02/06/2024
Best wishes to all the students studying for their Leaving Certificate
AN OPEN LETTER TO YOUNG PEOPLE SITTING THEIR LEAVING CERT
Dear young friends. At a hectic time of revision and study, the fact that you have taken the time to begin reading this letter is greatly appreciated. We hope that by the end of it, you will be glad you did.
As you prepare for you Leaving Cert, all of us in the diocesan family of the Church would like to reassure you of our support, prayers and closeness at this time. We are also conscious that the next few months will be a time of new beginnings when you will leave school, go to College and to new places of employment and opportunity. Exams and change often bring their own pressures and anxiety that you may experience. This is understandable.
The gift of faith in a loving God speaks to that anxiety and reassures us that we do not go through these times on our own. Please know that we are praying for you at this time and we encourage you to pray for yourselves and one another - that you might do your best in a way that does justice to your work in school up to now. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of peace, to guide you and work with you, to help you remember, to answer the questions and to find the words. Know that even if you are disappointed after an exam, it’s not the end of the world. Your worth is not measured by your success in this exam or any other exam either.
The psychologist Carl Jung once said that ‘if you don’t know who you are, the world will tell you who you are’. So don’t let the outcome of your Leaving Cert tell you who you are, whether you are successful or disappointed. Instead, allow the words of Jesus speak to you about how you matter and who you are as a beloved child of God. In the words of Pope Francis: “God loves you. It makes no difference whether you have already heard it or not. I want to remind you of it. God loves you. Never doubt this, whatever may happen to you in life” (Christ is Alive, 112).
In that spirit, we ask the Lord’s blessing upon you for the next few weeks of your lives. Trust in God’s loving presence with you at all times. Trust the plans He has for your future that will allow you to love as only you can and to serve others with the special gifts He has given you.
