Confidence And Love

1 Feb

“Without confidence and love, there can be no true education.”  ~ St. John Bosco

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of St. John Bosco.  He dedicated his ministry in the 1800’s in caring for children, first founding a religious order geared toward young boys and then another order toward young girls.  He believed that the only real way to educate a child was to educate the entire child:  body and soul.  I like that so much because it reflects the mission statement of our parish school:  “Educating the Whole Child in the Values of Jesus and Mary”.

Too often, we ignore the spiritual side of ourselves.  We forget that we are body and soul.  The world keeps shouting at us to take care of our human self.  It promises fame, fortune, prestige, and honor if we pay attention to its direction.  However, as has been said so often, those are things that are a part of the world and they tarnish and pass away.  They cannot guarantee us eternal life.  They cannot keep us on the path that leads to the Kingdom of God.  They do not care about the spiritual realm.

We are body and soul.  We need to care for our bodies, yes, so that we can be as strong as possible to do the things necessary in this world.  However, we have to care about our souls more because they are what is eternal.  Our bodies eventually fail us and we pass away.  Our souls, on the other hand, will be forever.  What good would it do us to pay attention to the world and win its rewards only to lose sight of the Kingdom and lose the opportunity to live with God forever?

Be confident in the aid and direction that God gives us in this life.  Treasure and embrace His love for us.  Do not be lured away by the call of the world but rather remain attentive to the call of the Spirit.

FAITH ACTION:  Do the best to form your entire self.  Feed not only the body but feed the soul as well.