Social Protests And The Catholic Teacher

In this episode we explore the way that significant aspects of modern social protest mirror the deep religious impulse central to all human lives. The difference for a Catholic teacher is that the religious impulse is ordered toward the Truth and not to any specific cultural ideology or movement. What is the modern news cycle telling us about the deepest needs of our students, our families and ourselves?

Author

Jonathan Doyle is an international speaker, author, businessman and executive coach who has spoken around the world to more than 400,000 people on topics related to personal development, peak performance, leadership, Catholic school evangelisation, relationships and much more.

His recent keynote addresses include the NCEA National Convention in St. Louis Missouri to 10,000 delegates and he is a frequent keynote speaker in the US, Asia and Europe.

He is also the founder of an influential education and media business that delivers training content to hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals around the world on a weekly basis.

Jonathan holds an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Canberra, a Masters Degree in Leadership and Management from the University of Newcastle and has also undertaken post-graduate study in philosophical anthropology.

He is the author of numerous books on relationships and peak performance and each day shares these same ideas with a large global audience via The Daily Podcast with Jonathan Doyle.

Make sure you grab a copy of my new book Finishing Strong. Just click the book image on the left and it will take you straight there.

Finishing Strong is a loud and clear call for every young person to make the very best of their final years of school. Based on hundreds of seminars around the world to a huge number of students Jonathan Doyle offers powerful, practical advice that can make a major difference.

Each chapter offers inspiring stories, clear principles and actionable steps for identifying and moving forward in study, life, friendships and each key area of life.

Jonathan also includes journal questions and guided reflections at the end of each chapter to maximise learning and ensure the ideas and principles can be made real, personal and achievable.

If you want to help your child or students make the very best of their final years of high school then it;s time to help them finish strong!

TRANSCRIPT

Catholic Daily Nov 17 2020

Social Protests And The Catholic Teacher

📍 Well, Hey everybody. Jonathan Doyle with you. Once again, welcome friends to the Catholic teacher daily podcast. Greetings to everybody around the world. Well, I try not to date the podcast in case people listening many years in the future. But a COVID vaccines being talked about today. So, uh, you know, hopefully things improve.

In Europe at the moment, things are looking a little difficult. So, uh, You know, we’re being tested her. It’s a real time of challenge and test, but, uh, you know, I love the truth that Jesus promised to never leave us. To be with us till the end of the age. So always remember that as we go through these difficult times.

There has to be something remarkable about us. We have to be people whose horizon. Whose vision of reality transcends the 24 hour news cycle. You know, Jesus clearly said that, you know, you’re going to hear about Wars and rumors of Wars and all sorts of. Calamities and things happening, but he said, stand firm. You said stand firm. Nobody knows the hour of the day.

So we just, our job is to keep our eyes fixed on that great horizon, which is a, you know, when Jesus returns yesterday, I talked about that in the book by. Monsignor In Gilby they’re wonderful book. We believe where he talked about there. It’s this beautiful commentary on the catechism, where he says that there’s really three events.

In a, in cosmic history, there is the fall. There is redemption. The incarnation and, uh, and then there is the second coming. That’s the horizon of cosmic history. So as much as we go through all these times of turmoil, and maybe it’s worth sharing this with your students, because we know that the experience of anxiety being unsettled is so powerful for our young people at the moment. So don’t be afraid to, uh, just to, to share that great cosmic Catholic horizon of reality. Yes. There are really challenging things happening right now, but let’s not forget that, uh, humans are just about the most resilient thing ever. We’ve been through all Lots

of challenging historical moments. They’re not pleasant. I’m not saying we should seek them out. But we do come through and, uh, and we grow, so let’s stay close to Jesus. Let’s stay close to our faith. And let’s keep that broader horizon out there. Now I wanna talk about two things. Firstly. I just want to put an idea in your head that I think is really important at the moment.

As we see large amounts of cultural upheaval. I want to talk specifically, I’m going to do this very carefully. Uh, you’ll be aware. No doubt of some of the protest movements taking place in professional sports around the world in relation to complex socio cultural phenomenon. Did you notice how diplomatically I just did that?

Very diplomatic indeed. So, uh, but you are aware of some of these things taking place in yesterday. I read a story. About our national cricket team here in Australia who are. Going to undertake a somewhat elaborate protest in an upcoming, a game of cricket. I think it’s with the Indian team. Uh, not worth going into detail, but it’s a, it’s quite an elaborate ritual involves taking off their shoes and doing all sorts of stuff. And what sort of.

Sort of came home to me as I read that article was. For many years speaking to Catholic teachers around the world in seminars, I would share with them the beautiful Catholic line. CapEx day. CapEx day is the beautiful Latin term, which simply means the capacity for God. So CapEx day that’s C a P a X K PAX day.

Means the capacity for God and CapEx day describes a fundamental ontological attribute of ah, In Fleshman as in sold human persons. Wow. What does it mean? It means that we have the capacity for God. We have been created to desire. The presence and the reality of God, you know, you’re very familiar of course, with st. Augustine’s great quote.

You have made us for yourself. Oh Lord. And our hearts are restless until they rest. In the, so one of the great truths about what we are as persons and what we really need to be sharing with our students is this ontological truth, ontological truth, sir. Truths about the essence of personhood. And again, we were all living in a world that is, you know, in.

In a complex dance with scientific materialism postmodernism. Uh, post enlightenment philosophies were. It’s very difficult or it’s meant to be difficult to make truth claims. But I’m making money here on this podcast, friends, you hearing it live. I’m making the truth, that we are CapEx day and that we are made for relationship with God and related to that. And here’s the link to the protest with the Cricut is that we are deeply religious beings.

And I’m going to suggest that a lot of what we’re seeing in the protest rituals is a highly religious event. You’ll notice that there are certain high priests. You’ll notice that there are certain people. Who have taken a cultural high ground? And it’s an extremely moral phenomenon. So the people doing this provide judgment.

On who is good and who is evil, what behaviors are acceptable and what behaviors are not acceptable. And now we see our sporting stars. Undertaking rather complex. And I’m going to say quasi religious rituals. Now. I didn’t, I don’t want this to be controversial. What I’m trying to say. Is that you would have to be blind.

To not notice that the religious impulse is manifested. Regardless of where a culture is with God. So we are compelled, it seems to act out this religious transcendent impulse. And here’s why it’s important for Catholic teachers to know this. Because friends. At the end of Catholic religious practice in terms of Sacramento.

in the end, teleology, I guess the, the, the vector of aspiration that the, the, the. The end point of the practice of Catholicism. Isn’t a philosophical theory or a process of trying to bring about cultural change. Cultural change is a byproduct. Of Christians and Catholics living out their faith.

Religious ritual. And religious practice for us is geared to the truth. Not to a theory or a protest, but to the truth. And those are very uncomfortable things for people to hear as a say, these days. Because they’re geared towards a person and that person. Did not describe themselves as a philosopher or simply a teacher. They described themselves as the truth and that’s our Lord Jesus Christ who described himself as the truth.

All right. So let me land this plane. What I’m getting at. Is that we need to recover our courage with our students. In terms of reminding them that we are deeply moral spiritual beings seeking something in our cultural practice. And wouldn’t it make more sense that we would gear that practice towards what is true? What is good?

And what is beautiful. And I know some of you saying, well, couldn’t we do this as well as supporting and advocating cultural change. I would say that the cultural change happens as a result of us living out the depth and the deep reality of our faith. So all of this is simply to say, Let’s remind our students.

That we, our CapEx day. Let’s remind ourselves that it’s okay to practice our religion. So I got up this morning, uh, pray the divine office and prayed the rosary. Why? Cause I try to be super pious and impress people know because I love to practice my faith. I find that grounding myself in those ancient Catholic rituals.

Shaped me. They changed me over time with all my failing and sin and in, you know, problems. I become someone in the process of practicing my faith. Okay, I’m gonna wrap up pretty much. There, there was something I wanted to do, but I might leave that for tomorrow. Uh, look, let me know what you think about that in the comments please, or it’s a beautiful comments yesterday. So, uh, let me know what you think.

And, uh, let’s have the courage to. B what we, our CapEx day, God seeking beings. And as physical beings, we need to practice our fight physically. We need to see things, hear things, touch things, smell things. Believe it or not. It’s going to blow some people’s minds. I actually have a little incense burner here. And, uh, I found some of the world’s most beautiful Catholic incense from a monastery and every day down here, I’ve got a beautiful prayer space.

Uh, near the studio and, uh, I just, you know, burn a little bit of incense. Why? Cause I’m crazy. No, because it’s got deep roots in the old Testament, deep roots in the old Testament, the prayers of the people of God ascending to heaven. And also. That, uh, it’s just a beautiful smell. Because we’re physical beings. So you see why this practice matters.

And I, and to link all this up, we’re seeing these practices take place in our cultural landscape. And we’re forgetting that they’re not quite aiming at exactly the truth, the ontological truth of personhood. That’s heavy. Isn’t it. All right. Listen, that’s it. For today. I just want to encourage you. You are at the forefront of significant cultural change.

You know, every crazy evil philosopher, you know, realize that if you want to change the world, you really go after the youth. So you are positioned to bring the truth. The truth of, you know, What we are as persons, the truth about our destiny. BBB courageous. This is not a time for obvious station.

And gray. This is a time for clearly stating things and being brave. And we cannot do that in our own strength. That is why my prayer each day. Involves a moment of really asking the Holy spirit to give me insight, creativity, courage, guidance. So please, my friend, be praying for that as well. Please be praying for that.

Alright, listen, God bless you. This has been the Catholic teacher daily podcast. Please go and check out the website one Catholic teacher.com one Catholic teacher.com. Go 📍 check it out. Please make sure you subscribe, put your details in there anywhere on the website and you’ll be on the daily list.

Please subscribe to the podcast, share this with some friends, go and check out the resources page on one Catholic teacher.com. Take a free trial. Of the going deeper resource. God bless everybody. My name’s Jonathan Doyle. This has been the Catholic teacher daily podcast. And I’ll have another message for you tomorrow.