A nun in elementary school made us memorize prepositions…”above, about, around,..before, behind, between…” Eventually I came to understand why they are so important. They describe relationships – in significant ways.
There was one phrase that Donna Orsuto used on Friday near the end of her presentation that got me to thinking again about prepositions. She gave us several exciting signs of vitality in the Church today – communities with deep personal faith in Jesus, who have a global imagination, who foster dialogue and communion among other animating qualities.
Among her remarks, she mentioned work “for the poor,” and thus my preposition proposition: to work with the poor, rather than for them. After the presentations and conversations of the past two weeks, I think “with” denotes a Lasallian relationship more genuinely than “for.” It also seems more in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity mentioned in Circular 461 (I.15.1).
It's a minor point – which preposition to use. But it helps clarify relationships, so it’s a helpful one for me.
Lois
Lois
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