Photo provided by the Congregation of Holy Cross
This Lenten season, I had the privilege of presenting to the priests of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis during their annual day of prayer and reflection. I spoke about the Cross our Hope through the lens of Holy Cross spirituality. As part of my preparation, I reread Blessed Basil Moreau’s master treatise titled Christian Education. Although he wrote about educating the French youth of the 19th century during the aftermath of the French Revolution, I am continually amazed by how much I can apply to my daily life educating highschoolers in Indianapolis in the 21st century. In the last paragraph of the text, Moreau calls education a work of the Resurrection. What a bold statement for him to make! The amazing thing is that through my five years as an elementary and high school educator, I’ve learned first hand that Moreau was right. Education certainly has the power to transform, transfigure, and bring about new life.
In my role as a teacher and coach, I have had the privilege of walking with my students on their journeys of faith, and I’ve learned just how heavy their crosses are in their lives. From everyday things like struggling to learn a new math lesson or losing a soccer match, to life changing events such as the diagnosis of a chronic illness, the separation of parents, or the deaths of close loved ones, the Cross is always present in the lives of my students.
I’ve learned in my time as a teacher that I cannot take away their pain and suffering, but I can help them to bear their burden, affirm them in their grief, and point them towards the Cross of Jesus as our hope. Life can feel like a long way of the Cross as we journey to heaven. Whether it is taking extra time to reteach a lesson after school, supporting athletes with season ending injuries, sitting with students who were rejected from their dream college, visiting the hospitalized, or attending funerals of students’ loved ones, being a teacher offers small and big opportunities to support, comfort, and be a brother to my students. It is in these moments that I can help them to unite their crosses with the Holy Cross of Christ so that they, in turn, can participate in his Resurrection.
Education, where struggle leads to growth, is a very participation in Chirst’s work of restoring the world. The information we receive in class should lead to the formation of our hearts in virtue, which should culminate in our transformation into the person of Jesus Christ. It is a process of dying to ourselves to be raised to new life, new knowledge, and new opportunities. These opportunities lead us not only to flourishing in this life on Earth but also in Heaven with God.
I will end this reflection in the same way Moreau ends his Christian Education: “Make haste, therefore; take up this work of the resurrection, never forgetting that the particular goal of your institution is, above all, to sanctify youth. By this you will contribute to preparing the world for better times than our own.” What a beautiful, privileged, and hopeful task for us in Holy Cross!
By Br. Matt Rehagen, C.S.C.
Published March 25, 2026 by the Office of Vocations
