From the Principal

A good human

In my previous school, one of the school leaders had an excellent manner with students and staff and was always keen to see the good side of any person who may have been experiencing difficulties or was getting into trouble.

‘He/she is a good human’, was often his reflection.

The international political scenario of the past week has reinforced the necessity of human decency. We want all people to be ‘good humans’ and it is even more important that our leaders lead well.

Good values can be learned but also cultivated. In a Catholic perspective, our spiritual life also needs fuel, namely the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. We are nourished also by prayer, the Scriptures, the community and by loving others.

Our College has a beautiful Ignatian spirituality where we look to ‘find God in all things’. One of the early companions of St Ignatius described it another way as being a ‘contemplative in action’.

The story is told of a Jesuit novice asking if he ‘could eat whilst praying’.

‘No, but you can pray whilst eating’ was the advice he was given.

In our Ignatian tradition, we often say the beautiful prayer of the ‘Examen’ where we can recall those moments in the day when we have felt God’s presence and those times when we might have drifted from God. It is a great gift as we reflect on the day that we have experienced.

I recently heard the Examen described as ‘emptying the pockets at the end of a day’. Prayer and reflection can be powerful tools as we try to discern our path in life. It is a precious way of striving to be a ‘good human’.

Robert Henderson

Principal