Tim Rosa is a Partner at Titan Built LLC. He serves on the CEF Board of Directors.
It’s amazing how much using our cell phones has become an essential part of our day. For most of us, our phones are with us everywhere we go. For many Catholics, smart phones have also provided a new way to experience faith in our daily lives. Whether it’s an email with the Mass readings, the awesome Laudate app, or tweets from Pope Francis, our phones have provided us with a new tool to use in our faith journey. Sometimes this tool provides a convenient reminder of something Catholic in our hectic day. Sometimes it’s a vehicle for quiet prayer or intense reflection.
“Advent is a time when we journey towards Jesus and his Kingdom of justice and peace.” This was the tweet from Pope Francis on the first Sunday of Advent. While it does seem surreal to get tweets from the Successor to St. Peter, this is our day and age, and it doesn’t seem out of place in my life. Even though I didn’t always have the convenience of a smart phone and social media to assist me on my faith journey, I was blessed to attend Catholic schools my entire school career, where signs of my faith throughout the day were normal and abundant.
Part of what I love about Catholic schools is how integral and prevalent our Catholic faith is in the buildings, the lessons, the activities, and more. Our faith is EVERYWHERE soaking into the daily lives of the students while at school. Whether it’s weekly Mass with classmates, the crucifix in the classroom, learning about the life of a saint, or the example of a teacher, administrator or volunteer, children in Catholic schools are continuously exposed to Catholicism in both extensive and subtle ways. To have children travel their vital foundational years surrounded with examples, lessons, and experiences of our faith is a blessing and a call. I am proud that the Archdiocese, CEF, and so many supporters are heeding this call to share the gift of walking daily in our amazing Catholic faith with schools and families that want a Catholic education for their children.
So as we enter this Advent season, may we prepare ourselves and our children to journey towards Jesus and His Kingdom of justice and peace. Let us remember how great it is to have our children learn in environments that help them prepare, not just during Advent, but throughout the school year. Who knows? These children might even become adult Catholics tweeting the Pope!
Oh, and one other awesome way to use your smart phone right after you’re done reading this blog post (probably on your phone): check out www.cefks.org and use your phone to donate! You’ll give a child living in poverty the opportunity to attend one of our awesome CEF schools!
God Bless and Merry Christmas!
