Today I respond to a great listener question where they ask:
One thing that I have been trying to find the balance on, is sharing the faith with students and non-Christian colleagues.
Most colleagues and students know I am a Christian/Catholic, yet is it enough for them to just know I am a Christian? Should I try to share the faith and witness and yet how should I? How much is too much? Will I just start sounding cheesy? How do you authentically share your faith with colleagues and students in the small things without it sounding forced? Especially when interacting with LGBTQ+ colleagues and students, as this can really be a tough one discussing anything faith wise.
Listen in as I share a few key ideas on how we can share the faith on a regular basis.
Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here:
https://cf.onecatholicteacher.com/oct-opt-in
Find out about booking Jonathan to come and speak at your school or event
https://cf.onecatholicteacher.com/catholic-speaking
Transcript
Well, Hey everybody, Jonathan Doyle with you.
Speaker:Once again, welcome to the Catholic teacher soda daily podcast.
Speaker:We do get to these as often as we can.
Speaker:I am going to ask the holy spirit to help me be even more diligent
Speaker:so I can get these done each day.
Speaker:For all of you incredible Catholic teachers all over the world, people of
Speaker:faith, men, and women of faith out there.
Speaker:On the front lines of the church's mission, bringing the person of Jesus
Speaker:Christ to young people on a daily basis.
Speaker:Well, it's friends today is the feast day of St.
Speaker:Francis of Assisi.
Speaker:Be honest with you.
Speaker:Some Francis of Assisi has always, I don't know, made me nervous.
Speaker:He just kind of the whole radical poverty bit, the whole, just some of the stuff
Speaker:that he got up to is just extraordinary.
Speaker:I'm thought, oh gosh.
Speaker:That I've I could He's one of the great saints, one of the absolute
Speaker:giants of the faith and, uh, you know, a radical response, right?
Speaker:A radical response to the action of God in his life.
Speaker:Now.
Speaker:It's important to understand.
Speaker:One of the reasons that the church recognizes saints and
Speaker:gives us these saints to emulate.
Speaker:Uh, not to copy, but to emulate.
Speaker:So that just as sin Francis, might I radical response
Speaker:to the presence of Christ.
Speaker:We are also called.
Speaker:To make a radical response.
Speaker:It may not require you to take off all your clothes and give them to the poor.
Speaker:Um, you might give them a jacket, but you don't.
Speaker:I mean, St.
Speaker:Francis really took it all
Speaker:But you get my point.
Speaker:We're going to be cold to respond and be generous in different ways.
Speaker:And one of the great things about some Frances.
Speaker:Is the scope and scale of his radical response.
Speaker:And also that the way that God just gives us saints in the church at these crucial
Speaker:moments, doesn't No, it was such a.
Speaker:Uh, pivotal time in the history of the world and the Western tradition
Speaker:and the history of the church when St.
Speaker:Francis.
Speaker:Was doing his thing.
Speaker:So we can always trust that no matter how dark the times may seem, God does
Speaker:raise up the men and women that, uh, he wills to give us great example
Speaker:and guidance, friends, housekeeping.
Speaker:Please make sure you have subscribed to this humble little
Speaker:podcast hit that subscribe button.
Speaker:And there's a whole bunch of links here.
Speaker:If you're whatever you're listening on.
Speaker:Spotify, Google podcasts.
Speaker:Um, apple podcasts, there will be links.
Speaker:There'll be links to getting yourself free access to the going deeper.
Speaker:Uh, Catholic teacher formation program.
Speaker:We're giving away 10 free weeks of access.
Speaker:So go grab yourself that free access pass.
Speaker:You can book me to speak.
Speaker:And just to share that if you're listening to this, I'm
Speaker:recording this in early October.
Speaker:Um, there's a possibility I'm gonna be speaking in the United
Speaker:Kingdom in early November.
Speaker:So if you are in the United Kingdom, And you have an interest in me
Speaker:coming to speak at your school.
Speaker:Uh, two other students or staff, even parents, then please reach
Speaker:out and let me know friends today.
Speaker:We're going to jump into a great listener question.
Speaker:Uh, I reached out a few weeks ago.
Speaker:And asked you guys to let me know some of the big questions that you
Speaker:have, uh, that you face in your daily work as Catholic educators.
Speaker:And we've got some really good ones and I'm going to just jump straight in.
Speaker:We want to be respectful of your time.
Speaker:This is a great question.
Speaker:Listen to this.
Speaker:One of the things I've been trying to find the balance on.
Speaker:He's sharing the faith with students and non-Christian colleagues, most
Speaker:colleagues and students know that I am a Christian Catholic Catholic
Speaker:Christian, yet it is enough.
Speaker:It yet, is it enough for them to just know I am a Christian?
Speaker:Should I try to share the faith and witness and if so,
Speaker:how, how much is too much?
Speaker:Well, I just start sounding cheesy.
Speaker:How do you authentically share your faith with colleagues and
Speaker:students in the small things?
Speaker:Without it sounding forced?
Speaker:Especially when interacting with, uh, LGBTQ colleagues and students.
Speaker:As this can really be a tough one, discussing anything.
Speaker:Faith wise, friends, there is so much in that.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:For that great question.
Speaker:I do usually keep people's identity anonymous unless they asked me to share.
Speaker:Who they are.
Speaker:So I think many of us can at least relate to this question.
Speaker:We have a passion for the person of Jesus.
Speaker:We have a passion for our Catholic faith.
Speaker:How do we effectively share that with our students and with our colleagues?
Speaker:How much is too much?
Speaker:Should we have, uh, Jesus loves you tattooed on our foreheads.
Speaker:What should we do?
Speaker:Where would the line be?
Speaker:Um, so I've written a few notes here.
Speaker:Let me spin you through these.
Speaker:Look.
Speaker:The first thing I want to do is acknowledge the scope of this question.
Speaker:This is a huge question.
Speaker:It really covers on mission evangelization.
Speaker:Our own faith formation.
Speaker:Uh, pastoral sensitivities dealing with complex modern scenarios in our schools.
Speaker:What do we do?
Speaker:Ah, the first thing I should clarify is it's important to get, I guess, discuss
Speaker:whether this question is relating to a Christian Catholic school or a.
Speaker:You know, public government
Speaker:So that's not specified.
Speaker:So I know that the vast majority of your listening will usually be working in
Speaker:a Catholic school or Christian school.
Speaker:But, uh, some of you will definitely be working in government education.
Speaker:So what do you do there?
Speaker:Is it literally.
Speaker:Completely off limits.
Speaker:I my thoughts on that first, uh, at least if you're in a, if
Speaker:you are in a faith based school, you should at least be allowed.
Speaker:To speak on matters relating to that.
Speaker:Now, sadly, there are schools where the faith has become so innovated, the school
Speaker:has lost Either through poor leadership or other factors where it's a Catholic
Speaker:or Christian school in name only.
Speaker:And look there really are schools where, you know, it,
Speaker:it can be hard to stand up and.
Speaker:And a witness to your faith, even in, uh, In a faith-based school.
Speaker:So I do recognize that too.
Speaker:So there's a big spectrum here because there'll be some schools.
Speaker:You know, many schools I've visited around the world where it's a really
Speaker:fantastic faith community and people can really live and speak about their faith.
Speaker:So I'm saying that because as I answered this question,
Speaker:Um, I recognize there's a big range here.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:A few thoughts.
Speaker:First thing.
Speaker:I want to suggest to all of us that are the enemies, the enemies
Speaker:of our faith are not holding back.
Speaker:And if so, uh, should we be holding back by this?
Speaker:I mean, the militant.
Speaker:Nietzschean nihilist Marxist.
Speaker:Uh, you know, neo-Marxist materialism.
Speaker:That characterizes so much of post-modernity the people advocating
Speaker:the extreme ends of that on a whole bunch of topics are not holding back.
Speaker:They are not being subtle.
Speaker:They are not being respectful of persons or systems.
Speaker:They are basically getting no going around like bulls in a China shop,
Speaker:trying to burn the place down.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:I would just say to us that our response is not to be.
Speaker:Um, I guess, you know, to, to fight fire with fire, I'm not
Speaker:saying that I'm saying that.
Speaker:Let's just realize that the, you know, the cultural hegemony that, that.
Speaker:That Catholicism had, or the Christianity had in the Western
Speaker:tradition at Has been severely impacted.
Speaker:So it used to be that, uh, you know, most people were coming from a
Speaker:broadly Judeo-Christian background, so we could all agree on some of the,
Speaker:You know, the top shelf items, the big, the big ticket issues.
Speaker:That's kind of gone.
Speaker:And I've just want us to think carefully about the softly softly
Speaker:approach, the, you know, I'll just be a nice person and people will
Speaker:learn about Jesus because I'm nice.
Speaker:It's probably not going to work when the people that hate the Catholic
Speaker:church and hate Catholic education and hate Christian education.
Speaker:They're not holding them back.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:So let's realize that.
Speaker:That, uh, we need to be witnesses here.
Speaker:And if you look at that first century church, so much of its impact and
Speaker:influence came through men and women who radically witnessed to their faith.
Speaker:You know, the whole growth of Christianity in the first century
Speaker:really came through witnesses.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:He came through men and women who had witnessed the risen Christ.
Speaker:And would not be silenced.
Speaker:So we have to be aware that our enemies are not being silent and we need to be
Speaker:careful that we don't become silent.
Speaker:Um, that we need to speak up.
Speaker:We need to witness and we need to be brave.
Speaker:It's a great call for courage at this moment in history.
Speaker:So, all right, so I want to put that on our right off first.
Speaker:We need to be courageous, not insensitive, not.
Speaker:You know, Unnecessarily dogmatic or judgemental because we
Speaker:know that doesn't really work.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Very few people turn around because you pointed out the log that was,
Speaker:you The splinter that was in there.
Speaker:I, well, you're missing the log in
Speaker:But we shouldn't let that also.
Speaker:Move us towards a silence that is helping nobody.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So you've got that.
Speaker:Our enemies are speaking up.
Speaker:We need to speak up to.
Speaker:Next thing I'd say that was on my heart was the great quote
Speaker:from Catherine of Sienna.
Speaker:Who said that, uh, if you are who God has made you to be, you
Speaker:will set the whole world on fire.
Speaker:If you are who God has made you to
Speaker:Then you will set the whole world on fire.
Speaker:So this is a beautiful thesis that flows through much.
Speaker:I guess.
Speaker:Of Catholicism and the witness of the saints is the sense that if you become
Speaker:the more, the more deeply you press into your relationship with Christ, the
Speaker:deeper that Christ permeates your life.
Speaker:Then people notice, right.
Speaker:People notice.
Speaker:Another pastor said years ago, I don't know who the quote should be attributed
Speaker:to, but they said, if you set yourself on fire, people will come to watch you burn.
Speaker:So if we spiritually set ourselves on fire, people will be curious.
Speaker:There'll be interested.
Speaker:There'll be, what is the difference here?
Speaker:What is the, what do I notice about this person that is.
Speaker:You know, strikingly different to other people around me.
Speaker:Now, again, this is a complex question today, and there's a lot of nuance here.
Speaker:The risk of course, is what we call Neo Pelagianism, which is when we
Speaker:kind of think that it's our job to strive harder and harder and
Speaker:to be more joyful and just to be
Speaker:Happy all the time that, uh, everybody just thinks, wow,
Speaker:they're so happy and joyful.
Speaker:What is it about them?
Speaker:There's definitely a truth to that, but I, as I've grown older, I've
Speaker:also realized that God creates us with specific personalities.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:We are definitely created with specific personalities.
Speaker:Some of us are more introverted and quiet and serious.
Speaker:And you know, one of my kids is, um, very much similar to me.
Speaker:And one of my kids is just absolutely wild and crazy and out there.
Speaker:And so these are characterological facts.
Speaker:So I just want us to realize that the saints, one of the things about the
Speaker:sciences have radically different.
Speaker:They all
Speaker:Today's Francis of Assisi, Francis of Assisi was not like Thomas of Aquinas.
Speaker:You know, Thomas Aquinas was not like Tereza leisure.
Speaker:So you see this huge diversity here, but what we do find is that they
Speaker:were all individually deep into their relationship with Christ.
Speaker:And that was transformative and people noticed that difference.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:Continuing that theme.
Speaker:I think if we want to share our faith with students and colleagues, They
Speaker:need to see something compelling in us.
Speaker:They need to either trust our maturity and seriousness or be
Speaker:attracted to our joy and spontaneity.
Speaker:We need to.
Speaker:Fully allow the holy spirit to transform us as best we can.
Speaker:So that people are drawn towards us.
Speaker:And earlier today, before I came in the studio, I was thinking about
Speaker:this question and maybe this'll help.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Imagine that instead of talking about.
Speaker:Uh, sharing the faith.
Speaker:What let's imagine that what we were most passionate about was
Speaker:CrossFit and going to the gym.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:We were just oddly obsessed with CrossFit and going to the gym
Speaker:and we were, we loved it so much.
Speaker:That we wanted all the students at our school and all the colleagues
Speaker:at our school to get fitter.
Speaker:And to, um, and to be starting in the gym and to be lifting weights all the time.
Speaker:The only problem is.
Speaker:No matter how passionate we were.
Speaker:We never went to the gym and we really let ourselves go.
Speaker:And we were in terrible health and fitness.
Speaker:And we looked as though we weren't taking care of ourselves.
Speaker:Can you see the incongruity here?
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:So can you imagine trying to walk the corridors of your school,
Speaker:saying everybody, Hey Crossy, can I talk to you about CrossFit?
Speaker:Can I talk to you about bench press?
Speaker:Can I talk to you about Palio diets?
Speaker:Can I talk to you about increasing your cardio?
Speaker:They're just going to look at you and go, uh, well, it's, doesn't
Speaker:seem to be working for you.
Speaker:Now I'm hoping I haven't lost anybody there with, uh, With that analogy.
Speaker:I'm just using it to help us realize that if we were super fit and strong
Speaker:and healthy, People would look at us and think, wow, you know,
Speaker:I want some of what they've got.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:So it's a weak analogy, but you can see that if we are not convinced
Speaker:of our faith, you know, the, the church documents talk about Catholic
Speaker:educators being convinced and coherent.
Speaker:That they're convinced of the truth of the faith and coherent about it.
Speaker:So I guess all I'm doing here is broadly saying in this question,
Speaker:In answering this question, we need to be the message, right?
Speaker:We need to embody, how do you evangelize by being a really amazing
Speaker:human who may then eventually build quality relationships, who they.
Speaker:Who may then.
Speaker:Uh, B.
Speaker:Available when people are at particular moments of life.
Speaker:Now, some of you know what I'm saying, there's Uh, kind of theory and
Speaker:evangelization that what we need to do is just be really good people and build
Speaker:relationships and be there for when.
Speaker:Uh, things go sideways in people's lives, and then we're going to be there
Speaker:to support them and encourage them.
Speaker:And then maybe lead them to Christ now.
Speaker:That's true.
Speaker:That's definitely true.
Speaker:But I guess what I'm trying to say here is there are so many
Speaker:ways to witness to the faith.
Speaker:You might witness to the faith by being a brilliant teacher, by having
Speaker:a great love for your students and their development that you just teach.
Speaker:Really, really well.
Speaker:And you get a reputation as somebody who teaches really, really It might
Speaker:be that you're a great listener.
Speaker:It might be that you've got a great sense of humor.
Speaker:You see the holy Spirit's going to take these natural gifts that you were
Speaker:created with and gonna elevate them.
Speaker:And help you to reach people through those gifts.
Speaker:So as much as, you know, direct preaching and homiletics and.
Speaker:And, uh, you know, all sorts of deep discussion on theological
Speaker:matters are important.
Speaker:We can't rule out or limit the number of ways in which the holy
Speaker:spirit can reach people through you just by being who you are.
Speaker:Uh, and in terms of being who you are, I mean, You know, allowing yourself to be
Speaker:drawn towards the sacraments and prayer.
Speaker:So that the holy spirit has the best possible chance to work with you and
Speaker:to help you to grow and flourish.
Speaker:So look, summary, there's a lot in this.
Speaker:I would say a couple of basics.
Speaker:We need to get off the back foot.
Speaker:We need to stop.
Speaker:Being timid all the time.
Speaker:And we need to worry about causing stop worrying about causing possible offense.
Speaker:Or, you know, being misunderstood.
Speaker:You're intelligent.
Speaker:You can figure this out.
Speaker:I'm not talking about being blunt and aggressive or dogmatic.
Speaker:I'm just saying.
Speaker:Let's move out of the crouching position and begin to press towards people.
Speaker:Confident in our faith, because we have to believe at the end of
Speaker:the day, it comes down to this.
Speaker:You have to believe that you have something remarkably
Speaker:worth sharing or you don't.
Speaker:And if you don't really believe it, it's going to be very hard to
Speaker:passionately share that with people over
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So that's it.
Speaker:Summary.
Speaker:Our enemies are not backing off neither should we, uh, we need to
Speaker:set ourselves on fire and let the holy spirit set ourselves on fire.
Speaker:We need to be courageous, tell people the truth, just say, look, you know,
Speaker:build friendships and then be able to say to them, In a difficult time.
Speaker:Hey, I want you to understand you're not alone in this God's with you.
Speaker:Can I pray with, you asked to pray with people sometimes, you know,
Speaker:And, um, You know, if you're in a fight by school, just start a pray group.
Speaker:Start some way we can meet together once a week.
Speaker:And students and staff can begin to pray together or do Have a Bible study
Speaker:together, just, you know, it's, what's the old saying it's much easier to apologize
Speaker:and it is to ask for permission to start, just start something and see how
Speaker:it grows or what have I missed in that?
Speaker:Um, I think that's pretty much everything I wanted to cover off on if I've missed
Speaker:Um, please.
Speaker:Let me know, send me an email, jonathan@onecatholicteacher.com.
Speaker:Got you get the show notes, make sure you subscribe tomorrow.
Speaker:I'm going to go a little bit deeper on the second part of this question.
Speaker:I hope today has been a blessing for you, but you've got this all right.
Speaker:You and the holy spirit together have got these things sorted.
Speaker:Get back out there.
Speaker:I Get into it you're going to be just fun.
Speaker:my name's jonathan doyle this has been the catholic teacher daily podcast and
Recent Comments