A Note From Mr. Swann 9/15/2023

 Weekly Reflection 9/15/2023:

This week has been full of ups and downs.  Perhaps you have had the same type of experience that I have during this week; you know, one of those where you never quite know what's coming next.  Today's Gospel focuses on the Blessed Virgin standing in sorrow in front of the cross.  When we think about it in comparison to this, our lives just aren't so bad are they?  Sure, we have deadlines to keep and requirements (no matter how aggravating they may be) to adhere to but not too many of us are accepting the crucifixion of our perfect child for the greater good of all mankind. 

During hall-prayer with the Junior High students yesterday, I shared with them a recent Gallop Poll which found that 74% of all Americans believe in God, but only 59% believe in hell.  The students, much like me, were very surprised by this.  Given this knowledge, it should be no surprise to us that world is the way it is...there is simply no consequence in the minds of Americans: i.e., "I want what I want, and I'm entitled to it regardless I believe in all things reward, and no things consequence."

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and, as Mary stood there at the foot of the cross looking up at her son and knowing that He was bearing the consequence of sin for us all, I can't possibly fathom how broken her heart must have been.  As we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, let us remember the sacrifice that was made for the salvation of our souls, and pray for all those who do not recognize the consequence of sin. 

"For if you turn again to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with those who led them captive, and will come again into this land, because the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you if you return to him." — 2 Chronicles 30:9

Mr. Jason C. Swann
Principal
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Regional Catholic

A Note From Mr. Swann 9/8/2023

OLMC Family.

Welcome to September.  Another week has gone, and we are one week closer to Thanksgiving, I guess. (The break alone is already beginning to look attractive) What is it that you are thankful for?  I thought about this question much over the last few weeks.  Like you, I have a great deal to be thankful for and yet, perhaps much like you as well, I often find that fact difficult to remember and practice.  Perhaps this is because our focus is on the wrong place.  

I suppose if we were to list on a sheet of paper our items of thanksgiving on one side, and across from that, our items of disappointment/distraction/things which upset us, the side containing those of thanksgiving would far outweigh the side containing the disappointment.  However, if we loaded those same two categories into a sound machine, I'm quite certain the disappointment side would be the loudest.  Why is it that the difficult and challenging issues seem to be so much louder than the peaceful and happy events. 

I'm often reminded of growing up without much and how much I hated it as a youth and now, as an adult I am thankful as that experience has both made me appreciate what I have now significantly and to be aware that, should I ever lose it, I will be okay. 

Our faith tells us that without suffering, without the opportunity to carry our cross, the true appreciation for Jesus's sacrifice for us is lost.  We are a people who tend to go after the things we want; the things that make us feel good and detest anything that we don't want or that comes with a struggle.  We have conditioned ourselves to reject suffering.  We often strive to avoid anything which makes us feel uncomfortable such as personal or spiritual challenge, self-discipline, confession, confrontation and even at times, the mass.  However, is that what is really in God's plan for our Spiritual development? Saint Augustine once said that "If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself." 

"Rejoice always, Pray continually, Give thanks in all circumstances; For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Mr. Jason C. Swann
Principal
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Regional Catholic
(618)942-4484 ext. 3102
jswann@olmcschool.net

 “The Forest for the Trees” – A Gospel Reflection:

Growing up, it wasn’t uncommon for my grandfather to tell me from time to time – “Son, you can’t see the forest for the trees.”  In his frustration with me asking so many questions, he was basically saying I’m missing the big picture because my mind is lost in the details.  I had the opportunity to share yesterday’s Gospel with our Junior High during afternoon hall prayer and something quite amazing happened…they listened.  (Right??!!)  I don’t say this to make a joke (well, maybe more of a point) as much as to say when I was preparing for it, I was worried regarding their ability to make the connection between the Jewish people whom Jesus was addressing and themselves.

The Gospel Thursday from John (5:31-47) follows Jesus talking to the Jewish people (who were a very holy people and brought up on scripture teaching) regarding their understanding that ALL they had been taught regarding the coming of Christ was right there in front of them yet, His testimony would not be enough:

“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true…The works that my Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf.”  You see, our Lord is trying to explain to the Jewish people that HE IS THE ONE which they have read and heard about.  This explanation by Jesus is met with the rebuttal of “but we have the scriptures, and we have Moses, and we have John the Baptist...”  You see, these things in of themselves were extremely important tools/opportunities to prepare the people for Christ – not an alternative to Christ.  “You search the scriptures because you think you have eternal life through them” the Lord told them. 

The second half of the Gospel the Lord reminds them that He isn’t looking for human praise because, although it makes one feel good, it most often has a hollow meaning and that the only acceptance which matters is that of the Lord.  So how could I relate this to 6-8^th graders who are so easily influenced and base much of self-worth on image?  Take the Jew’s examples of the scriptures, Moses, John and slightly alter this into a Junior High student’s grade-point average, batting average, free-throw percentage, perfect attendance, class rank, I think you are getting the picture.  As before, these things in of themselves are good however; none of them are getting any of these kids to Heaven.  So, which, like the Jews, are our children putting more emphasis on, their accomplishments, status, ranking, or Jesus? 

As I asked them this question and continued to illustrate Jesus explaining to the Jews that He was the one which Moses, John and the scriptures told of, and that the Jewish people still wanted to argue, I could see in their faces the processing beginning.  Is the reason some of us aren’t walking with Christ because it’s uncomfortable or unfamiliar?  Is the reason some of us aren’t walking with Christ because we would have to possibly forgo “human praise”?  Could it be that we already feel that we are good enough on our own?  Do we believe that Christ is the fulfillment of scriptures or, are we still too busy searching the scriptures looking for Christ?  Simply, how many of us can’t see the forest for the trees? 

Our Gospel message reminds us that Jesus is the only way to eternal life.  Good grades, mass attendance, scripture memorization, works, knowledge, wealth, success, athleticism, accomplishment and even praise from others are all good things in and of themselves however, they will not – cannot – give us everlasting life.  When Christ is standing right in front of you, don’t get caught up in the details. 

Mr. Swann - Principal

 Reflection for January 2023:

I realize that quite a bit of time has passed between now and my previous reflection.  Truthfully, I’m not one hundred percent sure if that even matters.  I’ve been having this feeling for quite some time now given all the different things one can deal with as an administrator at a Catholic school and how to balance the Gospel message of Jesus with a society that seems anything but “Jesus-like”.  Because of this, it’s easy to allow negativity to creep in through the cracks of our spiritual lives.  Last Friday however, something happened, the Holy Spirit I presume, came and shook me a little bit out of this mindset and opened my ears to what I was getting ready to hear.  I would now ask you to open yours, along with your mind, to reflect on what you are about to read/hear as well. 

I was sitting in our All-School mass on Friday morning, just as I do every Friday, reflecting on each and every issue that was going on at the time, trying to time-line in my head deadlines for the accreditation documents, my son’s upcoming medical visits and procedures, my other son’s senior-year events, the seemingly mounting issues piling up from family to family and praying about “why the world, heck, our small community, is swimming in negativity, gossip and division” when the Holy Spirit stepped in and forced me to listen to something.  Now, this something wasn’t anything new to be honest, in fact, the action of it is something we do in every mass we attend – The Prayers of the Faithful – however, this one gave me the answer I was looking for.  You see, generally when we do the prayers and petitions during mass we are all asked to answer in a specific way, often “Lord hear our prayer” as we all pray these petitions together.  It was at that moment when two things entered into my mind; 1. Are we actually listening to these petitions, and 2. Are we actually prayer these prayers as an OLMC community?  Let me refresh these prayers from last Friday from the second-grade students:

“That world leaders and their intentions will always be on justice for ALL the people they represent and not on personal power and prestige…”

“For unity among Christianity and all churches throughout the world…”

“For anyone who is struggling to deal with the death of a family member or loved one…”

“That we may always remember to treat others the way we want to be treated...”

“That our community will be united in love, justice and compassion…”

“That our teachers may be lifted up and given the respect and honor they deserve…”

“For our students and their families, that they always be blessed by God in all that they do…”

“For our own special intentions…”

In each of these prayers that our 2^nd graders led us in, the entire church answered “Lord, hear our prayer.”  So, I have to ask you, did you actually pray these prayers and if so, are you actually practicing the prayers that you were praying last Friday morning?  If we are actually doing this I have to believe that we should begin to see some kind of change, that something positive must be brewing inside of each of us right?  “Unity among Christians, treating others the way we want to be treated, united in love and compassion and justice, give and given respect and honor, to bless and be blessed”, No?  Maybe? 

Something similar happened this morning at the 11:00 Sunday mass as we kicked off Catholic School’s Week and Fr. Mark’s Homily spoke about the Beatitudes.  I looked around at an unusually and wonderfully PACKED church building and thought “if we only lived these things and didn’t just recite them”.  That’s when the Holy Spirit shook me again.  You see, the changes we want to see begin with US!  Being nice isn’t predicated on allowing evil to happen for the sake of not upsetting anyone.  Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.  God expects us to be kind, but not to be weak.  So, here it is:

It is time to stop talking and start doing; to stop coasting and start working; to build and not break down; to believe and not detract; to unify and not divide.  It is beyond time to act as Jesus tells us to or get out of the way.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if a revival of Christian works and discipleship exploded here at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and School?  I mean, all the pieces are there, and have been, for something amazing to take place.  Maybe, we just need to get out of our own way and let go of all our ridiculous hang-ups and personal platforms and let God do His will in our lives!  We cannot teach our kids to be disciples if continue to live only for ourselves. 

Mr. Swann - Principal

 Gospel Reflection 9-26-22:

Today’s Gospel reflects on something I’ve been dealing with within our OLMC family quite a bit lately.  As I read and re-read the Gospel this morning, I began to wish to myself that things would just be easy for a while.  That I would be able to focus on accreditation, the business aspect of the school, and/or celebrating in the small victories our students win on a daily basis in the many areas of their education.  However, I know that will not be the case.  I think it’s quite appropriate that the Disciples, those who were in the very presence of Jesus, still acted in a way which many of us act today. 

As Luke states:  “An argument arose among the disciples which of them was the greatest.  Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them; ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.  For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.’”

We (teachers) see this behavior every day amongst our students.  I want to be first in line, first to the monkey bars, first to the kickball, first to snack, first to turn my work in, first to finish, first, first, first….after all “if you aint first, you’re last!” right?  Apparently, Jesus doesn’t seem to think so.  Growing up I often compared myself to my peers and others in my neighborhood or family.  It seems pretty natural to do so.  I also know that I developed some of my behaviors (both good and bad) because of that comparison.  It is because of this I looked at the Gospel today with a question: I wonder how many people witnessed the disciples arguing about being “first” in front of Jesus.  The Gospel says they were among children; how many children saw first-hand these men of God arguing in such a selfish manner in front of the Christ, and, what kind of lesson did that teach those young people?  Fortunately Jesus was there to take one of the children and teach the lesson not only to them, but to the same disciples who were acting so entitled.  Unfortunately for us, we do not have Jesus in physical form to correct us of our own arrogance and entitlement on the spot as he did with the disciples. 

Jesus’s lesson to us and the disciples this morning reminded me of a prayer card that I often read.  This prayer reminds me and refocuses me on why I left higher education and pursued the vocation of being a Catholic School Principal to begin with – our children.  That prayer reads as follows:

Children Learn What They Live:

If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule, He leans to be shy.

If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance, He learns be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice.

If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval, He learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance & friendship, He learns to find love in the world.

Jesus reminds us today that when we look around and judge who is “the greatest” Christian (or who isn’t), we miss the point.  God doesn’t measure our greatness by comparing us to others, nor is he judging us as failures because others disagree with us.  Today’s Gospel shows us Christ bypassing adults (the disciples) for favor of the children in order to teach them what the disciples were failing to.  In that same way, God is asking us to teach our children right from wrong, to care for others, to respect one-another, to listen to the voice of God’s call, to be mindful that true success is a sincere desire to serve.  He is asking us to teach them through our actions and our words which we display.  May we learn from the mistakes of the disciples in today’s Gospel, and continue to grow the mission of Christ not only for ourselves, but for our children. 

Mr. Swann - Principal

 Gospel Reflection for 4/29/22:

Yesterday’s Gospel from John reminds us of who is in charge.  Over the 40 days of Lent, I purposely didn’t write any reflections for the school because I needed to use that time to focus and take inventory of my life over the previous year as I did my best to draw closer to God’s message.  Each of us has a choice to make when it comes to our own personal character – the standard of which we will hold ourselves.  John’s Gospel highlights that very thing. 

The background for the Reading takes place as John the Baptist is responding to a question stemming from a dispute between the Disciples of John and a Jew when about what’s proper regarding ceremonial washings.  Both John’s disciples and the Jew were concerned about Jesus baptizing people nearby because the “law” was not being followed as it was written.  John responds in the following way:

The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him. JN 3: 31-36

So, here’s the point…We still often fail to acknowledge that The One who comes from above is above all.  We all seem to acknowledge that “God is above all things” until we want to put ourselves or our desires above God.  As we read this at Morning Prayer yesterday with the Junior High I asked the entire group, “How many of you believe that God is above all and that the law of God is above all laws of man?”  Every student put their hand in the air.  I believe this is very reflective of how most in our society would answer that same question.  I then asked, “How many of you know someone who would make the same concession that you just did and yet still place themselves above God?”  Every student put their hand in the air.  I believe this is very reflective of most of our society as well.  Knowing what we know, when are we going to begin to hold ourselves to a higher standard?  When?

John’s Gospel reminded those disciples and the Jewish man (as well as us) that God calls them to be different.  God expects us to be above our earthly standard, not to rewrite the standard so that it matches up with what we want and how we want it to be placing us before God…and, yet, here we are.  What will your standard be?

 Reflection for February 25, 2022:

OLMC Family,

As I sit here reflecting on this week, this year…the last 23 months to be exact, I can’t help but have extreme mixed emotions regarding the events beginning on March 13, 2020 to now.  When all this began, there were so many heated emotions surrounding the shutdown of schools, moves to remote learning, and the overall uncertainty which surrounded the COVID 19 pandemic.  Fear and confusion gripped everyone in many different ways and for our schools, this meant taking everything we knew about education and educating students and seemingly throwing it out the window. 

Learning on the fly became the norm for administrators, teachers and families/students alike.  Change became the expectation and adapting to yesterday’s changes long enough for today’s changes to alter those adaptations became second-hand.  Teachers and administration alike tried as best they could to field questions to which they didn’t have answers to in hopes of comforting families, students, and themselves as they attempted to navigate a very difficult reality.  From the beginning, it was confusion, anger and frustration coming from all angles and sleep...well, forget about that. 

Slowly things began to unify and all of us seemed to accept (as best we could) the hand that was dealt to us both medically and politically.  People “showed up” and they supported one another.  The ideal, regardless of which “side” of the opinion-fence one stood on any matter, that we were “all in this together” was solid.  We had each other’s back.  Most of us thought we had our arms around this thing and that we would see one another through it to the other side when we would all celebrate things being “back to normal”. 

Another year came and went and although the vision of “normal” didn’t become a realization, we slowly grew to be comfortable in this new world.  Many fell into such comfort that they disregarded the unfortunate fact that there are powers which regulate policy well beyond any of us.  Again, frustration grew and so too did apathy.  Even as we made progress it was never fast enough.  I would be lying if I said I didn’t often feel this way myself however, my opinion is irrelevant when it comes to policy.  The responsibility of balancing 255 students, 212 families, and 50 staff members takes precedence over any opinion or personal issue I may have.  I understand this all too well and accept it fully. 

Now, we are preparing to enter into the season of Lent.  For many, this is what the past couple years has felt like. Comparable to wandering in the desert for 40 days without knowing when it will end, when the resurrection will happen.  This season however is different.  We know there is an end in sight regardless of whether or not it fits in our timeline.  We know that we are leaving one “season” and possibly entering into another one.  Yet here we are.  For each of us, each of you, the question is what comes next. 

There has been a great amount of grace and support at times throughout this past season and at other times, none at all.  We have persevered and as we move forward, we will do what we always do, prepare to do it again.  My prayer for this upcoming Lenten season is that, in each of our individual journeys, we draw ourselves closer to God and His will in our lives.  In doing so, perhaps we will enter into an understanding that, COVID aside, as God’s people, we are still all in this together: To support, protect, and assist each other in the process of healing, of growing forward.  Regardless of what the future holds, our mission to be more Christ-like; to grow disciples; to be saints has not changed.  This process, this submission to God’s will is no more easier or difficult now than it was before.  Our choices simply have changed as a whole.  Perhaps this Lent we will examine ourselves hard enough to ask the difficult question if, in our anger, our frustration and apathy, we have simply chose to serve ourselves more than we have chosen to serve God. 

As we watch the world unfold in front of us over the next few weeks, I hope we can come together to support one another more so than tear each other down.  The season is here, the setting is provided however, the choice remains up to us.  God is waiting.

May God keep you and bless you, and grant you His peace.

Mr. Swann – Principal OLMC