The Only Love of Jesus They Will Ever Meet


                Right now, I am facilitating another online class on teaching in Catholic schools. As a reminder, the class is not about pedagogy or educational theory as much as it is about the rudiments of Catholic Faith. The first question we ask participants to reflect on is how their own Faith life has developed. Essentially, we ask participants to share if they have succeeded in living out their Faith or if there have been struggles. Nearly everyone shares their personal struggles with Faith.
                It is foolish to assume that anyone has a perfect Faith life. Everyone encounters suffering and struggle in their lifetime, and often those struggles make it difficult to believe there is a God who cares for us. But my participants (Catholic school teachers) who recall their early formation in Faith and prayer are the ones who tell me that their Faith is stronger now than ever before. They tell me (and anyone reading their reflection) that because they were raised with beliefs and because their parents and teachers taught them how to pray and how to recognize God at work in their lives, they were able to fall back onto God and the Church when life got difficult.
The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas in Galway, Co. Galway, Ireland. The face of Jesus...the Love of Jesus. This is what we are called to "look like" for all around us, especially the poor, the children, the marginalized. This is what Catholic School teachers should "look like". (photo P. Smith)

                I respond to them that maybe the real goal of Catholic education is to just give our students some basic tools they can use (Faith-habits) so that when they hit a wall or encounter some profound struggle in life, they do not need to flounder through the process of learning how to pray or how to “see” God.  They will have learned how to pray a long time before, and, as adults wanting a relationship with God, they just need to “brush up”. Only a few times in my career as a teacher have I seen a student “convert” in my class… it happens rarely. But I have seen them years down the line reminding me that they learned in my class a few basic things that helped them as soon as they were ready. We have no idea if they will encounter the Love of God at home or with their friends…as Catholic school teachers, we might be the only Love of Jesus they will ever meet.
                Pray with them regularly. Affirm their Belovedness. Guide them when they fall off course. Love them no matter what. Give them the tools they will need when they are ready to accept the Love of God. It really is simple.

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