Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
I currently teach 6 – 9-year-olds in a Montessori classroom. My co-teacher and I spend a lot of time talking about the “prepared environment.” A lot of time, energy, planning and preparation goes into setting up the room so that students can use the space appropriately to learn and grow. We often talk about how the adults in the room are part of the prepared environment. To prepare ourselves means taking time for quiet, for self-reflection, for training. If the adults have not consciously taken time to prepare their hearts and minds for this work it will seem empty and meaningless – and believe me, kids can pick up on that.
It is easy for me to remember to “prepare” myself when thinking about work and my classroom. I have sometimes thought about this in regard to my parenting. If I do not set time aside to prepare myself as a parent, I become reactionary and stressed. Setting time aside for quiet, reflection, growth and peace, as a parent, is essential as well.
As I reflect on today’s readings and I read the lines, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing” (Matt. 23:27 – 28), I find myself thinking about this idea of being not only a prepared adult but rather a prepared disciple. When I think about the idea of preparing myself to be calm, patient, open and present to the children in my classroom, I think about how important it is to do this as a disciple as well. It is imperative that I set time aside for prayer, scripture, quiet and reception of the sacraments in order to be a prepared disciple. If I am not purposefully preparing my heart and refocusing myself on Jesus, I risk becoming like the scribes and pharisees – an empty vessel filled with hypocrisy and evil-doing.
Today, may each of us purposefully set aside time to prepare ourselves as disciples, so that as we go out into the world we may be generous, joyful, faithful, loving, humble disciples, ready to change the world.
—AJ Grimm