Acquire Wisdom, Acquire Understanding: A Charge to Our Community

Nothing we do is worth anything without the One Thing. For the Benedictine monks, this truth is embodied in their simple command: Ora et Labora—Pray and Work. This rhythm of prayer and work calls us to position ourselves before God every morning and to challenge our hearts to remain faithful in this posture throughout the day. It’s a daily challenge and an all-day challenge.

Beginning each day in prayer sets my ears and heart to listening, so that what I see throughout the day does not become something it is not. It is my focus through hearing that enables me to see the grace of God in everything I encounter. The old Tootsie Roll jingle comes to mind: “Everything I think I see becomes a Tootsie Roll to me.” The profundity of this playful line is that we see what we focus on.

At Heritage, we want this truth to shape everything we do. We aim to fill the ears of our students with the truth of Christ so that their eyes are opened to see how the whole world is His. He is the Author and Sustainer of all creation. There is nothing they will see or do that should not be informed by the audible truth of our Savior, Jesus.

As Bernard of Clairvaux wisely wrote, “The hearing succeeded where sight failed. Appearances deceived the eye, but truth poured itself into the ear.” The hearing of God’s Word is foundational. Our eyes are shaken daily by distractions, temptations, and doubts, but hearing the truth anchors us. Without hearing the Word of God, we cannot rightly interpret what we see.

This Advent season, as we march together through a time of waiting and anticipation, let us return to the simplicity of hearing and seeing. Let us acquire wisdom and understanding anew by listening to the Word of God. It is through hearing His truth that we can taste and see His goodness in every aspect of life.

Parents, teachers, and students, let us accept this challenge together. Begin each day in prayer, filling your ears with the truth that sets your eyes on God’s grace. Let everything you see remind you of His presence and His sustaining love.

May we, as a community, listen well and not forget. May everything we see become the grace of God to us.