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The Nativity, from Eglise Sainte Madeleine, Strasbourg, by Pethrus - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Catholic Schools Foundation

Friday, January 3, 2025Culture

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Catholic school teachers animate the Gospel each day and encourage students to live the Gospel and be empathetic as Christ was when he was with us.

Michael
Reardon

Last week, I received an anxious call from my 20-year-old son at 12:30 in the morning telling me that his connecting flight was canceled, and the next flight was not until 22 hours later. He was anxious, frustrated, and exhausted. What I did not say was, "Now you know how parents feel all the time," although I did remind him that this was a first-world problem. It is reminders like these that will likely eliminate me from contention as father of the year for the 21st straight year.
Anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion are real for all of us. In fact, it is why I love the petition offered after we recite the Lord's Prayer at Mass, "Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ."
Two thousand years ago, Jesus came into the world, and this is the Christmas headline. Amen. However, there is another story, a very human drama that is worth considering. Having witnessed childbirth four times at one of the world's best hospitals with the best nurses, doctors, and equipment available, it is still a terrifying experience. When I try and imagine Joseph with Mary in that dirty barn, watching her struggle and labor, still reeling from the news that this child was not even his but was the Son of God. I cannot imagine what these moments were like, but we should imagine them.

In Matthew 1:19, we see how Joseph was thinking about Mary's pregnancy and how he ''did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." This is a very real response. Even the Holy Family struggled from time to time!
Marriage and parenting can be a stressful business, but so too is the stress of the couple who are not able to have a child or the person who worries they will never find a match in love or the impending descent of that relative whose presence increases your blood pressure! The struggles of individuals and families during this time of year are real and can be compounded by the expectation that everyone else is joy-filled and living scenes from a Hallmark movie.
Recently, at the Catholic Schools Foundation, we received an emergency scholarship fund request from a family struggling to maintain housing, never mind keeping their child in Catholic school. The one stable thing in their life is their child's school. As we celebrate this Christmas Season, it is with profound gratitude to those who choose to support the students and families we serve. People who understand that their support will profoundly and positively impact the lives of students and families for generations.
Without the birth of Christ, there is no reason for Catholic Schools. Catholic schools exist to bring the joy and hope of the Gospel to the world. Catholic school teachers animate the Gospel each day and encourage students to live the Gospel and be empathetic as Christ was when he was with us.
This Christmas as we face our own anxieties and pressures and as we seek "peace in our day," we can challenge ourselves to have empathy. Feel what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph on that first Christmas, think about what it must feel like for those around us who may struggle this time of year and for ourselves that we can find that "joyful hope" this Christmas Season.

- Michael B. Reardon is executive director of the Catholic Schools Foundation, www.CSFBoston.org.