Financial Aid Applications Due: Please begin submitting your financial aid renewals for the 2012-2013 school year. Applications must be received by PSAS prior to February 1, 2012. The application may be found on our school webpage in the Admissions section or by opening the following link: http://stmichaelsprep.org/images/stories/Admissions/psas_financial_aid_application.pdf
Entrance Exam/Open House
St. Michael’s will offer its Entrance Exam for the 2012-2013 academic year, on Saturday, January 28th. Check-in time is 8:00 a.m.
Pre-registration is required through our school office at 949-858-0222 ext 237.
Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 4, Section 5
SECTION 5: STUDY DETENTION
Students may forfeit their evening free time periods when they have a grade of 73% or less in any class until the next progress report proves the grade to be satisfactory, or when they fail to complete their homework properly, or when their academic work is unsatisfactory. Teachers may request the administration to intervene so that the student will complete whatever work is necessary. If academic performance is unsatisfactory, a student may be required by the administration to stay on Friday afternoon(s) or over the weekend to study. Weekend fees are charged. If academic performance is chronically unsatisfactory, a student may be required to withdraw.
This Week’s Photos: Rome
Sports This Week:
Tuesday: Soccer vs TVT @ STM; 3:00 p.m.
Thursday: Basketball @ Capo Valley; 5:00 p.m.
Friday: Soccer vs. CVC @ Rancho Capistrano; 3:15 p.m.
Birthdays:
None this week
Homily of the Week by Fr. Sebastian Walshe
Among other things, Fr. Sebastian teaches Philosophy in the abbey seminary.
“Though little in your own esteem, are you not the ruler of Israel?...”
With these words the prophet Samuel accuses Saul of a sin unfamiliar to all but a few of the faithful, but well known to the evil one who so successfully entraps men in this sin that even while they are committing it, they suppose themselves
to be acting virtuously. That sin is pusillanimity, “smallness of soul” which disguises itself as humility.
Pusillanimity is the vice of failing to strive for the greater goods which most of all perfect us because we falsely consider ourselves unable or unworthy to pursue them. The pusillanimous man refuses to
strive for holiness: “That’s for saints,” he says, “I’m just a humble man who
just wants to get into a mid-level condo in purgatory.” When a situation demands heroism, the
pusillanimous man excuses himself under the pretence of being unable or
unworthy. St. Thomas Aquinas says that pusillanimity is a sin worse than presumption, since by it many great goods are omitted, and in the Christian life, it is more important to do good than to
avoid evil.
Even saints like blessed Theresa of Calcutta sometimes fail in this way [story about
her not wanting to go to the poor Indians]
Opposed to pusillanimity is magnaminity, “greatness of soul” one of the greatest
virtues of the Christian life. The magnanimous man strives, with the help of God, for the greatest goods. He seeks in all things the honor and glory of God and the saints. St. Thomas teaches
that magnaminity especially produces trust in God: that trust so often recommended in the writings of St. Faustina. The magnanimous soul says with saint Paul: “I can do all things in Him
who strengthens me!”
This trust in divine help is especially exercised through obedience. The magnanimous soul obeys because it trusts in God’s help: God who has given the command will also give the power to
accomplish it. This great-souled obedience unmasks the false humility of
pusillanimity. St. Faustina once said that the Devil can weak the cloak of humility but not the cloak of obedience. Just as faith without works is dead, so humility without obedience is dead.
When the Lord sent Saul to destroy the Amalekites, He wanted absolutely everything
destroyed. but Saul and his men wanted to keep the best livestock, supposedly to sacrifice them to the Lord. We can do the same thing in our moral lives: the Lord sends us to destroy completely from our lives the things which incline us to sin. But then we start second guessing: “there’s nothing wrong with this or that thing, this i-pod, that group of friends…they’re not bad in themselves, I’ll keep them in my life and make them a sacrifice to the Lord.” When we do this we keep the livestock of the Amalekites.
The irony of it all is that often we will make greater sacrifices in order to do our own will than to do the will of God. This is how the scribes and Pharisees of this morning’s gospel
behaved. They fasted while the Bridegroom was present, when it was the will of God that they rejoice.
We can make great sacrifices and carry heavy self-fashioned crosses. But the merit of our sacrifices does not come from the suffering we willingly endure. Our sufferings have no merit. If I hand over my body to be burned, says St. Paul, yet I have not love, it profits nothing.
Our merit comes from union with the will of Christ, it comes from loving Christ.
Once Mother Theresa saw a sister who was going about with a sad countenance, she said to her “Sister, did Jesus say to take up your cross and go before Him or to follow Him?” “To follow Him” she said, and immediately she understood and her joy returned.
When e carry our cross it is to follow Jesus, because it is out of love of him that
we carry our cross. He must always be before us so that we can keep the eyes of our heart fixed on Him and be drawn by love of Him. His goodness is the only
thing that gives meaning to our cross.
If we carry our cross before Jesus, He remains behind us, unseen by our hearts. We live according to our own will, and our endurance of sufferings, no matter how impressive, are no better than pagan virtues. We are no better than pagans.
Beloved in Christ, the Christian soul is great not because it endures great suffering, but because it is open to God’s great mercy. In joy and in sorrow, let us always say: Jesus, I trust in You.
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
● Jodie Meschuk, wife of Coach Aaron Meschuk, who is expecting.
● The paternal grandfather of sophomore Andrew Bonello who is hospitalized
with a broken hip.
● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league
president, who has declining health.
● Mr. Glenn Emanuel, a member of the Norbertine Lay Order, who has a serious heart condition.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
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