Sunday, December 12th we celebrated the third Sunday in Advent. This week is often a turning point in this holy season of waiting and preparation. The tree goes up in many homes, the cookie baking begins in anticipation of Christmas celebrations, the hallways and classrooms at our Catholic schools are adorned with signs of two holy seasons evidenced by the juxtaposition of an Advent wreath alongside a Christmas tree. Our holy yet impatient waiting.
For those of us who mark Advent and make our final preparations in anticipation of Christmas our hearts and minds pause to praise God for the gift of life, the gift of our church, the outreach, the children in Catholic schools and religious education and all those who serve as missionary disciples. Our Savior came to us as a small child. In our Catholic schools we are privileged to experience Christ over and over again in the face of a child, to see the myriad ways in which Christ is present to us in their beautiful faces. In our churches we are privileged to experience Christ in the ways in which we serve the last, the lost, the least and the lonely. And together we experience Christ in one another. And, at this holy time of year, mindful of the deep heartache of many in our nation and world, we pause in a spirit of gratitude. Gratitude for the gift of Christ Jesus as a child and for the many ways we are able to experience the Christ child.
As a faith-based organization, it is a privilege to serve in a setting where the joy of the Gospel is at the heart of our work. Thank you for trusting us, the Meitler team, to accompany you and your school, parish and diocesan communities as your chart the best way to educate, nurture and share the love of Christ with all those your serve.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13)
Jackie Lichter, Ph.D.
