Dear Friends, 

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

Lent and Easter remind us that life can be hard, but there is joy in the end.

As Christians we never deny the difficulty of life, but we look to our final end of union with God and acknowledge that great goods often come at a great price. That point was made beautifully and forcefully for me this Lent as I was reading the book On Loving God by Bernard of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was talking about the double gift we have been given, first in creation and then in redemption. He says: 

  If I owe all for having been created, what can I add for being remade, and being remade in this way? It was less easy to remake me than to make me. It is written not only about me, but of every created being: “He spoke and they were made.” But he who made me by a single word, in remaking me had to speak many words, work miracles, suffer hardships, and not only hardships but even unjust treatment. “What shall I render to the Lord for all that he has given me?” In his first work he gave me myself; in his second work he gave me himself; and when he gave me himself, he gave me back myself. Given and regiven, I owe myself twice over. (Emphasis mine)

What is the right response to this double gift, the gift of myself, and then of me redeemed by Him? It seems to me the right response is, first, acknowledgment of the great cost of Christ’s Sacrifice that purchased the great gift, followed by great joy and great gratitude. And then giving in return. We can’t give God anything He needs, because He doesn’t need anything. But we can serve Him in our fellow man, and in that way “…render back again/This millionth of Thy gift.” (Prayer of a Soldier in France, Joyce Kilmer)

How do we serve our fellow man? There are multitudinous ways, but in Mother of Divine Grace School we have chosen to serve God by educating children in the knowledge of objective truth, which leads to the Truth Who is a Person. One of my children, many years ago, said to me, “There is nothing so exciting, Mom, as seeing that something that is true IS true!” That is exciting. We are made, by nature and nature’s God, to see and embrace the truth.

As Aristotle says in Bk. 10, Ch. 7, of the Ethics, in his discussion of where happiness lies for man: 

…such a life [seems] too high for man; for it is not in so far as he is man that he will live so, but in so far as something divine is present in him; …. [For] If reason is divine, then, in comparison with man, the life according to it is divine in comparison with human life. But we must not follow those who advise us, being men, to think of human things, and, being mortal, of mortal things, but must, so far as we can, make ourselves immortal, and strain every nerve, do everything to live in accordance with the best thing in us; for even if it be small in bulk, much more does it in power and worth surpass everything.

Aristotle is speaking of the natural order. But this is true in the supernatural order to an even greater extent. If we can form others in the truth and, even more, in the Truth, Himself, then we can, humbly but truly, show our gratitude to God for His double gift to us. We can strive to live, and help others live, in accord with the best thing in us, given to us by Him: reason informed by grace. 

I am very grateful for my Catholic Faith, I am grateful for all of you who participate in this important work with all of us at Mother of Divine Grace School. We want to bring this understanding of objective truth, its ordination to Eternal Truth, and the right response of gratitude to God to the entire world. We continue to grow our community all throughout the world, striving to strengthen as many families as we can. As President Lazenby said last week, we too are called to be missionaries of Christ, just as the Apostles were sent to spread the Gospel after the Resurrection. Thank you for your help in this missionary work! 

If you are able, I ask you to prayerfully consider supporting our community through your financial contribution. I am so grateful for all those who sacrifice in any way to help those in our community who are in need. Most of all, please pray for us often, that we are given the grace to carry out our mission well, to the best of our abilities. May God richly reward you for your generosity.

Thank you from my heart. 

Love, 

Laura

Founder and CEO

Painting: La Résurrection du Christ, Annabale Carracci ca. 1560-1609, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France {{US-PD}}