Newsletter 16: 28 November 2023
“Let us remember one thing: with Jesus,
there is always the possibility of beginning again.
It’s never too late!”
An Advent message - Pope Francis
Dear Colleagues,
Last Sunday marked the conclusion of the current liturgical year and was celebrated with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, also known as the Feast of Christ the King. Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 with his encyclical Quas primas (“In the first”). The timing, context, and reasons for the institution of this Feast seem remarkably prescient for these most troubled times in which we live. Pius was a truly gifted person. Born Achille Ratti near Milan in 1857, he was an accomplished mountaineer and exceptional scholar, gaining three doctorates in philosophy, canon law, and theology. When aged 57, what was to be known as The Great War erupted, wreaking havoc and death across Europe. In 1919 when 62, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, which endured further armed conflict in the Polish-Soviet War of 1920. Ratti was unsuccessful in influencing the fraught politics of eastern Europe at this time and returned to Italy to be appointed Cardinal Archbishop of Milan in 1921. Following the unexpected death of Pope Benedict XV, Ratti was elected Pope in the fourteenth ballot of the conclave on 6 February 1922 and took the name Pius. He was 65 and remained Pope until his death in 1939, aged 81. Throughout his Papacy, Pius worked tirelessly for peace, speaking strongly against secularism, atheism, nationalism, and racism. In 1925, recognising that attempting to “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law” out of public life would result in continuing discord among people and nations, Pius instituted the solemnity of Christ the King to remind people of faith that while governments come and go, Christ reigns as “King” forever in our minds, wills, hearts, and bodies. Pius wrote:
He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm
belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills,
which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which
should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone.
He must reign in our bodies, which should serve as instruments for the interior
sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘as instruments of
justice unto God.’
-Quas primas, 33
Sadly, the truth of these words is made stark in comparison with events in human history since they were written in 1925, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza today. As Marist educators, we seek to make Jesus known and loved, in the minds, wills, hearts and bodies of our students. Through witness, prayer, and word, our work is to constantly invite Jesus into their lives, so in life’s journey their decisions and actions will be informed by love, not fear.
As we enter the Advent season and these final weeks of the 2023 school year with renewed commitment to our vocation in Catholic education, may these encouraging words from Pope Francis remind us:
“.. with Jesus, there is always the possibility of beginning again, it’s never too late!”
May the remaining time in Term 4 be filled with immense satisfaction and thanks to God for all that has been achieved with our students and families this year and the joy and hope that Jesus brings be with you and your loved ones this Christmas.