Begin Again

Sep 4

Fr. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, in 2nd grade during the bicentennial year celebration.

Now that Labor Day has passed, most schools have officially opened their doors and started a new academic year. For many students, teachers, and families, there is usually excitement over the promise that a new school year can bring: new things to learn, new people to meet, new opportunities to help us on our journey through life. When I was young, I always looked forward to getting a new bookbag, a new pencil case and other supplies needed to start another adventure in grade school. Having spent 25 years ministering in high schools, spending most of the 25 years prior to that as a student, and being part of a religious community that is still very involved in education, I greet the beginning of September as welcoming in a new year. There are no parties, countdowns, or parades, but for me, all of the feelings and changes that come with the turn of the calendar come with the start of September.

Whether or not we ever enter a classroom, in some way, all of our lives are still shaped by the school calendar. Every fall we are surrounded by opportunities to begin again. This time of year reminds us that anything is possible, and we can start over with a clean slate. This sense of starting over is part of the fabric of Salesian Spirituality. St. Francis de Sales reminds us: “It is right that you should begin again every day. There is no better way to complete the spiritual life than to be ever beginning it over again.”

Salesianum School students on their first day back!

Each of us can take time in these waning days of summer and at the start of this new year to begin again and to strive to “Live Jesus” in our daily lives. My hope is that all the students and teachers stepping into the classroom or on campus this year find the same opportunity to begin again. And may the rest of us find the continued promise of fresh opportunities and new, innovative ways to live each day well.