In these challenging times it can be very easy to give in to despair and fear. The modern news cycle and the fear-based narrative of social media can make us feel that we are alone and that things are going from and to worse. What we all really need is a reminder of the power of faith and the decision to be people of faith and not victims of circumstance. In this episode I want to share with you a great quote and help you realise just how influential and important your faith is in the lives of those around you.
Transcript
Well, Hey everybody, Jonathan Doyle with you.
Speaker:Once again, welcome back to the Catholic teacher daily podcast,
Speaker:your daily source of inspiration and encouragement in this precious vocation
Speaker:that you have of Catholic education.
Speaker:You know, the main website that I developed around this is one Catholic
Speaker:teacher.com and there's a reason I chose that name one Catholic teacher.com.
Speaker:Is simply because it's all it takes to change the life, the future.
Speaker:The fight experience of a young person, just one Catholic teacher.
Speaker:I'm really convinced that none of us can really solve the
Speaker:great problems of the world.
Speaker:Right now.
Speaker:There's so much happening around our world.
Speaker:There's a connectedness.
Speaker:There's a global perspective that I think technology has really changed.
Speaker:The experience of so many of us.
Speaker:And by that, I mean that, you know, things have always been
Speaker:happening in human history.
Speaker:Of course, you know, there's always been.
Speaker:Issues and challenges, but the connectedness right now can
Speaker:make us all feel like it's all happening at the same time.
Speaker:So I drew some comfort from the fact that, uh, that I can't fix the problems
Speaker:of the world and no individual person can.
Speaker:But what we can do is make a significant impact in the world, around us,
Speaker:in the world of our classroom, in the world of one young students.
Speaker:So one Catholic teacher can always make that difference
Speaker:and never lose sight of that.
Speaker:Whether you're having a good day, a bad day.
Speaker:I keep saying this just about every episode, you can't know the particular
Speaker:conversation, if a particular moment of presence and pastoral care.
Speaker:Is going to change the life of any student.
Speaker:Now, today.
Speaker:I want to share with you a great quote from a brilliant Catholic
Speaker:theologian father Romano Guardini.
Speaker:Who, uh, has gone home to his eternal rest, but, uh, I brilliant
Speaker:philosopher and theologian.
Speaker:And you can tell he's one of the big guns, because
Speaker:Entity 16, who of course was a phenomenal theologian in his own.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Was a great fan of Romano Guardini so this is quite, it's very simple.
Speaker:Listen to this.
Speaker:He says as one candle, Is lit from the flame of another.
Speaker:So is faith.
Speaker:Kindled by faith.
Speaker:As one candle is lit from the flame of another.
Speaker:So is faith kindled by faith.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:What's this got to do with you while I've been on a faith?
Speaker:Crusade in the last few weeks, I've got a wonderful mentor.
Speaker:Who's.
Speaker:I've been helping me to reflect on the power of faith.
Speaker:And I think we really need faith in these difficult times.
Speaker:Right now.
Speaker:It's so easy to be surrounded by all the negativity, all the fear of the future.
Speaker:And isn't that how the enemy works.
Speaker:He always trades in fear.
Speaker:You know that I was studying this stuff in the zone.
Speaker:There's a line from the Yale anchor Bible dictionary about faith.
Speaker:And it says faith by its very nature.
Speaker:Opposes fear.
Speaker:Isn't that powerful that faith by its very nature.
Speaker:Opposes fear.
Speaker:Faith refuses to accept the core premises of fear.
Speaker:Faith refuses to accept those core premises of fear that, uh,
Speaker:that we are not safe, that we are not going to be taking care of.
Speaker:That there are forces outside of subtle overwhelmness.
Speaker:Faith speaks into those things.
Speaker:And reminds us that it's not up to us to protect ourselves from reality.
Speaker:It's up to us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author,
Speaker:and perfecter of our faith.
Speaker:And if we keep our eyes fixed on him in faith, in faith, that he will
Speaker:bring about his purposes in faith.
Speaker:That he will bring history to its appropriate end.
Speaker:Then we get insulated from the power of fear.
Speaker:And it was also, as I was studying last week have been going across to
Speaker:adoration each day at about 2:00 PM.
Speaker:And we're just working through faith scriptures.
Speaker:And it's amazing when you look at the life of Jesus.
Speaker:How often he speaks about it and how often his miracles are
Speaker:deeply related to people's faith.
Speaker:So, you know, when Jesus goes back to Nazareth thin.
Speaker:Um, Mark's gospel is that moment where he says, you know, he
Speaker:couldn't work many miracles there because of the lack of faith.
Speaker:So, you know, I was also speaking last week and studying the, the
Speaker:woman with the hemorrhage and gyrus his daughter, all of these.
Speaker:Miracles happen because of radical faith.
Speaker:What about the Centurion servant?
Speaker:This insurance is, Hey Jesus.
Speaker:You don't even need to come to my house.
Speaker:You can just do it from here.
Speaker:I mean, what kind of fight is that?
Speaker:So, I'm on this crusade to remind us all of the crucial importance of faith.
Speaker:Now what I want to talk about faith now about in the context
Speaker:of Catholic education, is this.
Speaker:Police do not underestimate for a second, the power of your faith to
Speaker:impact your colleagues and your students.
Speaker:You see our faith.
Speaker:Kindles the flame of faith in all those around us, you know, you've ever
Speaker:been around somebody that's really confident, not arrogant, but just
Speaker:confident in what God's going to do.
Speaker:Just, you know, a person of real faith that Jesus will do this.
Speaker:He'll come through the holy Spirit's going to move.
Speaker:That kind of faith.
Speaker:So you either get cynical and you go, yeah, whatever.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:You're one of those people, or it's intoxicating.
Speaker:It's inspiring.
Speaker:You get energized by it.
Speaker:So each Friday, I go to mass at my son's Catholic high school
Speaker:and do a great job there.
Speaker:They've got a wonderful mass there every Friday.
Speaker:And you know, it's just, there were days they, when it's really full and
Speaker:you see all these teachers and they're busy and they're, you know, he can
Speaker:see that the minute mass is over, they have to basically run out of the
Speaker:room to get to the classes on time.
Speaker:But it's fascinating that, that once they get around each other,
Speaker:the faith of each of them, I think impacts the faith of the rest of them.
Speaker:So they see that they're not alone, that there's other teachers of
Speaker:real deep faith who prioritize the Eucharist who want to be with together
Speaker:with other teachers of deep faith.
Speaker:So, I guess what I'm trying to say to you is this quote says, you know, as
Speaker:one candle is lit from the flame of another, so is faith kindled by faith?
Speaker:So.
Speaker:Our faith is not a private matter.
Speaker:And by faith, I don't mean a Catholic Praxis of religion.
Speaker:I mean, Our faith in Jesus Christ.
Speaker:It's not an insulated.
Speaker:You know, individual act that the more on fire we are with the faith of Jesus
Speaker:and faith in Jesus, the more that impacts those other staff around us.
Speaker:So don't be shy.
Speaker:Friends.
Speaker:Don't hide it.
Speaker:Use your speak about what he's doing, speak about what he's done.
Speaker:Today I was studying, I think it was Chronicles.
Speaker:Um, you know, we're we're David is talking about.
Speaker:You know, remember what he's done.
Speaker:Be reminded of his action in your life and speak about it.
Speaker:And rather than give into all the fear that's around us, look back into your life
Speaker:at the times where Jesus has really moved.
Speaker:And the spirits really moved in your life.
Speaker:So friends.
Speaker:Your faith is a flame, and I want you to go set fire to some other people today.
Speaker:Live your faith in front of your students.
Speaker:Talk about your faith.
Speaker:You know, pray for people, just constantly keep that faith.
Speaker:Your eyes fixed on Jesus front and center.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:That's it for me.
Speaker:It's been a blessing to share and speak with you today.
Speaker:And I want to thank you for what you're doing in Catholic education.
Speaker:I mentioned recently that, uh, my wife, Karen is doing an awesome
Speaker:program for Catholic women.
Speaker:So if you are a Catholic woman or even in fact, you know, a Catholic woman.
Speaker:Jump across to discover my gifts.com.
Speaker:Discover my gifts.com and she's put together this beautiful free.
Speaker:Uh, strengths finder for Catholic women.
Speaker:So do that come and find me on Twitter at J D Catholic.
Speaker:And you can find us on Facebook at one Catholic teacher come
Speaker:across the one Catholic teacher.
Speaker:On Facebook and join the group there.
Speaker:We'd love to have you join us.
Speaker:All right friends.
Speaker:That's it for me, please make sure you've subscribed to the podcast.
Speaker:My name's Jonathan Doyle has been a blessing to do this.
Speaker:Thanks so much for what you're doing.
Speaker:Go and radiate that faith.
Speaker:And i'll have another message for you tomorrow
Recent Comments