To the Band of Brothers: December 8, 2020
Good morning!
Today, the eighth-graders who will be getting confirmed in February will be on campus for their commitment retreat. It’s a great way to get them ready for their big day when they will receive the sacrament of Confirmation and take a significant step towards becoming Catholic men.
It’s a great day for the retreat because today we also celebrate the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. Remember, we celebrate the dogma of faith that the Virgin Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without original sin. I emphasize this because too often, solid Catholics get confused and think Jesus is the Immaculate Conception. His conception, what we call the Incarnation, was miraculous (no doubt), but today’s feast is about Mary’s conception.
Now, the fact is, both the incarnation of Jesus and the immaculate conception of Mary are necessarily and intimately tied together. The reason is that Mary was conceived without sin precisely because she was being prepped to eventually become the mother of God. This doesn’t mean she couldn’t have turned God down at the moment of the Angel Gabriel’s announcement, but it wasn’t very likely considering her sinlessness meant she was always open to God’s grace and willing to do whatever He asked.
One last thing about today’s feast day. I always remind you guys that two extraordinary events took place in 1854. The first is the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the second is the founding of Belen in Cuba. Wow, two biggies. That was definitely a great year.
By the way, as we traditionally do on the feast days of Mary, we will be having churrasco for lunch. I know you guys won’t be in school today, so we will be serving it on Wednesday. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
Auspice Maria
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.