Dear St. Francis Xavier Families:

We hope you are well!  We miss you so very much!  You are always in our thoughts and prayers!

Today is Holy Thursday.  Holy Thursday is the evening Jesus gave us one of His greatest gifts--Jesus washed the disciples' feet, showing us how to serve.  

When we choose to serve our neighbor, we show we are connected to our neighbor.  Serving our neighbors connects and heals both the giver and the receiver.  Throughout the New Testament, Jesus uses the words "serve" and "servant" many times.

During the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the "love commandment," saying to us:  "I give you a new commandment:  love one another.  As I have loved you, so you should also love one another."   

Jesus showed us exactly how we should love and serve one another when He washed the disciples' feet.  Washing the disciples' feet symbolizes the ultimate service--Jesus gave up his life on the cross to redeem us from our sins. 

Washing the disciples' feet was a startling action because Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.  Surely, the disciples should have washed Jesus's feet as a sign of humility, faithfulness, and love.  Peter objected to Jesus washing his feet.  It was a natural and understandable reaction.  However, Jesus wanted to model for the disciples just what He wanted them to do when He was no longer with them.   Every day, when we choose to be kind to one another, we are fulfilling Jesus's new "love commandment."  God bless you and your family!

Tonight at 5:30 p.m., you can live stream the Mass of the Lord's Supper from St. Patrick's Cathedral at https://saintpatrickscathedral.org/live.  


Please note the following:

• In accordance with state and federal guidelines, all school buildings will remain closed and home-based learning will continue through April 30, 2020

• Catholic Elementary Schools in the Archdiocese of New York will be on Easter break commencing Holy Thursday, Thursday, April 9 through Friday, April 17. Home-based classes will resume on Monday, April 20.

Social distancing keeps us physically apart; however, we can be together spiritually if we agree to take time every day at 10:00 a.m. to pray the Rosary in our homes.  In doing so, we join with many other ADNY school communities who are praying together daily.  A day wrapped in prayer seldom comes unraveled, and the family that prays together stays together.  This is Holy Week, so we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary--The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion.

As we pray the Rosary, we reflect on being "a light to the nations."  We have fasted, prayed, and sacrificed during Lent.  What more is expected of us?  The prophet Isaiah tells us we are to be a light to the nations, a light visible to the ends of the earth.  St. Augustine notes our light does not come from ourselves, it is the Lord who sets our lamps alight.  We pray and ask God to help us be a light for others, to help us set aside our own desires, and be transformed, so we are light from the LIght.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.  

God bless you and your family!  Stay healthy and well!

All the best,
 
Ms. Marie O’Shea
Principal
St. Francis Xavier School—A School You Can Believe In!
marieoshea@sfxschool.net