Principal’s Message for 11/24/19

This week’s Principal’s Message deals with a difficult issue we all face at one time or another in our lives.  I am speaking about the passing of a loved one.  Last week, my family lost a true prayer warrior and living saint, my mother-in-law.  She’d been battling a few physical issues over the last few years, but finally succumbed to those issues, the stress and strain simply being just too much to go on.  I normally wouldn’t put information this personal in the parish bulletin.  In fact, some might even question whether this is the appropriate place for such a piece, but I feel compelled to share this with you.  I think you’ll understand as you get to the end!
 
I got to spend the last two days of my mother-in-law’s life with her at the hospital.  During my final conversation with her, she stated that she was going to be with her husband and that she simply wanted to hear “well done my good and faithful servant” from her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  She expressed to me that she feared she had done some terrible things in her life and worried she might be denied entry into Heaven.  Now anyone who knew my mother-in-law knows she was a holy woman of God, a woman who lived the Beatitudes every day of her life.  My immediate thought was that, “if she’s not getting to Heaven, then the rest of us are sunk.”  Then, the Holy Spirit gave me the words to say to her in answer to her comment. 
 
I told my mother-in-law that she was being unfaithful.  I also told her that she needed to remember that God’s mercy is greater than our sin and nothing she’d done could separate her from the love of Christ.  This seemed to reassure her of her place in God’s plan for her.  She seemed to relax a bit and find a certain peace in that response.  I then shared a story with her about a conversation I had with one of our 3-year-old students just a few months ago.  This is the reason for my sharing this story with you.
 
A young girl named Addison shared a story with me as I walked her to class one day.  She told me her grandmother had died.  I said that she was now a saint in Heaven and her grandmother was looking down on her and praying for her.  I figured this was a good answer to comfort a child this young.  But then she surprised me with the following.  She asked me if I knew the best part of her grandmother being in Heaven, to which I responded, “what’s that?”  She stated in no uncertain terms, and with a wide smile, that her grandmother was “with Jesus of course!”  Now I know kids say the “darndest” things, but this statement, made with such conviction and joy, reinforced that what we do at Saint Mary School goes so much beyond “readin’, writin’ and rithmetic”.  With the parents, we equip our students with hope in Jesus Christ, trust that what He said is true, and love for our fellow humans.  If 3-year-old Addison can understand that our lives are so much better with Jesus in them, then why do we adults find it so hard to do the same?  Why do we doubt the promises made to us in Sacred Scripture when we know God is a Father who keeps His promises? 
 
I truly love working at Saint Mary School where, from the “mouths of babes”, our Faith and belief can be renewed daily.  I know remembering the story of my conversation with Addison was Heaven-sent at a time I needed the inspiration and words to share with my mother-in-law.  I know she heard “well done my good and faithful servant”.  May she rest in peace.    
 
Please continue to pray for our school, its staff, students and families, and our clergy as we strive to provide an education that is unapologetically Catholic, family centered, caring to others and respectful to all. Please check our website, Facebook page and the Church bulletin for updates and upcoming events that you can enjoy with us.  May God bless you and keep you always!