Passing of the Light

At the beginning of the school year, we made a somewhat last-minute decision to switch our second daughter to a new school. Switching schools is never easy, but it’s especially difficult when you’re a girl in seventh grade. Katie just needed something different, and we were hoping that an all-girls school run by the IHM Sisters would be a great fit. Not even nine months later, my wife and I found ourselves sitting in the new school’s chapel, watching Katie be inducted as the student council president. Beyond the immense gratitude I felt to see Katie not only continuing to excel academically but to be surrounded by really kind and close girlfriends, I was struck by the very intentional prayer service the school had to pass leadership from the graduating class to the rising eighth graders. The “Passing of the Light” service involved prayer and readings from scripture, some reflections from alumni and the outgoing president. The outgoing student council officers each passed a symbol to their successor. Among the many symbols that were passed, the first, exchanged by the outgoing president to Katie, was the Bible.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised and impressed that in a Catholic school, the first and most important symbol to be passed was the Word of God. As I watched the other symbols being passed, I couldn’t help but think of so many times in service to the Church where I was asked by a participant or a leader why we spent so much time in prayer before “getting down to business.” How many times was I guilty of rushing through prayer or skipping it altogether so that I could get to what I believed was important? Whether it's national office or eighth grade, so often we respond to the call of service because of what we want to accomplish and what we see that needs to be done. We want to share our wisdom or pass on direction. But what should be our starting point? “In the beginning was the Word.” (Jn 1) When I am called to take others somewhere - regardless of the moment or context of leadership - where do I begin?

In accepting the Bible, Katie recited that she and her classmates were willing “to accept their responsibility to be living witnesses of the truth of the Gospel.” I prayed that her commitment goes deeper and wider than simply student council. There’s no question we are to be people of the light. As we go forth in whatever roles we claim, let’s make sure we know the true source of our spark.