A friend once said that peace flowed in her heart as she considered the silence in the stable in Bethlehem as the home- less family waited to hear the first cry of the newborn infant. It is a silence that resounds with expectation, with hope and with vision. Amid the confusion that Joseph and Mary must have felt, there was a calm certainty that their vision and faith would guide them forward to a bright and fulfilled life.
That tranquil silence has been our strength for these last months when the normality of life has been challenged, changed and confused. While we sought to prepare and protect, the vision of our Mission retained the certainty that we would continue to offer our young treasures a bright future amidst a world dulled by isolation and unknowing.
Joseph and Mary were alone that night, travelers on an oppressive journey. The cold cave was warmed only by the charity of an innkeeper, the love for each other and for the child yet to be born. Their vision was not of the troubled moment but of their dream for the future.
Throughout these months at St. Anthony’s, we have never felt alone. Every week communications from our friends demonstrated (dare I say it?) — yes, love and a shared vision for our students. We have always been encouraged to look not at the moment but to the future of the students. That warmth is shared by our students, their families and our staff. Although our campus and celebrations may lack the luster of other years, we still, with joy, reach out to those in distress within our community in the same spirit of generosity that we experience among our friends who share our vision.
Whatever your beliefs, I pray that the still silence of Bethlehem, filled with expectancy, will be yours and bring peace into your heart, to your families and to your homes.
From all of us at St. Anthony Indian Mission — many blessings.
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Blessed Christmas! 2020 St. Anthony’s Indian School Christmas Card
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