Parent letter faith reflection
Innocence, in its mercy, partly excuses us from having to fully reckon with the spiritual gifts of forgiveness, grace, and redemption at the heart of the Catechism: I believe in the forgiveness of sins. - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Looking through the trick-or-treat bag the angel had during our Halloween mass last week Fr. Gino noticed that the items in the bag were things that lifted a person up rather than weighed them down. He then asked the angel how she felt after receiving all the treats from the Saints whose heavenly door she had knocked on; she responded that she felt taken care of.
After handing the bag back to the angel Fr. Gino then asked everyone “What are the things you put in the bag of each other’s hearts?” He then encouraged us to be a saint by lifting others up, making them feel taken care of. In other words, Fr. Gino was asking us to leave a person better than they were before.
Taking care of and lifting each other up is what Pope Francis also speaks of so lovingly in his latest encyclical Fratelli e Sorelle Tutti. "A society that seeks prosperity but turns its back on suffering is an unhealthy society," he writes. Francis gives us the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan to exemplify how we can lift others up rather than weigh them down saying this parable “eloquently presents the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world. In the face of so much pain and suffering, our only course is to imitate the Good Samaritan. Any other decision would make us either one of the robbers or one of those who walked by without showing compassion for the sufferings of the man on the roadside. The parable shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbors, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good.”
The parable of the Good Samaritan, the Pope believes, “speaks to us of an essential and often forgotten aspect of our common humanity: we were created for a fulfillment that can only be found in love.”
Showcasing 7th grade’s talents: Inspired by the children’s book Windblown, Miguel lifts up a resident of Asistencia Villa with this drawing and note. Cards from the 7th grade class were brought to Asistencia Villa last month.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
4th Grade Aide
Jr. High ELA Aide