One of the side effects of the terrible life decision I made to do a PhD not once, but twice, is that I am deeply formed by the academic calendar. This time of year fills me with energy, with hope, with a sense of putting away the old and embracing the new. But I'm also reminded of something that my former colleague Lauren Winner once said: “What if our lives really were formed by the liturgical calendar as much as they are formed by the rhythms of the school calendar?”

In an academic community — in a church within an academic community — it is a truly tenuous balance. We acknowledge the changes in work, in classes, and even in the energy level in town. We see friends return from vacations and return to church. It is a liturgical time, but that of a secular liturgy.

But if we look at the liturgical days that surround this back to school time, we might just find a little inspiration from our own tradition. August 24 is the feast of Saint Bartholomew, an apostle that we don't know too much about — but we do know that he was one of the twelve, that he spread the word everywhere he went, and that he was martyred for his faith. St. Bartholomew's Day is also a day of mourning and remembrance in the Reformed tradition. It’s the day on which the French Protestants (also known as Huguenots) were massacred in 1572 for their convictions. More than 10,000 Huguenots would be murdered over the course of the next two months throughout France. On St. Bartholomew’s Day on 1662, several thousand Puritan clergy including theologian Richard Baxter were ejected from the Church of England because of their refusal to conform to the Book of Common Prayer. As I think of the apostle Bartholomew, and also of the later events that took place on his feast day, I’m moved to ask myself, “What am I willing to do in order to stand up for what (and who) I believe in?” I’m moved to pray that God will give me the courage to always do what’s right — to do his will, not mine.The second feast day that comes around at this time of year is Holy Cross Day, on September 14. One of the Scripture lessons for this day is from Galatians 6: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!

As for those who will follow this rule--peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” This, too, is a reminder to keep the first thing the first thing: what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, and who we are — a new creation in Christ!So while you might be packing a bag or briefcase full of new pencils, new notebooks, and new aspirations, I hope you will remember this: You are a new creation in Christ, and no achievement in this world can ever match it.

Yours in Christ & in Christ alone,

The Rev. Cn. Dr. Kara N. Slade, Associate Rector