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Good morning, Kristin,
I had the opportunity to attend Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.’s presentation at Seattle Preparatory School last Wednesday. Fr. Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, reflected on his ministry through the lens of our call to live as missionary disciples.
At one point, he cited a reflection by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, on the belief that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Rohr observes that the God many Christians worship is far too small—and if we are made in the image of a too-small God, then we go out into the world in a too-small way.
This past Sunday’s Gospel—the Parable of the Prodigal Son—echoes that insight. Both sons operate with a limited view of the father: one believes he’s beyond forgiveness; the other believes love must be earned. But the father responds with mercy and abundance, revealing a God who meets us not with judgment, but with belonging. Henri Nouwen described the father as “prodigal” in his own way—lavish in compassion, extravagant in love, and an icon of the God we are called to mirror.
Catholic schools are rooted in the conviction that Jesus Christ provides the most comprehensive and compelling example of the realization of full human potential (The Catholic School, 34–35). That potential is only as expansive as our image of God.
As Catholic educators, we are called to nurture in our students a deep sense of identity, purpose, and possibility. We cannot do that if we constrain their vision—or our own—by a narrow, tribal, or transactional notion of God. It begins with presenting a God whose presence permeates all creation, whose love knows no bounds, and whose invitation to transformation is for all people, in all times, and in all places.
With gratitude,
NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent
Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle
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