These days, a commonly heard refrain among people of a certain vintage (and that includes educators!) is that the world is degenerating, young people are becoming more entitled, and there is little hope left for the world. But is this really true?

This Easter, record numbers of adults were baptised in the United Kingdom and France – and many of them were young men. In France, the 18–25 age group represented 42% of all adult catechumens.

Fr Daniel Seward of the York Oratory in the UK explained to the Catholic Herald, a British publication:
‘There is a sense of moral chaos and lack of meaning in today’s society. If people can find something that makes sense, provides meaning, and also gives a community, which the Catholic Church does, they are going to be attracted to this, and I think this is particularly true for young men.’

On 18 May 2025, in the United States, a group of eight young people started the 36-day National Eucharistic Pilgrimage across the country, as a public expression of hope and as a witness to the truth that Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Back home, many young people regularly attend daily Masses as well as events organised by the Office for Young People and Catholic groups at the various tertiary institutions.

At the recent Jubilee of Teenagers on 25 April 2025, co-organised by ACCS and Catholic Junior College, the fervour shown by the students of Catholic schools was inspiring.

Fr Reginald Marie, OCD, shared at that event that his experiences going to schools for penitential services had been edifying. Based on some of the very good confessions by students, he remarked that ‘there are saints among us’.

In fact, that was precisely my observation in 2022 while facilitating small-group dialogues in school during the diocesan phase of the synodal process. Listening to the faith stories my students shared convinced me that they were truly saints, or at least well on the way to becoming saints, and that moved me greatly.

True, many young people these days stop going to church altogether after they have been confirmed – the numbers and anecdotal evidence don’t lie. But I think that if that is all we focus on, we miss seeing the bigger picture.

History has shown us time and again that when there is a crisis in the Church or in the world, God raises up saints – it seems to be one of his favourite ways to bring healing and renewal to difficult circumstances. Just think of St Francis of Assisi, St Catherine of Siena, St Teresa of Ávila, St Francis de Sales, St John Paul II and so many more saints who inspired hope in people when times were tough.

But God doesn’t just call the clergy and religious to fulfil his purposes. Among this great ‘cloud of witnesses’ (Hebrews 12:1) are many young people who by all accounts led pretty ordinary lives – such as St Dominic Savio, Bd Pier Giorgio Frassati, Bd Chiara Badano, Bd Carlo Acutis. These youthful saints maintained their focus on Christ while immersed in everyday situations like their studies or work, their hobbies or recreation, and were still well-liked and popular among their friends. Their stories are indeed inspirations for our young people that holiness can be cool and that heaven is a truly attainable goal.

Just as St Dominic Savio benefited from the guidance of St John Bosco, our young people need the guidance of trusted adults – their parents, teachers and mentors. Rather than lamenting or throwing up their hands in frustration at the perceived hopelessness of the world, adults need to inspire hope in young people – that, with the Holy Spirit empowering them, they can live as God desires, they can make the world a better place, they can attain eternal life in heaven.

In his Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis listed groups of people in need of signs of hope – the sick, the migrants and the elderly. But he also included a surprising category: young people.

‘Signs of hope are also needed by those who are the very embodiment of hope, namely, the young. Sadly, they often see their dreams and aspirations frustrated. We must not disappoint them, for the future depends on their enthusiasm… With renewed passion, let us demonstrate care and concern for adolescents, students and young couples, the rising generation. Let us draw close to the young, for they are the joy and hope of the Church and of the world!’ (Spes Non Confundit, 12)

Yes, God wants to raise up saints among the youth of today to lead the Church and the world forward to a brighter tomorrow – and, to inspire hope in them, he is counting on those he has called to form and mould them. Will we cooperate with him in this work of saint-making?

The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, 2006 mandates that “The Church must have schools that are recognisably Catholic.” (Page 7)

What instantly identifies our schools as Catholic if not the celebration of the Sacraments, especially Holy Mass?

The Eucharistic celebration is integral to the life of a Catholic school because it deepens faith, nourishes spiritual growth, builds community, forms Christian moral values, preserves the culture and traditions of the Catholic Church, provides space for personal prayer and reflection, enables true encounters with God, and witnesses to the world the riches of the Catholic faith.

The Miracle of the Mass

How is this so? Let us begin by refreshing our understanding of the Mass. It is:

• The memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross: According to Church teaching, the Mass does not merely remember or symbolise the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, on the cross. By a mystery of faith, it takes us all back to Calvary and makes present “the same Christ who offered Himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross offered in an unbloody manner” on the altar of the sanctuary (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994, CCC 1367).
  This happens when, in obedience to Christ’s command to His apostles at the Last Supper, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19), “we offer to the Father what He has Himself given us; the gifts of His creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, become the Body and Blood of Christ.” (CCC 1357)
• The real presence of Jesus through the miracle of transubstantiation: “In the Eucharist, Christ gives us the very body which He gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which He poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (CCC 1365). This is not a chemical, physical or other natural transformation but a supernatural phenomenon.
  As such, “it cannot be apprehended by the senses but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.” (St. Thomas Aquinas) Therefore, “Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Saviour in faith, for since He is the Truth, He cannot lie.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, CCC 1380)
• Holy Communion with the Lord: “To receive communion is to receive Christ Himself who has offered himself for us.” (CCC 1382).
  “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56) Anywhere and everywhere Mass is celebrated, Emmanuel God-with-us comes down from heaven to dwell within all who partake of Holy Communion with faith and in a state of grace.
  As the Church is also the mystical Body of Christ, “in the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of His Body: our lives, our praise, our sufferings, prayer and work, are united with those of Christ” (CCC 1368). Our sacrifice is similarly united with those of all other members of the Church, whether here on earth, in purgatory or in heaven (CCC 1370, 1371).

The Fruits of the Mass

Through the celebration of Holy Mass, a Catholic school fulfils its vocation to be “a genuine instrument of the Church’s evangelising mission” (Page 8):

1. It deepens faith and nourishes sacramental life.
   If we earnestly help our students and staff understand the significance of what happens during Mass, they will surely be led to encounter Christ more meaningfully, not just during Mass in school (where there may be many distractions), but also in church and in their personal lives.
2. It builds communion and community:
   Celebrating Mass together fosters a sense of belonging and family among students, teachers, and staff. It reminds everyone that they are part of the larger Body of Christ, sharing the Catholic values and charisms of the founders of the school, and living out the mission and vision of the school in communal praise and thanksgiving.
   Celebrating Mass also helps students connect with the rich culture, traditions and history of the Catholic Church, fostering a sense of identity with the People of God who have gone before them.
3. It offers opportunities for catechesis:
   Mass is a time when Catholic educators can unveil the riches of the liturgy, the liturgical calendar, the sacraments, and the teachings of the Church to students and staff alike, complementing the religious education curriculum in school, and catechism classes in church. The homilies, para-liturgies and prayers during Mass can also guide students on how to live a moral and Christ-centred life.
   Since ‘faith is caught, rather than taught’, Catholic educators, staff and students who participate in the liturgy can role-model reverence and “fear” of the Lord, proper worship and prayer dispositions, and express their faith in action through serving others and respecting their human dignity, especially when trying to maintain order and a prayerful environment during the bigger, school-wide Masses.
4. It offers a sacred time and space for encountering God:
   If time permits and the school environment is conducive, Mass provides a structured time for staff and students to rest collectively in the Lord amidst their packed timetables.
5. It is missionary:
   Catholic schools witness to non-Catholics at large and unveil the beauty of the liturgy and Catholic culture to them at large by living out their faith and worship of God in the public celebration of the Mass.

This is why the Church teaches that “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). It should be the source and summit of Catholic school life too for it seals us with the 5 Essential Marks:

• The first Essential Mark of a Catholic School is that it is inspired by a supernatural vision. (Page 20) Today, the Risen Lord is present in our schools where two or three are gathered in prayer in His name (Matthew 18:20), in our FINs (Friends In Need) (Matthew 25:40, 45), and in the Word of God (John 1:1) displayed on our school buildings. But above all, He is present among us in the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. The Mass inspires by giving us a vision of the supernatural!
• The second Essential Mark respects the intrinsic human dignity of the person created in the image and likeness of God. The Holy See calls us to be schools “for the human person and of human persons”, tasked with “being the living and provocative memory of Christ.” (Page 26) What better way to do this than through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist?
• The third Essential Mark is that a Catholic school should be animated by communion and community. (Page 28) As we have seen, the entire People of God are united with Christ and each other around the table of the Lord at Mass.
• The fourth Essential Mark is that a Catholic school’s curriculum emphasises the integral human development of its students: it develops “gradually every capability of every student, whether intellectual, physical, psychological, moral and religious capabilities.” (Page 42). To do so “it must foster love for wisdom and truth and must integrate faith, culture and life.” (Page 45). In the Mass, the real presence of Christ who is Wisdom, Truth and Life Himself works wonders.
• The fifth Essential Mark is that the Mass enables Catholic educators, Catholic staff and Catholic students (Page 53), to witness to their faith, especially in modern times when students encounter fewer religious or clergy in their schools.

Our call to action

Yet despite the above, “All too many schools fall into the trap of a secular academic success culture, putting their Christological focus and its accompanying understanding of the human person in second place. Christ is ‘fitted in’ rather than being the school’s vital principle.” (Page 26)

During Mass, the same God who created the universe and parted the Red Sea; the same Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead, drove out demons and healed the lame, deaf and blind; and the same Holy Spirit who empowered 12 fearful apostles to sow the seeds of the Church that number 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide today, walks among us and our students, to love, liberate, heal, restore, uplift and empower us.

Jesus told His disciples who prevented little children from coming to Him, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:13-16)

Will we keep our young people from Him just because we don’t have the time, the unavailability of physical spaces or financial and human resources, or simply the sheer lack of willpower to organise meaningful Masses in our schools?

As we begin the school holidays, let us make good use of the time we are given to attend Mass more often (even when we are overseas) and ponder on what the Mass means to us as Catholic educators, and how much it matters to our Catholic schools.

May we implore the Father, Son and Holy Spirit on the great feast of Pentecost (8 June) and the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity (June 15) to give us the strength and goodwill to fortify the Catholic identity of our schools with regular celebrations of Holy Mass, thereby inspiring Catholic parents to enrol their children in our Catholic schools, and thus ensuring the institutions’ survival and continuing the mission and vision of their founders for the glory of God and His Church.

And may our celebration of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (June 22) fill us with the divine graces and blessings we need to build up the Kingdom of God in our own hearts, homes and schools as we enter Ordinary Time in the life of the Church once more.

Reference

oThe Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, 2006 by Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB

This June, we celebrate six great solemnities: Pentecost, The Most Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Saints Peter and Paul. At the heart of each of these celebrations is the Eucharist. Without it, they lose their deepest meaning. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life (CCC 1324); it is from this sacred mystery that our lives must flow.

In Christ, we behold the fullness of both humanity and divinity. His human nature is made manifest in the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, where his heart, pierced by a spear, was opened for us in love. His divine nature is revealed in the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, where he stands as the Second Person of the eternal Godhead. Each time we receive the Eucharist, we partake in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. As baptised Catholics, we bear an indelible mark on our souls—an ontological transformation, not of superiority, but of consecration. We are set apart for a mission: to live as children of God, witnessing to the Gospel. The Eucharist is our strength, shaping and transforming us, little by little, into Christ.

We become what we receive—but only if we recognise who we are receiving. To partake in the Eucharist is to be drawn into Christ’s vision, seeing the world through eyes of love. Our Catholic worldview must reflect this same love, one that recognises and upholds the dignity of every person, for all are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus himself demonstrated this in his encounters with tax collectors and sinners (Mt 9:10-17; Lk 7:48, 50), restoring their dignity not by condemnation, but by love. As educators, we are called to do the same, forming our students not only in knowledge but in love and respect for the human person.

We do not have all the answers, nor are we expected to. Just as students do not demand infallibility from their teachers but rather sincerity and care, so too must we embrace humility in our discipleship. Striving to be better witnesses is itself a form of witness. We see this in the example of Saints Peter and Paul—Peter, who faltered and was rebuked by Paul at Antioch (Gal 2:11-14), yet continued to seek the right path. Even in his final moments, tradition tells us, Peter was fleeing persecution in Rome when he encountered Christ walking in the opposite direction. “Quo vadis, Domine?” he asked. “I am going to Rome to be crucified again,” Jesus replied. This encounter moved Peter to turn back, embracing his martyrdom. Like Peter, may we always seek to course-correct, growing ever more faithful in our witness to Christ.

At Pentecost, the disciples received the Holy Spirit, and even now, God continues to pour out his Spirit upon us—most tangibly in the Eucharist. Through it, he grants us the strength to see as he sees, to live lives that radiate hope, peace, and love. Our mission is ultimately to lead others to Christ, just as St. John the Baptist did—of whom St. John the Evangelist wrote, “He was not the light, but came to testify to the light” (Jn 1:8). As educators, we hold a position of profound trust; our students come to us not only for knowledge but for guidance in their struggles and uncertainties. Like Philip, sent by the Spirit to guide the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:29-31), we too are sent to accompany those entrusted to us. And when our task is complete, we will be sent again, to others who need our presence.

Above all, we must lead by witness. And for that, we must be nourished by the Eucharist, the wellspring of our strength and our faith.

Many parents feel anxious when choosing a Primary or Secondary school for their child – and rightly so! It’s a big decision that impacts the whole family. The right school doesn’t just provide a quality education; it nurtures your child’s social, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual growth.

But how can Catholic parents discern the best school for their children during these formative years?

ACCS Sowers November 2022 newsletter featured an article titled Discerning God’s Will, Making Godly Choices, inspired by insights from Fr. Mike Schmitz, a well-known Catholic priest, speaker, and author from the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota. Fr. Mike has touched many lives – especially young people’s – through his ministry, both in person and online.

In a 2018 YouTube video, he shared Four Helpful Rules for Discernment, reminding us that God has gifted us with wisdom, intellect, and free will – tools He wants us to use wisely when making important life decisions.

Fr. Mike suggests asking ourselves four key questions, much like opening four doors in succession, in helping us make such decisions. Catholic parents can apply these when choosing a school for their children:

1. The First Door: Is it a ‘Good Door’?

If God has made it clear that a certain path through a particular door isn’t right, we shouldn’t force it open. Such a ‘wrong door’ would entail acquiescing to something that is e.g. immoral or illegal.

Thus, if a school’s practices and values undergirding what is taught in a programme are contrary to Church teaching, Catholic parents should walk away from that door, and look for another one. But if they can walk through that door, and still be faithful to Church teachings, then go ahead.

For example, for government schools, independent and faith-based government-aided schools, the MOE’s implementation policies state that “If parents wish to opt their children out of Sexuality Education lessons, eTeens or supplementary Sexuality Education programmes, schools must allow them to do so.”

2. The Second Door: Is this an ‘Open Door’?

In other words, is this path realistically possible? Fr. Mike gives a simple example: There’s no point trying out for a professional basketball team if you lack the natural talent. The door isn’t bad – it’s just that you won’t be able to open it.

Similarly, parents might hope their child could gain admission to an ‘elite’ school through sports (via Direct School Admission), but if the child has no athletic ability, that door remains closed. The same applies if a child doesn’t secure a spot in their preferred Primary school through balloting, or misses the PSLE cut-off for their dream Secondary school.

3. The Third Door: Is it a ‘Wise Door’?

Even if a door is good and open, is it truly the best choice for the child? Fr. Mike compares this to dating – just because a relationship is possible doesn’t mean it’s wise, especially if it doesn’t align with your long-term spiritual goals.

For schools, even if your child can get in, consider:

• Would they thrive, or struggle as a “small fish in a big pond”?

• Would long commutes or extra tuition strain your family’s time and finances?

• Does the school’s environment suit your child’s temperament and abilities?

4. The Fourth Door: Is this a Door I Truly Want to Open?

Finally, if a door is good, open, and wise – does our faith and our conscience convict us that we should go ahead and bring our child through it? Does opening this door feel right?

As Catholic parents, we should ask:

• Have I involved my child age-appropriately in the decision-making process (e.g. visiting open houses together, asking how the child feels about the place etc)? Catholic Social Teaching (CST) calls us to respect the human dignity of every person as created in the image and likeness of God, at all stages of life.

• Will this school help my child grow in faith, not just in academics? CST emphasises the integral human development of the child – intellectually, physically, psychologically, morally, spiritually.

• Am I choosing for the common good – another key CST principle – considering my child, family, and the Church?

According to ACCS data, over the past 15 years, Catholic school enrolment among Catholic children has dropped from 26% to 21%, mirroring Singapore’s declining birth rates. If this downslide continues, we risk a future where Catholic schools have few or no Catholic students. What would that mean for our faith’s presence in education? If more Catholic parents enrolled their children in Catholic schools, it would help reverse this trend; perhaps this is something we could consider.

Taking Responsibility for Our Choices

The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools (Archbishop J.M. Miller CSB, 2006, pp. 9–10) says clearly:

“Parents – and not schools either of the state or the Church – have the primary moral responsibility of educating children to adulthood. Like a good Mother, the Church offers help to families by establishing Catholic schools that ensure the integral formation of their children.

In keeping with a basic tenet of Catholic social doctrine, the principle of subsidiarity must always govern relations between families, the Church, and the state. For subsidiarity to be effective, families must enjoy true liberty in deciding how their children are to be educated.”

We are blessed that, in Singapore, we enjoy such ‘true liberty.’

Making Godly decisions for our children isn’t easy, but as parents, we can’t avoid responsibility for our children by leaving it all to God’s will or others’.

As Fr. Mike says, maturity means owning our choices – even when unexpected challenges arise, or circumstances change.

But here’s the Good News, he says: “Even if things don’t turn out as planned, God is always with us.” God our Father will take us by the hand, and lead us back to the right doors.

St. Thomas More wisely advised:

“You must not abandon the ship in a storm because you cannot control the winds. What you cannot turn to good, you must at least make as little bad as you can.”

If we’ve sought the Holy Spirit’s guidance and done our best, the Risen Lord will make straight our crooked lines, showing us new doors and opening them for us in His perfect timing.

Meantime, in this Marian month of May in the Jubilee Year of Hope, let’s entrust our children and their futures to Our Blessed Mother’s intercession, and our Heavenly Father’s tender love, care, and mercy.

In the 17th to 19th centuries, the religious founders – St John Baptist de La Salle, Bd Nicolas Barré, St Magdalene of Canossa, St Louis Marie de Montfort and St Marcellin Champagnat – established schools for destitute children in Europe. Many of them had become vagrants on the streets and had fallen into delinquency and crime. Education would give them the necessary skills to make an honest living and religious education would provide moral formation.

Religious orders first established schools as a charitable work, in response to the needs of the poor, in a time when states did not see it as their role to provide education to the masses. When the Church expanded its mission to the New World, schools also served the mission of evangelization. Indeed, in schools many Catholic children received their formation in the faith, and many were converted and baptized.

In Singapore, Catholic schools can trace their beginnings to the arrival of Fr Jean-Marie Beurel, MEP, in 1839. As soon as he was appointed leader of the Catholic Mission on the island, he was determined to establish Catholic schools, convinced that schools were a necessity for the evangelization of Singapore. In the early years, the British East India Company was more concerned with its own business interests than the education of the locals. However, it later realized that a better-educated people could also contribute to its business interests, and saw in Christian missionaries partners who would take on this responsibility. Anglican and Methodist missionaries set up the first schools in the Straits Settlements.

Fr Beurel recognized that, if Catholic schools were not established, children would be forced to attend schools of other denominations. He wrote to the Superior-General of the La Salle Brothers and on a visit to Paris secured the services of four Sisters of the Congregation of the Charitable Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus. They opened the first Catholic schools in Singapore in 1852 and 1854 respectively.

Since the first schools were established here, there has always been a tension between secular and religious education. A balance has always been found based on two principles – that religious education is good for moral development, and that religious schools must be open to all, even as students are not compelled to attend religious classes. Since independence in 1965, the widespread investment in education as well as Singapore’s commitment to secularism has often elicited the question: Why does a secular Singaporean state need Catholic schools? What do they offer that is different from secular schools?

According to MOE’s mission and vision statement of 2007, the aim of education is to ‘acquire the skills and knowledge, as well as the right values and attitude to assure the survival and success of the individual and country’.

The uniqueness of the Catholic vision sees a reality beyond individual and country. The Vatican II Declaration on Christian Education Gravissimum Educationis declares that while the state has its legitimate purposes and objectives, the Church has the mandate ‘of proclaiming the mystery of salvation to all people. The Church must be concerned with the whole of a person’s life, even the secular part of it insofar as it has a bearing on one’s heavenly calling. Therefore, she has a role in the progress and development of education.’ Catholic education aims not only to form persons to survive and to attain success in this life, but it ‘aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit of his or her ultimate end and of the good of society’. The Church’s fundamental mission is proclaiming the Kingdom of God and shaping the secular society with the values of the Kingdom, a Kingdom that has begun on this earth but finds its ultimate fulfilment only in the transcendent and eternal. Hence, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium explains that the Church also works to establish the Kingdom by engaging in temporal affairs, directing them to God’s will and thereby sanctifying the world.

Catholic schools are called to be the salt of the earth and light to the world, the lamp that will light the whole house (Matthew 5:13–16). Catholic schools have as their mission the provision not only of quality education but of holistic development – educating people of all faiths to serve their nation and humanity, but ultimately God and God’s Kingdom.

References

Dicastery for Catholic Education. The Identity of the Catholic School for a Culture of Dialogue. 2022.

Fernandez, Valentina. Catholic teachers and the teaching of Religious Education in Catholic Schools in Singapore: A qualitative study across schools of six religious teaching orders. 2009. University of Western Australia, MEd Thesis.

Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Gravissimum Educationis. 1965.

Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Lumen Gentium. 1964.

Wijeysingha, Eugene. Going Forth, The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819–2004. Singapore.

Every time I announce details of events happening in school, my students will ask ‘what if’ questions – what if it rains? what if we don’t bring our planner?’ So, I considered a ‘what if’ question that had been in my mind in the past. What if Jesus did not resurrect and ascend to His Father? When I posed this question as a student, I was told that then my whole belief would all be a lie. How so?

In Genesis, we learnt that when Adam and Eve sinned, heaven was closed to Man. God sought man time and again to bring us back to Heaven. However, time and again, this relationship was broken until God offered his only Son to us to die once and for all to sin. Jesus became man, died and resurrected to open the doors of heaven for us. If He had not, our life on earth remains just that. Life will cease when we die. Why bother to do anything or achieve anything? Life would just be a meaningless existence.

Life would also be based on pure luck. If we were lucky to be born rich, life may be a smooth passage, if not, suffering would be just that. We could just snuff out our life of misery. We’d have no hope to change anything.

The Bible might be an edition in the Chicken Soup series, filled with feel-good stories of living in this world. But what would our motivation be? Any happiness we feel would be fleeting. Nothing lasts. We should just eat and be merry for when we die, life would just end.

In his preaching on earth, St. Paul encountered people in Corinth who did not believe in the resurrection of the body. He wrote to the Corinthians:

“For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ had not been raised, then all our preaching is useless and your faith is useless.” (1 Corinthians 15: 13- 14)

St. Paul says further, “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anything in the world.” (1 Corinthians 17-19) Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is the new Passover from death to life eternal. Jesus showed us in his transfiguration, as believers, what life is like back with the Father. That we will be made whole and radiant, bathed in the light of God. In our baptism, we have a share in that life. The Book of Revelations paints a beautiful picture of what life is like with God – “life is made new.” and “there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain!” This Easter, as I leave this “what if” question behind, I pray not just to fix my own eyes on heaven, but also to form my students as whole persons, “loving God and neighbour and enriching society with the leaven of the gospel, and who will also be citizens of the world to come, thus fulfilling their destiny to become saints.” (Cf. Gravissimum Educationis, 8)

The Lunar New Year, which began on 29 January, 2025, is an important festival for the Chinese in the Far East and the worldwide diaspora, including Singapore. Marking the arrival of spring, its celebration is steeped in rich cultural traditions having deep spiritual meanings.

It reminds us of the importance of family relationships, the circle of life in the natural world, and the collective hope for a brighter and more prosperous future; its association with springtime inspires not only fresh ideas and new ways of doing things, but also any sacrifices required to make space for new growth in our lives.

Springtime is also a metaphor for the spiritual renewal that Christianity offers. Just as the earth emerges from the cold grasp of winter into a season of growth, Christians believe in the possibility of personal and communal spiritual rebirth through faith in Christ. As we enter into the Lunar New Year how then can we, as educators and parents, bear witness to this spirit of faith and renewal?

Education

In February 2024, in his concluding message to Catholic educators who participated in a four- month-long conference in Madrid organised by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE)1, Pope Francis said: “Education is, above all, an act of hope in those before us, in their possibilities to change and contribute to the renewal of society.”

The Holy See sees “education as a process … that forms the whole child and seeks to fix his or her eyes on heaven.” What else but hope can give us the confidence to train our young people’s spiritual vision despite their world being dominated by a culture of individualism, relativism and secularism?

From our experiences as parents and educators, we can surely find something deep within us that gives rise to the hope that our children and students – made in the image and likeness of God – can be better versions of themselves. We must also put our faith in our God who will continue to love us, no matter the number of times we fail or fall.

Faith and renewal

Take, for example, the making New Year’s resolutions: if we’ve already made some, and already failed to keep them, let us not be too hard on ourselves.

Fr Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, a well-regarded Catholic columnist, explains: “It is a sign of health that we keep making new resolutions, despite a life-long history of failure. Why? In making new resolutions we are saying: ‘I believe in a God who continues to love me, even when I can’t live up to it.’ But more than that, making new resolutions is to express faith in the God of the resurrection. To try for new life, for a fresh start, precisely when bad habit has kept me so long in a certain helplessness, is to say: ‘I believe in the resurrection and the life!’”

In the same way, parents and educators should not give up on children and youth easily, but instead, persevere to nurture them to their fullest potential to be the unique individuals that God has called them to be.

As Pope Francis told the Spanish educators, “the distinctive feature of Catholic education is true humanisation that arises from faith, and generates a culture of encounter.”

As parents and educators, let us constantly remind ourselves that, in our encounters with our young people, we are called to make daily acts of hope, keeping faith in their potential to be future contributors to the change and renewal of society and the world.

Let us also ponder: As parents (or first educators) and teachers in schools, do we subscribe to this Catholic vision of parenting and educating? Will we build a culture based on this Catholic vision in our homes and schools? This year, will we make a resolution to believe in the goodness of each and every child because he or she is made in the image and likeness of God?

After all, Pope Francis also said that “To be saints is not a privilege for a few, but a vocation for everyone”