Dear Blessed Trinity teachers, students, and families,

This weekend we hear about the Israelites receiving the 10 Commandments. They're all phrased as "thou shalt not" and soon the Israelites become so caught up in how they adhere to these 10 seemingly simple rules that it quickly turns into 613 laws in the Torah. The Pharisees and some of the other elders are quick to point out how they follow every one of these rules so they must be the most righteous.

However, in the Gospel, we see the reaction Jesus has to the lack of faith in the Israelites: he drives them out with righteous anger. Even more, Jesus replaces the requirement for heaven with the 8 Beatitudes. No longer do we hear "thou shalt not" but hear "blessed are those who..." It's no longer good enough to just not kill or commit adultery, but Jesus says that we have to change our way of life, and our hardness of hearts to be that of service, humility, and charity even to the point of accepting persecution when those around us make fun. These are hard realities not only for the Israelites but also for us! 

May this Lent be a time of softening our hardened hearts to embrace the more life-giving way of living in the Beatitudes!

--Mrs. Zepp

Each month we focus on learning about a different virtue to help our students grow in holy habits. Attached you will find more information about the curriculum we use to guide our discussions and point us to Saints that exemplify each virtue. Below are some activities for you to do as a family to make home connections about what we learn in schoo