“The people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority…”
In the Gospel of Mark for this Sunday, we hear how the people who listened to Jesus were amazed because they had never experienced someone speaking with such authority. Jesus Christ’s is the Word of God and with authority to teach the truth. His Word is the source of all authority for those of us who believe in Him. When we live in His truth, and how He teaches us to live, we share in His authority. In our Baptism and Confirmation we receive the power, the authority, to lead others to Jesus, the source of all truth.
On the other hand human authority is by nature transitory and can change—elections, power shifts, new laws, regulations, discoveries, etc. All of us would like to believe that what we say should be viewed as truth and our words judged on their values. However, we know—actions speak louder than words. We can go to church, say all the right words, but sometimes our actions say something else. The accusation of hypocrisy is one of the main negative criticisms of members of a formal religion—often Christianity. Parents tell their children that it is important to worship God, and that is true. But if the parents are not living their faith daily, they send a message that is a lot louder than their words.
If children observe their parents being mean to each other, the children are going to learn meanness-dominance, not kindness, as the standard ways of relating. Parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles warn their children about the evils of drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Yet children see different behavior in the adults in their families—those who may frequently overindulge or smoke. The message is that you better do as I say, but not as I do!
There are also the group dynamics of words and deeds. If we encounter gossip or the sharing of racist jokes and remain silent we are just as guilty in not standing up for Christ-centered values, ethics and morals as those doing the talking. Jesus addressed such hypocrisy frequently, and was not fearful for standing up against injustice—his mission wasn’t a popularity contest. Jesus calls us to do as he did, not just say what he said. We are his presence for others by our character-witness-ethical behavior-forgiveness-honor and love in family and community.
Formation in Christ centered values and morality is the mission of our church and school for all of us; it is the legacy we engender from generation to generation. The rich legacy of our parish extends to thousands of families over a history of nearly 149 years. Formation in Christ and living his ways as fundamentals of our parish cause a huge ripple effect on generations beyond the Napa Valley. Such a legacy of faith and actions becomes who we are and how the faith family lives on in Christ.
Legacy in faith education: our 51 year old school has hundreds of alumni, families, women Religious and faculties that have built the rich and sacred history that is the hallmark of formation in Christ. Our school history and tradition are linked to the present spirit of the principal, faculty, children, families and friends that make up the consistent character of excellence in academics supported by faith.
The hallowed traditions of our school can be seen in the way our alumni remain connected, along with past members of the faculty. It was wonderful to see the second generation of families in our Valley that graduated from our school give back at the auction and participate in helping to raise funds for our greatly needed tuition assistance program. Our newly arriving families also add to the richness and diversity that Christ calls us to in the human family of God.
Jesus is foundational in the formation of our school family. We teach that it is not only learning about the Lord–what he taught and having faith in Him; it is the living of Him daily. Such witness reflects who our students, faculty and school families are. Such goals live Christ daily in words and deeds is thematic in our celebration of National Catholic School Week and reflected in this year’s theme: “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge”
It is the responsibility of every parishioner to reflect Jesus to our children in a Christ-centered life. We celebrate with our principal, Chase Nordlund, our teachers, aid and staff who live their careers as ministry. We all need to help support the mission of our school, and find more ways to help more of our children receive a Catholic-Christ-centered education at St. Helena Catholic School. No family is turned away due to tuition needs. We need volunteers, perhaps you are retired or semi-retired and can help
As adults all of us need ongoing education about the teachings of our faith, and to be aware of what is going on in our community, country and world that threatens who we are and our values. Formation in Christ is ongoing as issues become cloudier and secularism encroaches on our moral life. Formation of conscience in Christ calls us to be educated and think about the effect of our words and actions on the Body of Christ, the family, and community. As we do, we become less casual in our attitude toward sin, lying; gossiping, or racial jokes-slurs and we become stronger in witnessing our Christian moral beliefs regardless of price.
So called progressives seek to expand government oversight and activity claiming to promote the common good. Simultaneously we need a development of provisions for dealing with the increased conflicts of conscience and faith beliefs to counter any such expansion of government that interferes with religious freedoms.
When we stand up publicly for our moral beliefs we teach our children and all family members about morality and right choices. We exercise our freedom and also protect our religious rights; we safe guard liberty, and defend the sanctity of all life. It isn’t on our own authority, but that which comes from the Lord.