Faith Learned, Faith Lived: In a Farewell Tip for Students, the Answer's Always "One"

The Year of Faith is a celebration of our calling to follow Christ and how we can come to know Jesus in our commitment to the ACE community and Catholic Schools. Our prayer is that we can learn to find Jesus in the ordinary and routine things of our lives.

The academic year is coming to an end, and this can be a stressful time for both teachers and students. Both are eager for summer. But among ACE teachers there is a transition about to happen. Some will be finishing a two-year commitment and graduating—moving on to the next step in their lives. The first-year teachers will finish the semester and prepare to return to their own studies. Both of these cohorts know they have to say good-bye to their students.

A question for every person involved in Catholic education is this: How do I end this school year well and say good-bye to my students?

Chapter 17 of John’s gospel is called the farewell discourse of Jesus. He is reminding his disciples that he is leaving them. He is about to undergo his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension and then return to the Father. Take a moment and reflect on John 17: 20. Jesus says this in prayer:

            “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe

in me through their word, that they all may be one.”

Jesus is praying for both the disciples and us. We hear the Word of God through the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. God’s Word is a gift to us, and it teaches us an important lesson. We are being invited to be one with each other—with the challenge to be one in the same way that Jesus and the Father are one.

How does this idea of unity help us learn to say good-bye to our students? Jesus taught the disciples that they were to continue his mission by creating community. This is what Jesus means when he prays that “they may be one.” We are supposed to be bound together with Jesus at the center of our lives.

Here is a concrete way this works out. When you applied to join ACE, you were asked to write about a teacher who inspired you. Do you remember whom you wrote about? I have read many of these essays, and there is a general pattern that can be seen. Think about the person you wrote about, and see if you recognize a pattern. The teachers who inspire us are the ones who cared about us, were generous with their time, inspired us to become our best selves, and were passionate about the subject. The relationship of a great teacher with his or her students makes a connection that will never be forgotten. You, as Christ the Teacher, are one with your students, and they are one with you.

Instead of saying good-bye, say farewell to your students.

This may seem like a small thing, but let your farewell remind both you and your students that you are, and always will be, connected by the love of Christ.

God bless you and your students as you bring this year to completion. Farewell, and Christ be with you!