Another Failed Classroom Experience:  As I noted a few weeks ago, I found myself subbing for a whole seven minutes in Mr. Kaiser’s sixth-grade class a few weeks ago because he was leaving school so he could meet his wife and then travel to the hospital for the birth of their third child.  Now some blamed ME for getting the kids all riled up that day, but I think they were riled up long before I walked into that classroom; they were excited to hear the breaking news.  After my seven minutes in their classroom, I expressed hope that my next classroom experience would be a bit longer.  Well, that didn’t happen!
 
It was Monday morning this past week.  As is my pattern most mornings, I walk around outside before school and greet kids (and parents) with my usual “high-five” routine.  Once the bell rings, I continue my journey inside the school buildings.  I usually stop by a classroom or two before heading over to the office or to Church if I have the 8:30 a.m. mass.  This particular morning, I decided to focus on the lower level of the primary building, which includes preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade.
 
Right off the bat, I could tell this wasn’t going to be your typical Monday morning.  It was a cloudy and dreary day outside which no doubt had some effect on people.  I wasn’t getting the usual reaction from the kids to my typical high-five requests.  It almost seemed as if walking into school on this particular Monday was an absolute drudgery and chore for the kids.  Yes, I too wish that weekends were longer, but they are what they are.  I must say, the first graders in Mrs. Allison’s room were very cheery and chipper; I did my thing and walked down to kindergarten.  The poor kindergarteners were still trying to wake up; Mrs. Eisbrenner answered with great precision the rapid series of complicated questions coming from every corner of her classroom.  “No, put your jacket on the hook in the back of the room.”  “Yes, put your show-and-tell item in the corner.”  “No, your lunch goes over there.”  There is no way I could swing my head around as fast as she could to respond to all the questions the kids were sending her way in rapid succession.  I was getting a headache.  I then wandered down to preschool.
 
Now, preschool is different.  It takes a bit of help from the moms and dads dropping their kids off to get them settled for a long day at school.  There’s usually a lot of commotion in preschool just as the bell sounds.  I typically start my preschool visits by helping the kids figure out what flavor their playdough smells like for the day (I told you preschool is complicated).  I’m sure a few of them probably get sick of me guessing the wrong flavor, especially when this routine continues throughout the whole year.  As I made my way around the room trying to get some high-fives, I noted one or two crying kids.  Okay, it was Monday, and I get some of these little ones at this early stage in the year are still not used to being away from mom and/or dad for the whole day.  As the one or two continued to cry, I noted a few others joined in on the festivities.  Soon, it was six or seven crying kids, and it seemed like they were competing for the “Greatest Cryer Award.”  Before long, more kids joined in on the experience, and they were all united in one continuous chorus of “praise.”  I looked at Mrs. Avery and Mrs. Beshke, and I’m sure I had a look of terror on my face and my entire body language was saying, “HELP, get me out of here.”  Mrs. Avery looked at me, and over the chorus of crying children clearly mouthed, “It’s Monday.”  Yikes, I must never have visited preschool on a Monday this early in the school year.  Good heavens, I couldn’t wait to hightail it out of there.  I was only in there maybe three minutes!!  As I exited the room, I met a mom out in the hallway.  After saying hello, I said to her with a sympathetic tone of voice, “Poor kids.”  With a quizzical looked, she responded, “Poor kids?  Try poor moms!”  Okay, I was hoping for something more than seven minutes in the classroom, but I was clearly outmatched by a few sobbing preschoolers on a Monday morning.  It was definitely time to head back to my day job.  This wore me out.  And sadly, I was only there for THREE minutes!  Moral of the story:  Never visit preschool first thing on a Monday morning in September!  I learned my lesson!
 
The Icons in Church:  As promised, I wanted to follow up on the new icons in Church.  Today, I’ll focus on the Divine Mercy Image.  During my ministry as Cardinal Maida’s secretary, I had plenty of opportunities to travel to Poland.  It was during  those various trips to Poland that I learned about and began to develop a devotion to St. Faustina, the infamous Divine Mercy image and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  What’s the origin of the Divine Mercy Image?  “In 1931, our Lord appeared to St. Faustina in a vision. She saw Jesus clothed in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the Heart, from where two large rays came forth, one red and the other pale. She gazed intently at the Lord in silence, her soul filled with awe, but also with great joy. Jesus said to her:  Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory (Diary, 47, 48). I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You (327). I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world (47) ( The Image of Divine Mercy; https://www.thedivinemercy.org).”
 
I encourage you to learn more about St. Faustina and the revelations given to her. Through the various devotional forms that come to us through St. Faustina, we are encouraged to grow in TRUSTFUL surrender to the Divine Mercy of Christ the Lord.  As we then grow in the knowledge of His mercy, we are called to ask for that mercy and THEN learn to be merciful to others as He has been merciful to us.  Yes … Jesus, I trust in You!
 
Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
gmb@sjascs.org