He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. Mark 3:9–10

It’s fascinating to ponder the enthusiasm that so many people had toward Jesus. In the passage above, we see Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that He would not be crushed as He taught the crowd. He had been curing many who were sick, and the crowd was pressing upon Him to try to simply touch Him.

This scene provides us with an illustration of what must happen within our interior lives regarding our Lord. The people can be said to have been single-minded in their devotion to Jesus and fervent in their desire for Him. Granted, their desire may have been somewhat selfishly motivated by the desire for physical cures of their ailments and those of their loved ones, but nonetheless, their attraction was real and powerful, driving them to put their complete focus upon our Lord.

Jesus’ choice to get into a boat and distance Himself a bit from the crowd was also an act of love. Why? Because this act allowed Jesus to help them refocus upon His deeper mission. Though He did miracles out of compassion and so as to manifest His almighty power, His primary focus was to teach people and to lead them into the full Truth of the message He was preaching. Therefore, by separating Himself from them, they were invited to listen to Him rather than just try to touch Him for the sake of a physical miracle. For Jesus, the spiritual wholeness He desired to give the crowd was of much greater significance than any physical healing He also gave.

In our own lives, Jesus may “separate” Himself from us in somewhat superficial ways so that we will be more open to the deeper and more transforming purpose of His life. For example, He may remove certain feelings of consolation or permit us to encounter some trial through which He seems to be less present to us. But when this happens, it is always so that we will turn to Him on a deeper level of trust and openness so as to be drawn more deeply into a relationship of love.

These last two weeks have been very interesting for our country. We witnessed the new President Joe Biden sworn into office yesterday and it certainly was a different Inauguration to what we have witnessed from previous years. We wish our new President and Vice President Kamala Harris all the best in dispensing their duties.

COVID Test

COVID testing will take place on Monday, January 25th between 10am – 5pm. Please book today if you wish to avail yourselves of the testing. https://tinyurl.com/y3ktx4zq

In-Person Student Intake

The next intake into Hybrid will occur on Monday, February 1st. If you wish to change from Distance Learning to Hybrid please email me principal@ssfallsoulsschool.org by Wednesday, January 27th.

Kindergarten and Preschool Enrollment

We are in the process of accepting new kindergarten enrollments for the 2021-2022 school year. If you know of anyone looking for a kindergarten please direct them to Mrs. Cierra, the Admissions Director. For Preschool admissions please contact Mr. Liu at preschool@ssfallsoulsschool.org

Damage to Property

Recently we incurred damage to our solar system from the recent high winds. We had repairers in to fix the damage. We also will be replacing the basketball tower that was damaged recently. Fortunately, insurance will be covering these costs which come to a total of $15,000.

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Channel and Twitter Accounts

I encourage everyone to sign up for the school Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Channel and Twitter accounts. The links are:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllSoulsSSF/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allsoulsschool/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/allsoulsschool

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuc05OY6IpWhGcc4D68kiEw

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

The tragic circumstances of Martin Luther King’s untimely death and the upheaval and alienation that followed are etched in the memories of anyone who lived through that turbulent period. But the fact that MLK recognition events remain relevant a half-century later reveals not simply the importance of King’s life and vision, but also the stark reality of a nation still dogged by the legacy of slavery, racism, and Jim Crow. In every decade following the King era, we have found a renewed reason to remind the world and especially the coming generations of the legacy of this great man. For no philosophy, no leader, no movement has yet emerged to unseat King as the broadest and most defining civil rights activist in the Nation’s history.

It is not only physical violence that is the companion of hatred; it is violence of other kinds. The violence of bigotry. The violence of exclusion. The violence of exploitation. The violence of benign indifference. The violence of hateful speech. Hatred, the very opposite of the love that King espoused, is formed in the crucible of pride and self-interest, a toxic mix causing individuals and groups to demean, exclude, exploit and violate the rights of others to secure a privilege or dominance over them.

King’s greatness as a historical figure emanates from many aspects of his philosophy and example. His “Beloved Community” was the image of a community of cooperation and respect for all. He vigorously eschewed the notion that some are more entitled or more privileged than others. He gave his life to the idea that the least of us is deserving of love, respect, and equality. The goal of establishing such a community remains a worthy one.

(Ruth J. Simmons, President – Prairie View A&M University)

Dear All Souls Families,

You can now pay and add credit to your child/children's cafeteria account through SchoolSpeak. Your payment will be processed through PayPal with a 3% convenience fee for all transactions.

Sign-in to your SchoolSpeak account and select "Lunch Order" in the quick links menu on the left. The "Pay" tab will direct you to your payment options. You may pay the cafeteria balance through your existing PayPal account or as a guest using your credit or debit card. You may also add credit to your child/children's cafeteria account. If you wish, you may still make cash or check payments to the school office.

Please note, for the families that have a credit card on file I will no longer be charging your credit card for lunch payments. You are responsible for paying and adding credit to your cafeteria account.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Regards,

Ms. Escobar

25- COVID Testing - Church Hall

26- School Assembly - 2:20pm

26- Progress Reports

29- Faculty Meeting - 12:20pm Dismissal

1- Early Dismissal - 2:30pm - Faculty Meeting

3 - 8th Grade Youth Mass

1-12- STAR Testing

7- School Family Mass - 9am

8 -Archdiocesan Staff Development Mtg. - 12:20 Dismissal

15- President's Day - Holiday

16- School Assembly - 2:30pm

16- School Board Mtg. - 6:30pm - Zoom

17- Ash Wednesday - 8am Mass (Full School Uniform)

25- First Communion Parent Mtg. - 7pm

Please check with all providers regarding current summer program dates, times,

and other important information.