3 Sunday
Year C
January 21, 2007 11:00am Blessed Sacrament (Hollywood) by Fr Michael Caruso,S.J. LMU

1. Most people seem to grow up and leave home, moving to another part of the city, another state, or even another country. Yet there are always pulls and strings that may bring us back to where we grew up. And yet, when we return to our homes, it is always a very different experience…different in how we remember it, or the picture in our mind.

2. Today, Jesus goes back to his home town where he grew up and entered the synagogue; this synagogue was a place where the Jews of Nazareth gathered each week to read, proclaim, and study the scriptures…it was a school, a religious school. It was an extension of the home, a place where the lessons were brought home to the house of Mary and Joseph. There was a link between these places, the home and synagogue.

3. If you have ever had the chance to go back to your school, it is an amazing experience. Last fall, I went to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the high school I attended. A few teachers that I had were there. When did they grow old? I thought they were immortal! I thought of the four years of my life I spent at that school and all the sacrifices that had been made. The rooms always look smaller than you remember. The people who are no longer there still are present in your mind.

4. Catholic schools have a special mission to advance the lessons taught at church and at home. The evidence and research on Catholic schools continually highlights that students attain excellent achievement. But ultimately what distinguishes these schools is the great commitment of the believing community; the parish family.

5. In the United States, Catholic schools have always been an outreach to immigrants. Initially, this outreach was to the immigrants from Europe, but in our day and age, we need to remember our history and reach out to new immigrants from central and south America, from Asia. Many people come to this country from places where Catholic schools are associated with the wealthy and privileged; but that is not the reality of the United States. The archdiocese of Los Angeles is committed to find a place for every student who wants a Catholic school education.

6. This doesn’t mean that sending a child to a Catholic school will come without some sacrifice. Our parishes are obligated to pay a living wage to our dedicated teachers. Look at your own school. Any teacher here could substantially increase his or her salary by going to the public system. However, they are here because of a tremendous dedication and a sense of dedication: to bring glad tidings, to proclaim liberty, to open eyes, and to teach the fundamental lessons of our faith.

7. Each generation faces it educational challenges. In the early 1800s there were enormous waves of anti-Catholicism, which fueled the movement to build Catholic schools. But later, this anti-Catholicism would get enshrined into the laws of almost every state with the Blaine amendments, which do not permit any public funds to go to Catholic schools. This did not deter our ancestors. They made sacrifices to build parishes and schools. Many young men and women stepped forward to staff these institutions as sisters, brothers, and priests. With the diministhment of this workforce, lay men and women have taken up the work.

8. Today, it is the challenge of resolve; to help families see that our schools are the best place for an education. That the link between the Catholic school and the home is of supreme importance. At the baptismal liturgy, the priest or deacon says to the parents that they will be the first and best teachers of their child in the faith. An awesome responsibility. But we too have an obligation to help these parents.

So today, as Jesus visits his old home and school; I invite you to revisit your own school experience with a sense of gratitude to those who made that possible. But also consider how you might continue to help this great apostolate of the church today.

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