Thanks to the following families who helped this past week
• Hosting students over the weekend: the Le Family, Nguyen (Thomas) Family, and the Rivero Family.
• Hosting our Advent Carols and Lessons reception: Mrs. Maria Saglietto
• Hosting the Speech and Debate Winter Showcase: Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bonello
• Carpooling students: Mrs. Catherine Bowe
Congratulations to our students
• Daniel Murphy-Dimen who earned first place in our Speech and Debate Winter Showcase.
• Members of the choir who sang for the Advent Lessons and Carols.
Academics
Semester exams this week! The semester exam tests the student’s ability to synthesize large quantities of materials. Semester grades which appear on the formal school transcript as a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) are calculated from three weighted factors. Each of the two quarter grades weighs 40%. The semester exam itself weighs 20% of the semester grade. For more information about the semester grades and their importance please refer to Chapter 3 of the Parent Student Handbook.
Birthdays
Dec. 15th Michael Porretta
Dec. 18th Anthony Guerra
Dec. 19th James Howard
Dec. 27th Brendan Bowe
Jan. 10th Spencer Manson
Admissions
• Early Action application deadline is Friday, December 18th
• Fr. Victor will host an information table after all the Masses at San Secondo D' Asti in Guasti, CA on Sunday, December 27th. If you know any families who would enjoy finding out more information about St. Michael’s, please let them know about this event.
• St. Michael’s entrance test is Saturday, January 30th at 9 am. Registration is required.
Weekly Homily by Fr. Victor Szczurek, O.Praem.
Among other things, Fr..Victor teaches religion in the Prep School
The feast day of any saint is always an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful works of God—Deus est mirabilis in sanctis suis, “God is wonderful in His saints”; but a feast day of a saint who also happens to be a pope, like St. Damasus, gives us even more cause to admire God’s works, which, we are told in today’s Gospel, are the justification of His wisdom. God’s power and wisdom are so evident in the lives of the popes because it is there especially that we see divine power working through our human weakness. You can say that, in the life of any pope, the power and wisdom of God, placed as they are against the backdrop of feeble human nature, stand out in bold relief, as it were. And what better way to prepare for Christmas than to consider such a meeting of the human and the divine, since on Christmas Morning we will celebrate that day when the almighty power of God shone out from the nothingness of our human nature in a most wonderful manner!
The office of the papacy—the idea that the entire weight of the Church should rest on the bent shoulders of one single man, and that Christ should leave His own flock in the hands of a frail human being—this office of the papacy is a great example of how God often chooses to perform His greatest works employing the humblest means. The Carpenter from Nazareth, Who could make a table out of a piece of wood, also willed to make man out of the slime of the earth and a pope out of a fisherman. Wisdom is justified in its works.
You might even say that God prefers it when the odds are stacked high against Him; that’s when He’s at His best, when He works His greatest wonders, when His wisdom and power shine forth the most. Even a cursory glance at the history of the Church shows God over and over again raising up popes to teach, rule and sanctify His Church in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances. Some were great saints, others great sinners, all of them only human; and yet, by the power and wisdom of God, they taught more than Elijah, ruled more than David, and sanctified more than Moses and Aaron; and they did all this while facing lions in the ancient arenas, turning back barbarian leaders from the gates of Rome, building the most magnificent cathedrals, standing up to the tyrants of the world, and saving entire nations from extermination. And yet, should we be surprised that God would will to rule His Church through a mere man when He Himself had ruled it from a manger?
Yes, God loves the seemingly impossible and He loves to work through the humblest means. Pope St. Damasus understood this well, which might explain why he himself had such a great devotion to the relics of the martyrs, adorning their tombs as he did with over 100 epithets. One of these was written for his own tomb and is a confession of God’s love for the dramatic, the seemingly impossible: [God] Who trods the tumultuous waves, Who restores life to the seeds which die in the earth, Who could unloosen the lethal bonds of death after darkness, and restore life after three days to Martha’s brother, will, I believe, make Damasus rise from his ashes.
God can do all that, and much more. And so, if you have on your Christmas Wish List this year what you think is a nearly impossible request, bring it with you to the manger, and place it at the feet of the Christ Child, place it there with complete trust; and then watch the wisdom of God manifest itself in His works.
In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.
Prayer Requests
• Mr. Jack Doherty who is battling cancer
• Mrs. Betty Evans, who has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma
• For Mrs. Marilyn Garvey’s recuperation after surgery.
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Mr. Richard Nelson, grandfather of David Hall, who is battling cancer
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
• Students preparing for semester exams
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
• Those who are in the armed forces.
• Hosting students over the weekend: the Le Family, Nguyen (Thomas) Family, and the Rivero Family.
• Hosting our Advent Carols and Lessons reception: Mrs. Maria Saglietto
• Hosting the Speech and Debate Winter Showcase: Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bonello
• Carpooling students: Mrs. Catherine Bowe
Congratulations to our students
• Daniel Murphy-Dimen who earned first place in our Speech and Debate Winter Showcase.
• Members of the choir who sang for the Advent Lessons and Carols.
Academics
Semester exams this week! The semester exam tests the student’s ability to synthesize large quantities of materials. Semester grades which appear on the formal school transcript as a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) are calculated from three weighted factors. Each of the two quarter grades weighs 40%. The semester exam itself weighs 20% of the semester grade. For more information about the semester grades and their importance please refer to Chapter 3 of the Parent Student Handbook.
Birthdays
Dec. 15th Michael Porretta
Dec. 18th Anthony Guerra
Dec. 19th James Howard
Dec. 27th Brendan Bowe
Jan. 10th Spencer Manson
Admissions
• Early Action application deadline is Friday, December 18th
• Fr. Victor will host an information table after all the Masses at San Secondo D' Asti in Guasti, CA on Sunday, December 27th. If you know any families who would enjoy finding out more information about St. Michael’s, please let them know about this event.
• St. Michael’s entrance test is Saturday, January 30th at 9 am. Registration is required.
Weekly Homily by Fr. Victor Szczurek, O.Praem.
Among other things, Fr..Victor teaches religion in the Prep School
The feast day of any saint is always an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful works of God—Deus est mirabilis in sanctis suis, “God is wonderful in His saints”; but a feast day of a saint who also happens to be a pope, like St. Damasus, gives us even more cause to admire God’s works, which, we are told in today’s Gospel, are the justification of His wisdom. God’s power and wisdom are so evident in the lives of the popes because it is there especially that we see divine power working through our human weakness. You can say that, in the life of any pope, the power and wisdom of God, placed as they are against the backdrop of feeble human nature, stand out in bold relief, as it were. And what better way to prepare for Christmas than to consider such a meeting of the human and the divine, since on Christmas Morning we will celebrate that day when the almighty power of God shone out from the nothingness of our human nature in a most wonderful manner!
The office of the papacy—the idea that the entire weight of the Church should rest on the bent shoulders of one single man, and that Christ should leave His own flock in the hands of a frail human being—this office of the papacy is a great example of how God often chooses to perform His greatest works employing the humblest means. The Carpenter from Nazareth, Who could make a table out of a piece of wood, also willed to make man out of the slime of the earth and a pope out of a fisherman. Wisdom is justified in its works.
You might even say that God prefers it when the odds are stacked high against Him; that’s when He’s at His best, when He works His greatest wonders, when His wisdom and power shine forth the most. Even a cursory glance at the history of the Church shows God over and over again raising up popes to teach, rule and sanctify His Church in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances. Some were great saints, others great sinners, all of them only human; and yet, by the power and wisdom of God, they taught more than Elijah, ruled more than David, and sanctified more than Moses and Aaron; and they did all this while facing lions in the ancient arenas, turning back barbarian leaders from the gates of Rome, building the most magnificent cathedrals, standing up to the tyrants of the world, and saving entire nations from extermination. And yet, should we be surprised that God would will to rule His Church through a mere man when He Himself had ruled it from a manger?
Yes, God loves the seemingly impossible and He loves to work through the humblest means. Pope St. Damasus understood this well, which might explain why he himself had such a great devotion to the relics of the martyrs, adorning their tombs as he did with over 100 epithets. One of these was written for his own tomb and is a confession of God’s love for the dramatic, the seemingly impossible: [God] Who trods the tumultuous waves, Who restores life to the seeds which die in the earth, Who could unloosen the lethal bonds of death after darkness, and restore life after three days to Martha’s brother, will, I believe, make Damasus rise from his ashes.
God can do all that, and much more. And so, if you have on your Christmas Wish List this year what you think is a nearly impossible request, bring it with you to the manger, and place it at the feet of the Christ Child, place it there with complete trust; and then watch the wisdom of God manifest itself in His works.
In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.
Prayer Requests
• Mr. Jack Doherty who is battling cancer
• Mrs. Betty Evans, who has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma
• For Mrs. Marilyn Garvey’s recuperation after surgery.
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Mr. Richard Nelson, grandfather of David Hall, who is battling cancer
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
• Students preparing for semester exams
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
• Those who are in the armed forces.
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