Parent Letter Faith Reflection

"Mercy is not the absence of justice; it is the fusion of justice and love," wrote Dr. Tom Neal in a WordonFire.org article last month. "Mercy is what love becomes when it meets injustice. Mercy is not soft or weak, but is infinitely more fierce and costly than justice alone. Justice alone condemns and contains, rages and seeks the punishment of the evildoer in order to bring justice to the wronged. But justice wed to love for the persecuting, reviling, evildoing, hating, cursing enemy seeks restoration, redemption, and remedy for both victimizer and victim.". In these days with senseless violence, sadly, being all to prevalent this paragraph stood out like a bolt of lightening. It was a powerful reminder of God's great love and how radical he is with his mercy. It was also a reminder to keep focused on doing radical community care, wedding kindness to love to bring hope those in great need.

Our 7th grader today thinks of another way to reach out to those in need beyond the necessary basics of food and clothes. What a great idea to make one day special for someone who doesn't have much and bring them a little joy.

Radical Community Care

by Laurray

You can help the community in many ways by giving people food, clothes, money, and water. It is also important for everyone to feel special and loved. One special day for me is my birthday. On my birthday I feel special but some people don't. Some people don't have anyone to celebrate with, or they don't have any gifts. They may have never received a birthday cake. Everyone should feel happy on their birthday.

That's why we can help our community by making people feel special on their birthday. We could start by making a cake or cupcakes on their birthday. We can give them some presents which can be nicely decorated. Then we could sing happy birthday to them. This will lift the spirit of the community that even the poor or homeless can celebrate their birthday.

Last week I had on hand a children's book I used with Mrs. Lawson's 7th grade Language Arts class as a fun way to show the basics of what a sentence contains. One Day, The End.: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories, by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, a book of amusing short stories, as it's title suggest, seemed fitting also for our morning religion time. It was. Here are their short, very short, faith reflections, or, using the pattern from the book; The reflections are quick. They are well thought out. The end. "I went to Mass. I took communion. The end."; "One day I wanted a Bible. I bought one. The end."; "One day I went to church. I learned a lot. The end."; "Jesus gave me his life, so I love him. The end."; "One day I prayed to Jesus. He heard me. The end."

Thank you,

Mrs. Alhadef

Campus Minister

Published November 14, 2018 Print