KNIGHT LIGHT THE ADVENT ISSUE
REFLECTIONS FROM THE STUDENTS, STAFF & FACULTY OF CRISTO REY BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL VOL. 1: ADVENT 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
CRB
Advent Reflections
KNIGHT LIGHT REFLECTIONS:
ADVENT: HOPE By A Junior Student What is hope? Why is hope even important? Well, according to google, "hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." Hope is a very big part of my life. Without hope, there wouldn't be a reason to live. Everyone living on Earth right now has some type of hope, keeping them alive. Hope doesn't have to be anything big, it can be the smallest thing. I live because I have hope. I hope that one day my family won't struggle with finances. I hope that one day, I will become successful. I hope that one day, I will have my own loving and happy family. I hope that one day, I get to accomplish my dreams and travel the world. I hope that my parents will be here with me for a very long time. I hope that I will have the greatest happiness. You are living because you have hope. You might hope that someone cared. You might hope for happiness. You might hope for success. You might hope for a family. I have never hit that stage where I completely lost my hope. Every time I'm close to losing hope, I pray to God to help me have hope again. Then, I realize that life will have way more challenges than what I am dealing with at the moment. I realize that things will eventually turn out better. I live because I have hope.
By Carmen Donohue, Director of Advancement
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We all know what hope is. But I thought I’d look it up anyway. “a feeling of expectation” “an optimistic state of mind” “to cherish a desire with anticipation” When I was a teenager I used to think the worst thing was hope… when I wanted that person I had a crush on to return that feeling! (I never had much luck in that department.) Now that I have a few more years behind me (okay – many more years)… I think one of the best things is hope. In St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he tells us that faith, hope and love will see us through. When reading the definitions above, I just get that Advent feeling. We hope for Jesus’s arrival. Because we know He will come! Sometimes things feel a little hope-less. I know - I’ve been there. But I know my own faith gives me hope that all will be well when I live and act in the love of God. I wish the entire Cristo Rey Boston family a hope-full Advent season.
KNIGHT LIGHT REFLECTIONS:
ADVENT: PEACE By Kyle Mullins, Assistant Principal Peace does not usually come easily to me. As someone with anxiety, there are many mornings where I open my eyes and my first thoughts are worries about things that will probably never happen. And this was even before we were in a pandemic! But something that has helped me find some peace in these extraordinary times has been the sentiment of this prayer: “What you are in love with what seizes your imagination will affect everything.” There are so many things competing to seize our imaginations each day, few of them peaceful. I find that the path to peace for me is often through love—for my family, for holiday traditions, for this amazing community I have found at CRB—because it takes me outside of my own head. When I love, I feel connected to people and memories so much bigger than myself. And for me, there is such tranquility in that feeling.
By Allison Samuels, Class of 2021 Dear God, Lord give me the strength to follow your direction Allow me to open my eyes to your destiny for me Castaway any evil spirit in my life that is blocking me from happiness Place your love into my heart Nurture my soul Guide me through love and understanding Thank you for staying by my side in all of the world's turbulence You granted me the purpose in life to help the world So that I may bring peace to myself and others. Amen.
BY Clare Markey, SEL Specialist "May today there be peace within. May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance. It is there for each and every one of you. Amen." -Teresa of Ávila I hope that during this holiday season we take time to reflect on the peace within ourselves and pass on love and peace to loved ones or ones who are struggling during this holiday season.
KNIGHT LIGHT REFLECTIONS:
ADVENT: JOY By Celia Williams, Director of Business & Operations Having joy in your life is the most peaceful, spiritual, and fulfilling thing you can do for yourself and give to others. It does not take much to be joyful. It could be as big as having your first child, achieving a goal to simply sitting still and admiring nature, the cloud formation, smelling fresh flowers, listening to music, dancing, doing something good for someone. "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 At times you may not feel joyful, nothing is going right, just feeling sad. And behold, God would bring you right out of the negative feeling by reminding you everything is ok. It could happen through prayer, seeing or hearing from someone. "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." Psalms 94:19 "Joy is a freedom. It helps a person to find his/her own liberation. The person who is joyous takes responsibility for the time he/she takes up and the space that he/she occupies. You share it! Some of you have it ... you share it! That is what joy is! When you continue to give it away you will still have so much more of it." – Maya Angelou What brings you joy?
By Esteisy Michel, Class of 2023 Dear God, Thank you for the love and support you've given us. Thank you for my life, my family and education you’ve provided us with to succeed in life. And even though we go through difficult moments every day. We just ask you to bring peace and joy to this country and community of ours, in order for us to come together and unite to make a positive change.
Lastly, we ask you to help those who don’t have a home, those who don’t have food, those who are going through depression and have suicidal thoughts during these times, and help those who are in abusive homes by bringing joy and peace in their life. God please make this world acceptable for everyone, no matter the race, sex or gender. Forgive us for our everyday sins and remove all the horrible things from our head. Help us learn how to be kind and compassionate towards other. And remove all bad spirits from our home. God we trust and believe that you will see and read our prayers. Amen
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So, God, please give us strength and purpose. Help us walk through the right path in life, and help us come closer to You.
KNIGHT LIGHT REFLECTIONS:
ADVENT: JOY By Kurtis Wetzel, Math Department “When the faith is strong enough, it is sufficient just to be. It’s a journey towards simplicity, towards quietness, towards a kind of joy that is not in time.” -Ram Dass Joy is often used interchangeably with happiness. Upon initial reflection, I thought about where I find happiness. However, those two things are not the same, nor do they exist in the same space. Happiness is listening to a favorite song, enjoying a meal, or hugging a loved one. It is a sensation that plays tug-of-war with other emotions for your attention. Unlike happiness, joy is not precluded by other emotions. It is during times of great grief, sadness, and confusion that we need joy the most. Joy is a profound belief that emanates from your heart. A belief that your being is enough. A belief that your being has purpose. A belief that your being is a light in this world. Your joy is for yourself; have confidence that you will always be there for yourself in times of struggle. Your joy is for others; share your contagious gift of light with everyone in your life. Your joy is for God; it is a joy that is not in time, it comes from and persists in spirit.
Lord,
By A Sophomore Student
This Christmas bless my heart, my family’s and friends’ hearts and those who do not know you. Help us help each other experience the feeling of joy by being in the presence of each other and welcoming you into our presence too. I want to pray for people who don't see a reason to have joy. Touch their souls, lighten their hearts and open their eyes to see you and the things you've given us to have joy over. Bless those who aren't as fortunate as I am and bless me with the wisdom to give back to others this Christmas in any way that I can so they are able to be filled with joy. Help me bring peace and stability into other people's lives as well as my own and use me in ways that I can share your good news and pour that joy into someone who needs it. Give everyone the ability to love others as you love us and bring families together safely during this COVID season. Keep me and others around me safe during this holiday season and throughout this pandemic. Fill us with your Holy Spirit this Advent. Amen
ADVENT: LOVE By Azaan Rodrigues, Class of 2024 What is love? The dictionary defines love as an “intense feeling of deep affection”. I think love is much more than that. Love is making sacrifices for someone or something even though you don’t want to. Love is the thing that has stopped the world from going crazy. Most importantly, love is what makes us human. In a time when we seem lost, we can always count on love to pull us through the tough times. We see love present with things like homeless shelters, food drives and protests against police brutality. All these things happen because people decide to have a little love in their heart. If everyone in the world decided to have a little love, the world would be a much better place. It all starts when people decide to have a little love.
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Cristo Rey Boston students are invited to submit their written and creative works to Mr. Ryan at tryan@cristoreyboston.org
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