Advent, 2015

 “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
— Luke 2:15

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”
— Matthew 2:2
 

Dear Friend,

With the lighting of the first candles on the Advent wreath, the Church has begun, once again, her preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth. Each year we are asked to reflect anew on this truly unprecedented event — knowing all the while that we will never comprehend it wholly in this lifetime.

The Gospel narratives offer us examples to follow as we undertake such reflection. When we contemplate the infant Jesus, we stand first with the shepherds and then with the wise men. These two very different groups of men can teach us many things about how to respond to God’s presence, but one thing that stands out is a point of similarity.

For both the shepherds and the wise men, the news of Christ’s birth prompted a journey. It was not enough to be told what had happened: they wanted to see for themselves.

Truth is an invitation. A taste of it makes us want to discover more, but doing so requires effort. “Seek, and you will find” is Our Lord’s command, and before He had even given it, the shepherds and the wise men obeyed.

To my knowledge, none of our students has received a message from an angel or followed a star. Nevertheless, they have all made the choice to seek truth by coming to Thomas Aquinas College, whether they have traveled only from downtown Santa Paula, or from as far away as Nigeria or Nepal. This fall, one of our freshmen wrote that initially, she was “dead set against” attending, but “the beauty and goodness of the people and curriculum … made the truth my priority.” Because of that, the College became “the only honest, realistic choice.” 

In their pursuit of truth, our students have invested their time, their labor, and what funds they have. Will you, in your turn, make an investment in them? Please support them on their journey toward truth, and by supporting them, bring the truth to all those with whom they will share it.

This year, as in previous years, we must provide $4 million in financial aid to students who would otherwise be unable to attend the College. Though we have made good progress recently in growing our endowment, it still meets less than 20 percent of our students’ need. With the inclusion of operational expenses not covered by tuition payments, we must raise $5.1 million by June 30, all of it from private sources. And based on historical data and our best projections for this year, right now we are facing an expected shortfall of $800,000.

So now, I ask three things of you.

First, please prayerfully consider making a gift to help our students on their journey to the truth. Whether it be $2,500, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, $25, or some other amount, anything you can give will be of immediate assistance.

Then, please consider whether you can manage just 10 percent more. Can you make that $25 into $27.50? $100 into $110? $500 into $550? That extra 10 percent, no matter what it is, will help us to close our $800,000 gap.

Finally, during this Advent season, please join me in prayer as we each continue our journey to Christ. May we, like the shepherds and the wise men, find the One we seek and rejoice together.

Sincerely,

Michael F. McLean, Ph.D.
President

P.S. Securities such as equities, bonds, and mutual funds which have been owned for at least a year and whose values have appreciated can be particularly attractive and practical as charitable gifts. When such gifts are made directly to the College, donors may take substantial tax deductions…and capital gains taxes do not apply! Questions? Please email Tom Susanka, director of gift planning, or call him at 805-421-5928.