“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1)
Let me begin this reflection by sharing the story of a family mansion that caught fire one night. The parents rushed out into the garden, holding their two smaller children in their arms, and shouting to their eldest, a boy of five, to follow them. However, frightened by the flames, he rushed up the stairs to the attic, and from its balcony began to shout, “Daddy, Daddy, save me!
The man shouted back, “It’s alright, Johnny, jump down from there and I’ll catch hold of you!” Standing just 20 feet below, his father could see him clearly, but because the smoke billowing up, the boy couldn’t see anything below! Anxiously, the boy sobbed, “But Daddy, I can’t see you!” His father replied persuasively, “
Johnny, it is more important that I can see you. Please jump!” And taking courage, the boy jumped into the safe, strong arms of his father.
The story you just heard is a story about faith. As we formally begin another school year, it is most fitting that we start the school year by reflecting over our own faith journey as a school community.
Last year, we started the school year with challenges we have never expected. The AH1N1 scare during the first week, the devastation of typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng and many other political and economic turmoil we faced as a community and as a nation, but we remained steadfast, because we have kept the faith. Like the boy in the story, we dared to jump though we grapple with uncertainty, into the loving arms of God.
After a challenging year of jumping into the unknown we have all the reason to remain hopeful and keep the faith alive. This is because we know that God is with us and will always be with us, He is most trustworthy. We only need to have faith and dare to jump to his loving embrace.
Today, as we begin another school year, we carry within us our desires and hopes for the coming year. The opening of classes marks the beginning of new projects, new discoveries and learning. To put it more concretely, we desire better grades, more involvement in school activities and better relationship with our peers and many other things. We present to God all of these desires and let us continue to ask for the gift of faith, to jump not only to the unknown that we fear most but to all His possibilities and blessing He desires to give us. Let us keep in mind that the future always brings hope, promises and possibilities of abundance and blessings.
Fueled by our faith that the Lord is with us in all that we do, let us pray too that He may grant us the courage to rise from our mistakes, the strength to carry our many duties and responsibilities. May He give us the courage to face what is ahead of us with renewed hope and inspiration.
Let us also not forget how St. James reminds us that “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:17). At the beginning of this school year, it is also good that we go back to the roots of our identity as a Jesuit school: that we are trained not only to be men of faith, but to be men who put their prayers and faith into action. By this, we become truly what we desire most – to become Lux in Domino, Light of the World.
And so we begin the year with grateful hearts, keeping in mind all the blessings and graces the Lord has given us the past years and look forward to another blessed year. Let us beg for the grace of faith to ‘jump’ to whatever is ahead of us, knowing very well that we have Someone trustworthy and loving to catch us in His loving arms. Amen.
