Chapel Talk with Father Graebe

Starting this past January, students in Grades 3-8 have been enjoying monthly chapel talks with Fr. Graebe.  Gathering in the chapel of St. Patrick's Church during religion class, Fr. Graebe engages students in a topic relevant to the liturgical season and their studies.  This past week, Fr. Graebe spoke about the preparation time of Lent, and specifically about the intentional significance of numbers in Scripture.  For example, the forty days of Lent are a reference to the forty days of fasting and temptation that Jesus experienced in the desert.  This amount of time in the desert is a reflection of the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the desert of Sinai from the end of its slavery in Egypt until arriving to the Promised Land.  Fr. Graebe noted the importance of Easter lasting for 50 days – from Easter Sunday through Pentecost.  The length of this season of joy exceeds the time allotted for preparation.  The intentionality of numbers as revealed in Scripture is a reminder that all time belongs to God and that we have the opportunity to use it well.  Photos of Fr. Graebe's engaging sessions may be found here.