Administrators Pompeii Posted April 17, 2023 Administrators Share Posted April 17, 2023 Article #1 - Fourth Series - April 17th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir Editor's Note: This article is a summary from a homily by Fr. Ben Daghir to the students at DuBois Central Catholic School System. The homily was the first of the 2022-2023 academic year on August 24, 2022 on the Feast of St. Bartholomew. Article: (See attached photo of DuBois Central Catholic mascot) Today’s Gospel mentions the following words from Jesus, “You’ll see greater things.” I couldn’t think of better words to begin this 2022-2023 school year. Jesus is always challenging us, presenting us with opportunities, and calling us to adventure. God desires more from us. He doesn’t settle for mediocrity. He desires excellence. Yet, we sometimes step back into our comfort zones due to fear. We sometimes aren’t willing to accept a challenge. We sometimes are scared to grow. We sometimes let opportunities pass by us. Since our mascot here at DuBois Central Catholic is a cardinal, I’ll use the image of a bird. What is the best way to get a bird to fly? The answer is simple - break its branch. The whole point of a Catholic education is to break your branch. It’s to knock you out of your comfort zones. It’s to challenge you with new opportunities and new ways of thinking. A Catholic education demands that you soar to new heights in a variety of ways: humanly, spiritually, psychologically, socially, intellectually, theologically, scientifically, mathematically, athletically, musically, artistically, technologically, and so much more. DuBois Central Catholic demands that you accept the challenge to reach new heights. A bird, in order to fly, must step out of its nest. It must walk out onto the branch. Even better, it must leave that branch. Only then can a cardinal begin to fly. Take a look at our mascot. Does our mascot look like it’s sitting in a nest? Of course not. Does our mascot look like it’s perched on a branch? Of course not. Our mascot is in flight. It has set fear aside. It has left its comfort zone. It’s now on adventure and reaching new heights. Jesus repeatedly says throughout the Gospels, “Be not afraid!” Let me translate this phrase with our school mascot in mind - leave the nest, leave the branch, and reach new heights! Only then will we see greater things. ======================== Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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