The End Result

30 May

“Change is the end result of all true learning.”  ~ Leo Buscaglia

Yesterday, at the all school Mass, I asked the students if they wanted to remain in their same grade for another year.  Not surprisingly, there were no takers.  I asked why they would want to move to a new grade.  One of the students, a fourth grader, stated, “We’ve learned a lot this year.”  Now that they have learned, they want to put their knowledge into action.

That is precisely what education is all about.  That is also what our spiritual lives are all about.  Learning, growth, change, and more learning.  It is a continuous cycle until we reach the end of our days.  Only then will our learning be complete, except, of course, for that final bit of learning: coming to know all about God, who He is, and what He means to us and for us.

Until then, we are challenged to learn all that we can about our faith.  As we learn, we put that new knowledge into action.  That knowledge prompts us to serve our brothers and sisters, to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News.  When we do so, we find out that there is still more to learn about ourselves and our world.

Change and endings are not bad things.  They are not scary things.  They are merely areas of opportunity.  Embrace the change that comes your way today, learn all that you can, become a new person, and then go out and learn more.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for those who are afraid of change.  Additionally, whether it be a new prayer or a new skill, try to learn something new today.