in the face of the many challenges life confronts us with. This is made even harder when society suggests that schools should take on more responsibility for fixing the problems of the world.

Like our students, we may be tempted by instant gratification and can become weary when we sacrifice and give so much of ourselves without any clear sign that our efforts are prevailing or resulting in positive change. 

Some of the greatest saints in our Church have had this same crisis of faith. In spite of all her sacrifice and suffering for God, Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) spent over 40 years of her life without feeling any sense of God’s presence.

The fact that one of the greatest saints of our time, who relied on being in communion with the Spirit to guide her work, felt so alone and disconnected from God gives us much dissonance, but also great inspiration and hope. Our lifelong Spiritual journey is spiced with swings, roundabouts and U-turns. The gravitas of our vocational calling means we need to remain focused and committed. 

So let us celebrate the wins, big and small, with our colleagues. Let us share our stories, struggles, and jokes over a cup of tea or coffee. Let us walk the marathon side by side and lean on one another so that we can remain connected, united and faithfully committed to our Mission of Catholic Education. 

We may not readily see the result of our work, but as the prayer attributed to Oscar Romero so beautifully puts it; “We are prophets of a future not of our own.”