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Greetings!
In a reflection on this past Sunday’s Gospel, Fr. Marion Nguyen, Abbot at St. Martin Abbey, in Lacey, recognizes that “faith cannot ultimately rest upon the voice of the crowd.” But he also notes that hearing God in our midst is not easy.
We have many forms of distraction in our own lives. Our students come to us with their own distractions as we try to guide them toward an encounter with Christ. To counter this, Abbot Marion observes that “The monastic response is therefore not simply to escape the noise, but to cultivate a Petrine, attentive heart: a heart made capable of listening, receiving, and responding to what is true.” He goes on to name the conditions that allow for this space to come into existence: humility, silence, stability, prayer, and attentive listening.
One of the gifts we can offer our students amidst the busyness of the school day is the opportunity to be still and know. To create space of silence and stability, and to offer room to cultivate the attentive heart that leads them from the voices in the crowd to their encounter with Christ. And from there, they can listen to Jesus’ question that follows: “Who are you after you have encountered me?”
With gratitude,
NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent
Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle
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