What a wonderful first semester! It seems like only yesterday we watched students file into classrooms, meet their teachers, unpack their supplies, start new friendships, and rekindle old friendships that had been hampered by summer schedules. Now with several choir programs, Grandparents Day, a Christmas concert, and mid-term exams in the books, we can look back and take stock of it all.
Just as the opening of school doors in August signals a new beginning and fresh opportunities, the holidays should find us excited to reflect on how far we have come and hopefully make us eager to dream about what lies in store. Spring brings flowers and renewed energy to push toward the goal of commencement in May. Although most of us view commencement and its corresponding “pomp and circumstance” as a time reserved for our graduates, it symbolizes what we desire for all of our students: an education founded on Christ that prepares students to utilize the tools of learning they have gleaned through their years with us in the new arenas that will be set before them. The students who remain behind would dare deny the work that the graduates have contributed to the year, but also know they have contributed much as well.
While the Christmas holidays make for a wonderful time to evaluate all we have accomplished and what still lies a head, it would be a fruitless exercise if we failed to recognize Christ for whose birth the day commemorates. In order to have students grow in wisdom and eloquence, we must rightly acknowledge and testify that all truth, goodness, and beauty originate in and through Christ. CSW’s goal for every student is that they would know Christ and pursue his will in their lives. Christmas provides us the opportunity to reflect on the incarnation of our Salvation. While we rest from our schoolwork we should be ever diligent in our pursuit of his will and use this opportunity to focus on Christ’s unfathomable love for us.
My favorite poem is Gloria in Profundis by G.K. Chesterton. The first line has always given me pause . . . There has fallen on earth for a token, A god too great for the sky. I believe it is the greatest Christmas poem. It relates the grace of God in his redemption of man. I encourage you to look it up and share it with your family. May it help illuminate the mercy of God toward all men.
The Christmas holidays allow us, if we will take it, the chance to slow our daily routines, spend time with friends and family, and take stock of how far we have come. May we also pause and take stock in how far he came.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
~ Wade Ortego for the CSW Staff and Faculty