In today’s episode I discuss a special quote from John Piper about how the path to finding meaning and purpose in life is the path of sharing in God’s passion for the redemption of young people and all humanity.
Transcript
Well, Hey everybody, Jonathan Doyle with you.
Speaker:Once again, welcome to the Catholic teacher daily podcast, wherever
Speaker:you're listening in the world.
Speaker:I'm always curious about where people listen, I'll figure
Speaker:some of you will be driving.
Speaker:Some of you might be walking, exercising, but thank you for
Speaker:taking me along for the journey.
Speaker:And I hope in this short time together each day,
Speaker:That the holy spirit can encourage both of us in this great global
Speaker:adventure of Catholic education.
Speaker:A big, thank you to everybody that has emailed in over the last 10 days or so
Speaker:since I started putting some content back out, It's been great to hear from
Speaker:so many great people all over the world.
Speaker:From New Zealand to San Francisco.
Speaker:Uh, all throughout Australia and, uh, today from Canada, got
Speaker:a lovely email this morning.
Speaker:So thank you everybody for your encouragement.
Speaker:It, uh, it does mean a great deal.
Speaker:Keeps me going.
Speaker:And what's been a very challenging two years.
Speaker:Hasn't it?
Speaker:It's been a really challenging two years, at least.
Speaker:And I was wondering, can we call this post COVID times yet?
Speaker:Probably not, but, uh, let's just hope and pray.
Speaker:That things are going to get back to, to normal as soon as possible.
Speaker:Now I've got two things for you today.
Speaker:One is, I want to share with you a great quote that somebody sent
Speaker:me a week ago from, uh, the, uh, evangelist and teacher John Piper.
Speaker:It's a really beautiful quote and it goes to the heart of.
Speaker:I guess this vocational aspect of Catholic education.
Speaker:I've been convinced from the absolute get, go that this is not a job.
Speaker:This is a vocation and that firstly, that the whole concept
Speaker:of vocation is genuinely a thing.
Speaker:There was a very strong scriptural basis for this idea
Speaker:of call of being both created.
Speaker:And shaped by the experiences of life.
Speaker:To end up doing very specific things.
Speaker:And that's why I'm truly convinced that Catholic education and
Speaker:your place in Catholic education is not some random accident.
Speaker:My friend, it is in fact.
Speaker:Uh, direct participation in the action of God in the world.
Speaker:So let me read you this.
Speaker:Quote, some John Piper, he says it was becoming clearer and clearer.
Speaker:That if I wanted to come to the end of my life and not say I've wasted it.
Speaker:Then I would need to press all the way in.
Speaker:And all the way up.
Speaker:To the ultimate purpose of God.
Speaker:And join him in it.
Speaker:If my life was to have a single all satisfying unifying passion.
Speaker:It would have to be.
Speaker:God's passion.
Speaker:So I think that's quite extraordinary.
Speaker:Uh, let me just do it one more time.
Speaker:I always think it's good to hear it a second time.
Speaker:He says it was becoming clearer and clearer that if I wanted to come to the
Speaker:end of my life and not say I've wasted it.
Speaker:Then I would need to press all the way in and all the way up.
Speaker:To the ultimate purpose of God and join him in it.
Speaker:If my life was to have a single all satisfying unifying passion.
Speaker:It would have to be God's passion.
Speaker:So the obvious question is what is God's passion?
Speaker:And if you've been listening recently, you know that I've been talking a
Speaker:lot about this idea of redemption.
Speaker:That if you look at the action of God, both through the old
Speaker:Testament and then through the incarnation, into the new Testament.
Speaker:You see, God's pretty much up to one main thing.
Speaker:He's constantly trying to bring his people into relationship.
Speaker:He's trying to redeem Israel.
Speaker:He's trying to constantly redeem what is lost.
Speaker:Jesus gives us the incredible parable of the lost sheep.
Speaker:What's God's passionate.
Speaker:Look as best I can tell.
Speaker:And uh, other theologians and thinkers might have a different take, but
Speaker:I think God's passion is simply this to get his kids back home.
Speaker:It's to get his kids back home.
Speaker:You know, Jesus said that it was his will the father's will that not one of those
Speaker:that were given to him would be lost.
Speaker:Well friends, you and I have been given to Jesus by the graces of baptism.
Speaker:We've been given to Jesus.
Speaker:And, uh, and given to the father and what he wants is to get his kids home.
Speaker:So if we're going to have a passion in life, are we going to have a
Speaker:passion within Catholic education?
Speaker:Then the closer we aligned that passion.
Speaker:With the passion of God.
Speaker:I think the more effective we'll be.
Speaker:And I think the more we will enjoy our vocation and, uh, the more,
Speaker:we'll be a great blessing to the young people and our colleagues and
Speaker:the families that are in our life.
Speaker:So, what is God's passion?
Speaker:It's a passion for the redemption of young people that young
Speaker:people would come to know him.
Speaker:Did they would come to love him.
Speaker:They'd have knowledge of God and love of God.
Speaker:And that would lead them into a relationship with the faith,
Speaker:with their Catholic faith.
Speaker:That they would practice the faith and that would help them to become saints.
Speaker:I think that's the passion of God.
Speaker:So let me just finalize this in context.
Speaker:Every day.
Speaker:You are participating in the same passion that God has for every young person.
Speaker:Every single day.
Speaker:The ways that you interact with the young people, the efforts that
Speaker:you put into evangelization, the smallest things, and remember.
Speaker:It's not necessarily about big programs.
Speaker:It's not necessarily about profound.
Speaker:Massive moments of conversion often, it's just helping young
Speaker:people take the next step.
Speaker:The next step in virtue.
Speaker:The next step in holiness, the next step in patients.
Speaker:That is you participating in God's passion.
Speaker:What a way to live.
Speaker:Huh?
Speaker:Remember?
Speaker:Remember I said last week I quoted Christine Kane who said that?
Speaker:You can tell when a, you know, something's from God, because you try to leave it
Speaker:alone, but it won't leave you alone.
Speaker:Because I've done many different things, especially since COVID hit, I've sort of
Speaker:had to pivot into different areas, work.
Speaker:But I keep coming back to doing this podcast because I really
Speaker:care about what you guys doing.
Speaker:And we need you to become science.
Speaker:We need you to become people of prayer and faith and virtue.
Speaker:Because if you do that, you're going to be more effectively participating in
Speaker:what God's trying to do in the world.
Speaker:Now, the last thing I want to share with you, we're at the five minute
Speaker:mark, it's a little longer than normal.
Speaker:Is this morning.
Speaker:I was praying the divine office it's week four, Tuesday of week four here in lent.
Speaker:And in the intercessions this morning, it just, something jumped out at
Speaker:me that I felt I'd share with you.
Speaker:And I, again, I want to encourage you.
Speaker:This is why you need a life of prayer.
Speaker:This is why prayer has to be.
Speaker:Uh, really central basic part of your day, because often you'll
Speaker:get an inspiration in prayer.
Speaker:So this was mine this morning.
Speaker:So from the intercessions, it says this may the knowledge of Christ.
Speaker:Penetrate our minds and our hearts.
Speaker:May it find expression?
Speaker:In all our ways of living.
Speaker:By the knowledge of Christ penetrate our minds and our hearts.
Speaker:May it find expression in all our ways of living.
Speaker:I like that last part, may it find expression in all our ways of living?
Speaker:That the more that we seek to know Christ, the more that we study the gospels,
Speaker:the more that we pray, the more that we think and meditate upon who Christ is.
Speaker:His place in our lives, what he's trying to do.
Speaker:Then it's going to find expression.
Speaker:I think it was Robert Frost.
Speaker:I could be wrong.
Speaker:Some of my English teacher listeners will probably email me get an apoplexy, but
Speaker:I'm pretty sure Robert Frost said that a person is what they think about all day.
Speaker:So, I mean to quote him directly, he said a man is what he thinks about all day.
Speaker:So the dominant thoughts that guide our thinking, you know, and they
Speaker:could be thoughts of anything.
Speaker:I'm no one's judged, but it could be bitterness.
Speaker:It could be unforgiveness.
Speaker:It could be resentment.
Speaker:It could be.
Speaker:Fear.
Speaker:But if the knowledge of Christ.
Speaker:And meditating, you know, that.
Speaker:You know, brother Lawrence has beautiful book, the practice of the presence of God.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:That this constant immersion in thinking about meditating upon Christ, as
Speaker:you go about your day as an educator will find expression in your life.
Speaker:You know, for many years on stage, I was constantly saying the teachers
Speaker:just keep praying as you go.
Speaker:As you're walking down the hallway, as you're walking down the corridor,
Speaker:as you head into a class, if it's a tough one, keep praying.
Speaker:Christ at Jesus.
Speaker:Please help me.
Speaker:Help me with this particular student helped me with this difficult colleague,
Speaker:helped me with this hard phone call.
Speaker:I have to make.
Speaker:And as you keep IX, you.
Speaker:You know, meditating and thinking upon the things of faith and who on the person
Speaker:of Jesus that will find expression.
Speaker:In your ministry every single day.
Speaker:All right, friends.
Speaker:So let's as John Piper says, let's press on into sharing in God's passion.
Speaker:Let's keep focused on Christ so that that focus can find expression in your
Speaker:beautiful vocation as a Catholic teacher.
Speaker:Thank you for what you're doing every single day.
Speaker:Police subscribed to the podcast.
Speaker:I'd love it.
Speaker:If you could share it with people.
Speaker:My name's jonathan doyle this has been the catholic teacher daily podcast and
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