One of the questions I constantly reflect on as a teacher, formator and mentor is, how does one form character? Our readings for this Sunday give us many points to ponder.
Some moral and spiritual writers would say that character is embedded in us, part of our DNA, or a seed planted in us from the beginning, the nature element. Then there is the nurture element, which is equally important.
Our readings beautifully express both. The first reading and the psalm are rather definite, that God has a purpose for us in this world, and it will surely bear fruit. Then the second reading and the Gospel bring in the element of freedom, and the need to respond to God’s purpose or call for us.
The Gospel focuses on four types of soil: the path, the rocky ground with very little soil, the soil with many thorns, and the rich soil. The first to third types do not produce any fruit, while the fourth yields a rich harvest.
These soil types are parallel to categories drawn by William Damon in “The Path to Purpose.” Based on the youth’s description of how a sense of purpose is expressed in their life, he came up with these four categories: the disengaged who has no purpose at all; the dreamer who has a sense of purpose but never acts on it; the dabbler who seems to have purpose, acts on it, but never sticks to one (the “flavor of the month” syndrome); and finally, the purposeful who discovers purpose, acts on it over a period of time and thus allows the development of commitment and dedication.
The point for reflection I offer to focus on is, how did the youth in the fourth category develop a sense of purpose? Here I will focus on two communities or groups the youth belong to—family and school.
Damon also shares in his study how the family was identified as the primary source of a sense of purpose. This is both encouraging and worrisome. On one hand, we see how family remains a source of values and a basic building block of society. Yet, on the other hand, there is also very little sense of civic or societal purpose, duty and responsibility within the larger community that is developed.
Christ’s message
I think what we must consider in our personal reflection is that at the center of Christ’s message is the Kingdom of God. The personal renewal and transformation we experience when we “see, love and follow” Christ is for the sake of mission to be part of the building of the Kingdom of God here and now.
One of the leading Christ scholars, Marcus Borg, writes: “The kingdom of God is not about ‘heaven,’ but about the transformation of this world, the earth, which is clear from the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Your kingdom come on earth.’”
Our Christian faith clearly is directed toward societal change, the building of the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice, peace and love. This is the purpose that we are invited to and promised, the grace to be blessed with to fulfill this purpose.
Purpose becomes mission in the Christian context, a mission that is a sharing in Christ’s mission to build the Kingdom of God in our world and in our earth.
This is the call to mission that we must all respond to. Do we live our life contributing to this mission? There is no middle ground. We are either with Christ or against Christ.
The family as the primary source of purpose and mission can use a lot of help from the school community and vice versa. The school community (or a parish community for those without children of school age) can provide the needed facet of a civic/societal dimension in the formation of the youth.
Nurturing environment
To a certain extent, the context of the school has a more natural affinity with “pushing” for a sense of civic/societal purpose for the youth as well as the adult members of the family. Here lies the necessity of a real and concrete home-school partnership program.
The partnership is primarily for the formation of the youth, but it is also for the building of an environment in both the home and the school that cares for the youth and provides them with opportunities to excel. Thus the partnership also influences and forms the adult members of both communities. The partnership is for the building of a community that is caring and building the Kingdom of God.
It is in such a community where the seed may fall on fertile ground and have a much better opportunity to bear much fruit. —CONTRIBUTED