By Incarnation School Principal Leah Coghlan, Vice Principal Amanda Ooten and Assistant Principal Kristi Erickson

Back to school is such an exciting and busy time of year for everyone! The promise of a fresh start, new friends and faces, and the anticipation of the unknown waits for us. But is it unknown?

We know God is there for us in any season of our life, even the busy ones. When we become overwhelmed or anxious, we are always invited to turn to prayer and find our silence and peace with God. At school, we invite our staff and students to take some moments in the morning, afternoon, and before we nourish our bodies to pray together. These moments might be small, but they are consistently beautiful as students stop in their classrooms, hallways, wherever they may be to take that moment with God.

This school year kicks off with a new goal for our school community.  We are intentionally focusing more and more on our mission to ‘walk in the footsteps of Jesus’.  We will be launching a new theme to Live Like Jesus, Love Like Jesus, Act Like Jesus. This will be integrated throughout the classrooms, academics, expectations, and most importantly prayer.

As you and your family begin another busy season, remember to slow down and find that prayer time together. We also invite families to attend our all-school Mass on Friday mornings. Seeing our students and teachers pray and worship together is the highlight of our week!

As always, the school families and Our Lady of Light parishioners are in our prayers. Thank you for keeping the students and staff in yours!

Written by Christen Aquino

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” // Matthew 11: 28

I don’t know about you, but these words resonate within my heart.  In the fast-paced world we live in, my soul desires to find a deep, fulfilling, abiding rest.  Too often though, this idea feels like wishful thinking since there are a million things to get done, trips to be traveled, assignments due, meetings to be had, events to be run, and more; and it seems like the time to get it all done in is getting less and less.  Perhaps this is why Jesus’ words are more important today than ever before: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”  He knows just how whirlwind our lives are, and He is offering us a solution: that we would come to Him for an abiding peace and rest that only He can give.   
 
In my years of experience, youth ministry summers look like the total opposite of rest.  For example, this summer included two conferences, a mission trip, one weeklong camp hosted at Our Lady of Light and two weeklong camps hosted by LifeTeen in Georgia.
 
And yet, during all these conferences and camps, I often find more rest than I do during the rest of the year, because every day is centered around being with Jesus.  Daily Mass, praise and worship, adoration, opportunities for confession, talks and messages focused on growing in the spiritual life, small group conversation, and prayer.  All the chaos of life is stripped away, and I am able to focus on Jesus, present in the Sacraments, the Word, and in the community made up of our teens, our core team, and other ministers.
 
This summer Life Teen introduced our theme for the year: SANCTUARY.  While we’ve looked at this word and its meaning from various angles, the one that continues to most resonate with me, and our teens, is the idea of rest – rest from the world, from anxieties, from social media, from the demands we place on ourselves, etc.  The Eucharistic Jesus resides in the Tabernacle in the Sanctuary of our Churches and He dwells in the inner sanctuary of our hearts, if only we take the time to seek Him out and put Him first. 
 
I will always have a million excuses, but every day Jesus extends the invitation to come to Him so that He can give me the rest that He alone can give.  The question is, will I take the time to do so?
 
Challenge: Start small.  Set aside 5 minutes a day to encounter Jesus in the inner sanctuary of your heart.  Find a quiet place you will pray every day.  Read a passage from Scripture, listen to a worship song, or reading a writing from a saint and reflect on the words, asking Jesus how you can internalize them and make them present in your life.  The Hallow App has a great guided 5 minute meditation on Scripture or you can use the Sanctuary 30-Day Challenge.

Have you ever noticed how delicately our priests remove the Blessed Sacrament from the monstrance? It's quite a beautiful ceremony to end each Adoration, by returning Jesus in the consecrated host to the tabernacle, where all can continue their praise for the one who laid down His life for us.

We as Catholics believe that Jesus is truly present before us in the Eucharist. Jesus himself said to the apostles, ""I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; … he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and … abides in me, and I in him.” We do not simply remember the Last Supper at Mass, we are reliving it. We take an active part in receiving the true Body and Blood of Jesus. We say Amen, yes, to receiving Him.

While it may sometimes feel like we are just going through the motions at Mass, it is something new every time. We are older, we are different than we were the week prior. We reconfirm our belief and our stance as missionary disciples when we leave the church building and go out into the world. To quote the Catechism: "The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life'" (CCC 1324). Life begins with the Eucharist, and it continues with us.

This is why our priests are so gentle while removing the Blessed Sacrament from the monstrance. How amazing it must be to hold Jesus in the Eucharist in their very hands. To cradle Him as they humbly carry Him back to the tabernacle.

Although, that's what it is to receive the Eucharist during Communion each time we go to Mass... isn't it? Whether we receive through our hands or on the tongue, we consume Jesus and in turn are living tabernacles. Jesus is alive within us. St. Pope John Paul II once said, "From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others." How do we reflect God's love and mercy to those around us after we receive the Eucharist? How can we make a conscious effort to make God a focal point in our lives and share Him with others?

In honor of today's Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, we are bringing back a classic article written by our Human Resources Manager, Debbie Field. Are you a Martha or a Mary? Let's find out!

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​Me? Yea, I tend to lean “Martha”.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Well, let’s see.

I suppose the story of Mary and Martha is ultimately all about priorities.  Were the tasks for the day just as important or more important than focusing on our Lord?  Or was there room for both?

The Need for Both

We need do-ers in our lives like Martha.  And we also need Marys who focus on what our Lord wants from us and spending time in His presence.  It doesn’t hurt to be a little of both, but leaning more toward the Mary side is what Jesus impresses upon us in his gospel.  Jesus’ word should be our first priority while ensuring the tasks of the day come second.  It is likely all of us have both of the qualities we see in Mary and Martha.  However, when we focus the attention on Our Lord which He  deserves, we then tend to share that focus with others in service of our family, fellow parishioners, and those in our community.

How Do You Learn?

So, leaning Mary or leaning Martha is something we should all examine in ourselves.  Clearly being a “Mary” is a different/closer relationship with Jesus and understanding what he wants of us.  Our daily lives reflect the busy nature of our jobs, taking our children to soccer, daycare, basketball practice, etc.  And all of us will assess where to draw that bright line of too much or just enough.  However, it is incumbent that all people of God understand proportion and priorities.  This story of Mary and Martha brings into focus where those priorities belong.  Jesus worked hard to spread the news of eternal life through His ministry.  So, working hard is not a bad thing.  It’s when we allow that hard work to get in the way of understanding what we can learn from our Lord which may make us a “Martha”.

Being a “Martha” doesn’t mean you don’t have “Mary” in your heart.  Martha’s hard work clearly didn’t mean she didn’t love Jesus.  She clearly did; however, her focus was more logistical and hospitality-like.  She was one to serve in an effort to ensure her household was run properly and efficiently.  Martha allowed the distractions of her desire to make everything perfect for Jesus, get in the way of what was truly important.

To Martha's Surprise...
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Upon Jesus’ arrival, He made sure He conveyed there were other priorities which He wanted Martha to focus on.  It’s likely Martha was not in her comfort zone hearing this.  Afterall, she was one to take care and ensure all were treated generously and that all preparations had been made for Jesus or any guest who visited her home.  To have Jesus admonish her or remind her of the need to be “Mary-like” was probably quite surprising to her.

Do you let your day’s activities sway the attention from our Lord?  Focusing some time each day on peace and quiet allows us to set aside the chaos and craziness we all experience in our days and re-direct our focus to the One who loves us, Jesus.

Yes, You Can

But can we be both Mary and Martha at the same time?  Now, there is a question.  Perhaps through our parish ministries, which elicit the time of so many of us, we can focus on what our Lord wants of us.  Both devotion to the ministry and its goals, as well as the hard work it takes in some cases, is a way to be a little bit of Mary and a little bit of Martha, and still be what Jesus wants of us.

Many Become One

As we, within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, begin our second year of transitioning our parishes into families of parishes, transition is also a Martha/Mary story.  Should we focus on the planning, the merging of staffs, the mass time changes, the ministry similarities, or the new pastor changes?  Or should we look toward the future when the parishes will be one family and share in the love of Christ together.  Jesus is not worried about the “how” we get there, but about the “what” our family will look like once we have arrived.  It is up to all of us to be “Mary-like” for that goal to be achieved.

We are multiple families becoming one and regardless of what we may have lost, or the grief we are experiencing in the loss of a beloved priest, our traditional mass times, a long-held parish identity, or perhaps the structural church itself to another, it is up to each one of us to listen to Jesus as he guides us to be one family.

​Please Pray for Us

So, must I change from being a “Martha” to a “Mary” to be all Jesus wants me to be?  Perhaps.  Or can I ensure my heart is “Mary-like” and my hands “Martha-like”? As a member of an Archdiocese of Cincinnati parish, I ask for your prayers that all of us who are transitioning be blessed with the strength Jesus grants us to accept the things we find difficult to accept and grateful for the opportunity to join with others of another parish as we become one family.  This is for each of us to pray on as we examine how we experience the presence of Jesus.
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Martha or Mary? Jesus loved them both. And regardless which you feel you are more like, He loves you!!

Written by Mary Ward

Is it any surprise that God refers to Himself as the Father? 

While our human minds and hearts cannot fully comprehend God’s beautiful, pure, unconditional love, He gave us a glimpse of it in our earthly relationships, especially that of being a mother or father.

Being a parent is one of the great joys in life!  We love our kids unconditionally!

And being a grandparent…is icing on the cake! Wow! What great gifts grandchildren are!  How blessed we are to be grandparents!

This weekend we celebrate the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, patron saints of grandparents.  We don’t know much about the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grandparents of Jesus, but we do know that they were faithful to God.  They were promised a child by an angel.  They were blessed so much by having Mary as their daughter!

I wonder at the pure bliss of raising a young woman so holy and so favored by God.

Can you even imagine what joy they experienced when their daughter was chosen to be the mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus?!? 

As Mary pondered in her heart the words of the Angel Gabriel, was she able to share with her mother, Anne?  We know she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, but we don’t know about her mom and dad.

Were Saints Anne and Joachim involved in the life of Jesus as he was growing up?

I wonder what a delight He was to them.  I wonder if they saw His light, His perfection.

I wonder if they had any idea that their grandson would truly be the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I wonder if we, too, can rejoice in being grandparents of those whom God has chosen for a special purpose on this earth.  I pray that we are good examples for our children and grandchildren.

On the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, let’s remember God’s perfect love as we hope and pray for the fruition of God’s perfect plan in the lives of our grandchildren.

Written by Sarah Chivers

Somehow we find ourselves nearing the middle of July already, though it feels like just yesterday I stood with others on the parish staff to wave our Incarnation School students off into summer. 

While the Incarnation Campus can feel eerily quiet without the sounds of students playing on the playground throughout the day, I can't help but still feel the busyness of summer. Staff members are at various summer camps with our middle and high school students across the country, others are at conferences and conventions, and still others are working hard in the office to prepare for the upcoming year. We have new major programs rolling out this year like the Rescue Project series, new events like our Parish Picnic and exciting opportunities for parishioners approaching quickly, such as a one-day bus trip to the Eucharistic Congress. 

It is exciting to be a part of a church staff that has so much in store for its parishioners. As a member of the team who has only been here for six months, I'm always inspired and amazed at how thoughtfully our staff considers its decisions and plans to ensure that all members of our community are accounted for and welcome. It is our mission to walk with others in their everyday life to bring them closer to God, and to do that requires a lot of time and energy.

Our work (God's work) is so rewarding; we are always looking for the next way we can help make Heaven more present around us. Sometimes I am so eager for the next thing that it feels like there is no time to rest (in truth, sometimes I don't want to rest!). But as July catches up to me and I find my calendar filled to the brim, I remember that God's work is sometimes found in the resting times. God is so often found in the quiet. 

With all of the summer traveling and holidays coming up, it's easy to find yourself overwhelmed. Things to do, an itemized list of things to buy and prepare, hours on the road away from home... If you find any time to yourself amongst the travel and yard work and events, it's easy to just crash and turn on your favorite show or scroll on your phone. It's comfortable to just zone out when we're overwhelmed. 

But the true comfort is found when we remember to prioritize time with God. As the Digital Communication Specialist for our family of parishes, I find it my responsibility to mention every now and then that we need to put our phones down and just be in the quiet with Him. I try to mention that every now and then on our social media - try this new prayer, seek God in these moments, stop the scroll and say hi to God. He is our source of peace amongst the noise.

This can often be easier said than done. As a mother of toddlers and a full-time worker, I find myself spending my ride home going through the list of things that need to get done that evening: cook dinner, eat dinner, unload, reload, do a load of laundry, bath time... but also... make enough time to read a few stories with the girls before bed, and also you need to clean the bathrooms at some point or maybe finally vacuum but also take care of your nightly routine and find time to talk with your husband about the day then also read the next chapter of your book that you've been dying to get to since you set it down the night before with a massive cliffhanger... 

But I forget to schedule time for prayer. 

And I'm exhausted.

And I forget to prioritize what I can't see. 

Even if that thing I cannot see is the only thing that needs to happen that day.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I want to challenge you to find new ways to prioritize your relationship with God. Place your Bible in front of your bedroom door so you can't open the door without moving it first if you need to. Wake up just fifteen minutes earlier and start your day with His Word. Put it at the start of your day so that the overwhelming list of things to do isn't in your way yet. God comes first. When He comes first, everything else falls into place. 

And know that I am right there with you, walking alongside you as we seek a deeper relationship with our God who loves us so much. Sometimes we fall away, sometimes we fail. But as Fr. Brian mentioned in his homily this past weekend, God doesn't say "My grace is enough if you are sinless within the next five weeks." He knows we're human, He knows our shortcomings and frankly knows us better than we know ourselves. But He always loves us and will always be waiting for us to return to Him. 

Find peace in Him in the busyness. He is the source of all we are looking for in earthly things.