For the week of May 16, 2010

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week:
• For hosting students over the weekend: Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Schardt, Mr. and Mrs. Steve LeMire.
• For sponsoring a Parent Lunch: Mrs. Cathy Porretta (and daughters), Mrs. Ann Rincon, Mrs. Mariam Schardt, Mrs. Donna Stropko, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Wheatly .
For setting up chemistry labs: Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Schardt.
• For hosting the choir concert reception: Mr. and Mrs. Aldo Saglietto.

Congratulations to the choir students for their awards
• Best Upper classman and Best Bass – Jay Hipolito
• Best Lower classman – James Howard
• Best Tenor – Matt Brooks
• Best Baritone – James Tran
• Best All Around – Marco Saglietto
• Most Improved – Joseph Porretta
• Teacher’s Choice – Joe Terlisner

Photos this week depict student choir members practicing Magna Pater Augustine as part of the Living History experience for visiting 7th graders as well as singing in the Spring Choir Concert, From Mozart to Motown.

Congratulations to St. Michael’s most recently published student poets: Michael Haeuser, Edward Lim, Joseph Porretta, Michael Porretta, and David Suh.

Announcements
• May 23rd : Graduation, 7:00 p.m.
• May 31st : Baseball Awards Ceremony, 7:00 p.m.
• June 1st: Deadline for Student Account and Book Fee deposits

Vantage Point Lecture by Fr. Gabriel Stack, O.Praem.
Among other things, Fr. Gabriel is the headmaster of the school.

Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

These words from the holy evangelist remind us that as Christians we have faith and that gives us a vision and a hope of things beyond what we immediately experience. The heart of this faith is He whom we have before us in the Blessed Sacrament. It comes as no surprise then that Pope Leo the Great told his congregation, “we have a faith that can expel demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead.”

Unfortunately, we easily get trapped in habits and lifestyles which blind us to evidence right in front of us. The biggest error into which we succumb is also the oldest - the very human tendency to view life strictly from the framework of this world. We have grown up and grown old accustomed to talking about “the real world.” By it we mean things like the price of gasoline, presidential decision, doctor visits, investment portfolios, judicial appointments, the environment, the war, and the like. These things are important. And there is certainly enough for a Christian to do to make these concerns less vexing.

This life is serious – but only because it intersects with the world which ultimately counts. If it were not so, your life and mine (and that of the entire human race) would, in the final analysis, have no more worth than that of a bird or a beetle. Pope Benedict expressed it this way in a homily: “Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.” It is only He who gives our “here and now” its ultimate meaning and its perfect end.

The greatest challenge for us today is to move beyond the limits this world imposes. Spending time with our Lord calls us to do precisely that. Our Incarnate Savior who came down from heaven and, now, has returned to heaven demonstrates that a realm exists different from what we live now. It is "above" this world not in a spatial sense but because of its superiority. While everything here below eventually passes away, that heavenly realm possesses a real power to renew. From His divine vantage point, Jesus continues his saving work and one day will bring all who have known the only true God, and the one whom He sent, into his kingdom.

This is how Christians are different from the movers and shakers of the society in which we live. It has always been so. An early Christian writer, Diognetus, explained in the second century…Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign. Yet, there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.

This wonderful truth that — there is more to life than the world we see — each believer discovers for himself. During the weeks of April and May each senior in the Class of 2010 shared a reflection in which he made some reference to his own awareness of this life-changing realization. One of the seniors said the following: Coming here seemingly meant giving up the essentials; home, family, friends, and freedom. I was abruptly plunged into dorm life with sixty strangers, a rigorous curriculum, and needed to adapt to the strict schedule, which left me only a fraction of free time. …Now I know that St. Michael’s gave me freedom. St. Michael’s keeps you free from most of the clamor and distractions of the world, free from the drama of public high-school, freedom to mature into a knowledgeable Catholic man, and most importantly the freedom and ease in pursuing a deep spiritual life. The structure which I once thought was so oppressive became my favorite aspect of this school. Having Mass and Holy Hour as a mandatory part of everyday made me realize just how important they are. I didn’t just survive St. Michael’s Prep I thrived here because I could live a serious spiritual life in the company of holy men and good friends. St. Michael’s has not taken anything away from me; it has given me everything that I truly needed.

The enduring presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is a mystery of faith and of hope as it draws our minds upward - to eternal life. Someday, we will be with Him. And because we will be where He is – we will have complete and perfect happiness – forever. Alleluia.


In publishing this talk, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students and parents are enriched every day.


Prayer Requests
• Aid to the Church in Need, an international charity of the Catholic Church, which is seeking God’s blessings upon their work and their national directors during the month of May.
• Mrs. Delores Hasset, godmother of Mrs. Debbi Holke, who is suffering from cancer
• Mrs. Maureen Mitchell, aunt of Mrs. Debbi Holke, who is suffering from cancer
• Mrs. Harriet Nordeck, one time teacher at St. Michael’s, who is close to death
• Mr. Bill Ortega, who has a pulmonary blood clot
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis
• Those who are in the armed forces.