Dear Reader,

October 2^nd to October 6^th, 2017 marks the memorable week namely Founder’s Day. Just as Christmas has its celebration universally, so does Strathmore University. To many, the most festive season in a year is Christmas. Everyone has their personal reason for recognizing and celebrating this day, not limited to it being a celebration of Jesus’s birth, a time set for forgiving, giving, and most definitely receiving or being merry. This in my opinion, stems from the formidable St. Nicholas (Santa Clause) who was a Christian bishop who helped the needy.

Now I sound like an advertisement magazine deviating from Founder’s Day. Allow me to take you back, Founder’s Day is historically taken from the foundational principal of the renowned St. Josemaría Escrivá, a Roman Catholic priest from Spain who initiated Opus Dei. With him in mind comes this year’s theme; the greatness of ordinary life.

What might this mean, you may ask? In simple terms, each person has the capacity of becoming a saint by sanctifying the little things we do, our work, our daily cares and also by sanctifying others.

Do not get me wrong, this is not a Robin Hood kind of situation. Whereby, you steal from the rich and give to the poor. In the hopes that one’s simple acts will be seen as an act of charity or uplifting the poor from the depths of poverty. One cannot fully fathom the theme; The greatness of ordinary life without grasping the thought of how it extends to showing love and serving God. In a nutshell, focusing on offering extraordinary, putting effort in the art of being spontaneous or giving grand gestures is a dishonor to the theme highlighted. In his book Furrow, St. Escrivá says, “let me stress this point: it is in the simplicity of your ordinary work, in the monotonous details of each day, that you have to find the secret, which is hidden from so many, of something great and new: Love.”

How… you may ask, can you express this theme? As a Stratizen you may or may not have several talents in existence. There are several stratizens who understand their personae and know their talents which are not limited to art, music, accounting, legal etc. There are few who are still in the process of realizing their talent. To them I would recommend patience, self-determination and diligent effort; there is a time for everything. Hence, the greatness of ordinary life can be as simple as joining a choir and spreading cheer to those surrounding one. Even the simplicity behind creating a piece of art which expressly gives happiness and wonder to viewers at large is a simple means of displaying the theme.

As a Stratizen during this awaited occasional Founder’s Day, I urge everyone to come together in unity to see how best to put into practice the teachings of the late St. Escrivá. For it is in unity that love and devotion can be shown to all through expressing the greatness of ordinary life.

 

Article: By  Olive Mumbo 4th year Strathmore Law School student