In the beginning of a new scholastic year St. Margaret College students are invited to reflect upon the need of THINKING MORE OF OTHERS and LESS OF ME
-29th September 2021-
On Wednesday, 29th September 2021, the start of a new scholastic year, a group of Form 4 students at St. Margaret College was invited to reflect upon the need of ‘thinking more of others and less of me’. Senior teacher Martin Azzopardi sdc, invited his students to reflect upon the message of the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, ‘Fratelli Tutti’ (All Brothers) and witness its message with other students. The encyclical letter ‘Fratelli Tutti’ was issued on the 3rd October 2020 and its message is addressed to all humans of good will.
Just as Jesus showered His love on us, we are also called to love and express that same unconditional love with others (John 15:12). The New Testament has much to say about how we are to show love, receive correction, encourage others, bear other’s burdens, etc.
‘Fratelli Tutti’ is an invitation to take the principles of ‘fraternity’ and ‘social friendship’ seriously following the example of St. Francis of Assisi who “wherever he went … sowed the seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters”.
‘Fratelli Tutti’ is an urgent invitation to all humanity to rethink our styles of life, our friendships, and the organisation of our societies and the meaning of our existence especially now that we are all experiencing fear, pain, uncertainty and limitations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pope Francis is offering us the opportunity to think about a new vision of society in which human dignity and the human rights of all are to be respected.
During this exercise, students listened to the song ‘Less of Me’ by Glen Campbell (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4wozU12NYA) and reflected upon the meaning of the following lyric:
Let me be a little kinder
Let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those about me
Let me praise a little more
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me
Let me be a little braver
When temptation bids me waver
Let me strive a little harder
To be all that I should be
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker
Let me think more of my neighbor
And a little less of me
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Let me serve a little better
Those that I am strivin’ for
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me
Teacher Martin said; “as nowadays students are becoming more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors we need to educate more the need of thinking more of others and less of me”.
Following this lesson, St. Margaret College students were invited to take Pope Francis’ call seriously to be loving brothers and sisters to all those in need of our help.
This school project aims to reach five of the main goals proposed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Written by
St. Margaret College Secondary School Verdala students: Kayden Buhagiar, Dejan Farrugia and Aimee Bugeja.
