Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Intention: That God will continue to bless Lasallian schools with the courage and zeal to proclaim the Gospel through its fidelity to Christ’s teachings, its openness to the Holy Spirit, and its service of all of God’s children.
Today’s Gospel | Mark 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
From the Ninth Meditation for the Time of Retreat | Saint John Baptist de La Salle
The zeal you are obliged to have in your work must be so active and so alive that you can tell the parents of the children entrusted to your care what is said in Holy Scripture: Give us their souls; keep everything else for yourselves, that is, what we have undertaken is to work for the salvation of their souls. It is also the only reason you have committed yourselves to take the responsibility to guide and to instruct them.
Tell the parents also what Jesus Christ said about the sheep of which he is the shepherd and which must be saved by him: I came, he said, that they might have life and have it to the full. For this had to have been the kind of ardent zeal you felt for the salvation of those you must instruct when you were led to sacrifice yourselves and to spend your whole life to give these children a Christian education and to procure for them the life of grace in this world and eternal life in the next.
Prayer
Eternal Father, your Son taught his disciples the importance of accepting and loving the children in their midst. As we make our way through each day, help us to know our world’s children, to see them and embrace them both in their giftedness and in their brokenness. May we be the hands and heart of your patience, accompaniment, and empowerment. We pray that we will be caring, vigilant, and loving mentors to the young who you have entrusted to us. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.