Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Our Weapon of Mass Conversion

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I’d like to share a fun story with you.

There was a young bride-to-be at her bridal shower.  One of the gifts she opened was a roasting pan.  When she opened it, she looked at her mother and said, “You know, Mom – I’ve been meaning to ask you.  Every time you make a roast you always cut the end off it before putting it in the pan.  Why do you do that?”  Her mother said, “Your grandmother taught be everything I know about cooking, and she always did that, and I never questioned it.”

With that, the young bride turned to the grandmother and asked her the same question.  The grandmother said, “My mother was the best cook in town.  Everyone loved her cooking.  So, when she taught me to do something in the kitchen, I never questioned it.  I always just did it.”

Well, luckily, 92-year-old great-grandma was at the bridal shower.  The young bride went to the great-grandma and asked the infamous question, “Why do you cut the end off of the roast before putting it in the pan?”  The Great-Grandma shrugged her shoulders and said, “Because I never had a pan big enough.”

WHY Questions are IMPORTANT!

I love this story because it helps us realize that “WHY” questions are important. They’re important because they push us to dig to find answers.  When we ask WHY questions concerning the things of God, it brings us closer to God if we are brave enough and persistent enough to get to the answer.

I recently read a book entitled, “Champions of the Rosary” by Father Donald Calloway.  Father Calloway has an amazing conversion story.  I encourage all of you to look him up on YouTube.  He had no religious upbringing and then somehow after a long series of misfortunes, finds himself in a Catholic Church watching five Filipino women pray the Rosary.  He had no idea what they were doing.

For those of you like me raised in the Catholic Church, I’ve seen both my mother and grandmother pray the rosary every day.  But I really didn’t know what they were doing or why they felt it was important to do it every day.  That WHY question led me to Father Calloway’s book.

Saint Dominic and the Rosary!

Saint Dominic is the founder of the Rosary as we know it today – five decades with meditation on mysteries of Jesus’ life.  The Rosary, as stated in Father Calloway’s book, was crafted by God over a span of time.  So, although Saint Dominic is the founder of the Rosary, the development of the Rosary existed decades before Saint Dominic.

The Rosary – Our Spiritual Sword

The Rosary is also a spiritual sword based on scripture which tells us that “the Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword….” and encourages us to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17)

The two main elements of the Rosary – the Hail Mary and the Our Father – are prayers found in scripture which is why the Rosary is referred to as a sword.

Prayer Beads were very important – used as early as the third century to keep track of how many prayers were said.  During the first Crusade 1069-1099, monks/priests wore prayer beads – not rosary beads – but prayers beads.  They wore these on the belt to understand the beads as a sword that is worn on the belt.  Many of us remember the nuns and priests – back in the day – that wore the rosary beads on the side.  I never knew why they wore them there – but it was to signify a sword.  These prayers are the Word of God, and the Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit.

Our Weapon of Mass Conversion

There is a story of Saint Mother Teresa traveling in India by train when officials boarded the train asking if anyone had weapons.  Saint Mother Teresa reached in her pocket and took out her rosary.  This truly is a weapon – a sword.

In 1208, Saint Dominic is struggling with a heresy in southern France without any success.  His preaching was not effective.  The heresy was teaching that God would never take on human form.  Pope Innocent III initiated a 20-year military campaign to eliminate the heresy.  Finally, Saint Dominic decides to retreat and pray for help.  After three days of prayer and fasting, he receives a vision from the Blessed Mother.

Our Lady instructed Saint Dominic to take the Marian Psalter – the 150 Hail Mary’s – out of the monasteries – infuse it with sacred mysteries and meditation – and take it into the streets to become a weapon of mass conversion.

There are so many wonderful stories and detailed history in Father Calloway’s book about the Rosary.  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the WHY of the Rosary.

 

Champions of the Rosary

Champions of the Rosary – EXCELLENT book by Father Donald Calloway!

St. Paul the Apostle

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Where would we be without St. Paul?  We all know the story of his conversion.  He was thrown off his horse and blinded by the light of Christ.  Many times, God does the same to us – He throws us off our horse.  God redirected Paul’s loyalty toward truth.  Paul held the robes of those who stoned St. Stephen.  Paul was loyal to Judaism.  God opened his eyes to the fullness of truth.  Because of this, Paul became the apostle to the Gentiles and I for one am grateful.

When planning my trip to Italy in 2021, my itinerary included five days in Rome.  Many YouTube videos and even my friends said five days in Rome was too long.  However, I had an extensive list of places I wanted to see in Rome and knew I needed at least five days to complete the list.

St. Paul Outside the Walls

One of the places on my list was the Catholic Church dedicated to St. Paul known as – St. Paul Outside the Walls.  Like many of the churches in Rome, the structure was massive, and the architecture was stunning.

As I approached the outside of the church, I could see a statue of St. Paul.

Differences between St. Paul and St. Peter

Earlier in my trip, during my tour of the Vatican, I learned of the differences between the statues of St. Paul and St. Peter.  St. Peter is always holding two keys – one is gold, and the other is silver.  The first key represents the power to bind and loose in heaven which indicates spiritual authority.  The second key represents the power to bind and loose on earth, indicating temporal authority.

St. Paul is always holding a book and a sword.  The book represents the epistles written by St. Paul in the New Testament.  The sword depicts the way he was martyred.  He was a Roman citizen and, therefore, could not be crucified.  He was beheaded by the sword in Rome in 67AD.

The beauty of this church is beyond words.  There are so many beautiful churches in Italy – it is difficult to pick one over another.

As I walked through the front doors of this amazing basilica, my eyes canvassed the building from right to left and then up and down.  I didn’t want to miss anything.  As I slowly walked down the massive corridors of this beautiful basilica, I thought of St. Paul and all that he did for us.  But I also thought of the people who built this beautiful building.

One of four major papal basilicas

St. Paul Outside the Walls is one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas.  The three other major papal basilicas are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter’s, and Saint Mary Major.  I visited all of them and so much more – which is why I needed five days in Rome!

The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of St. Paul.

A National Monument

The first basilica was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324.  In 386, Emperor Theodosius I erected a much larger basilica with a nave and four aisles – which is what we see today.  The basilica was built outside the Aurelian Walls as indicated in its name.  The Aurelian Walls were city walls built between 271AD and 275AD during the reign of Roman Emperor Aurelian.  The basilica endured many renovations due to fire, lightning, and seize by the Saracen raid in 846.  Massive reconstruction began in 1825 as instructed by Pope Leo XII.  The transept is the part of the basilica that extends on either side of the nave to form the arms of the cross.  This was added to the basilica during the 1825 renovation.  The transept and high altar were consecrated in 1840 and opened to the public.  The entire basilica was reconsecrated in 1854 in the presence of Pope Pius IX and fifty cardinals.  The basilica has been declared a national monument by the Italian government.

Side Altars & Chapels

Like many of the other basilicas visited, there were several side altars and chapels.

The Chapel of St. Benedict was dedicated to the patriarch of western monasticism and was built by the architect Luigi Poletti, director of the reconstruction of the basilica after the fire of 1823.

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was built to house the venerated wooden crucifix of the 14th century.

As I continued to walk around this basilica, I was amazed to see a chapel dedicated to St. Stephen.  Before the fire of 1823, there was an altar dedicated to St. Stephen near the tomb of St. Paul.  After the fire, reconstruction included the Chapel of St. Stephen.  The statue of St. Stephen is the focal point of this chapel.  This work of art was carved by Rinaldo Rinaldi from white marble and depicts an adolescent Stephen with his eyes lifted up as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

I can’t say enough about the beauty of Catholicism and the dedication and devotion of those who built these magnificent structures.

Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Italy

An Amazing Find in Salt Lake City, Utah

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Shortly before leaving for my trip to Norway, I was approached by a leader of a women’s group at a local church.  She attended one of my book presentations, bought my latest book on the life of the Blessed Mother, and read it.   She asked if I would be interested in doing a Lenten retreat focusing on Mary’s perspective.  She titled the retreat – A Lenten Journey through Mary’s Eyes!  I loved the title and decided to accept the challenge.  I wrote most of the retreat while on vacation in Norway and finalized the details with the leaders from this group when I returned.

Mary’s perspective

The focus was Mary’s perspective on the Passion of Christ – a difficult journey for a mother to endure.  Yet, we all know that she was not just any mother – she was and is the Mother of God and most importantly, she is our Mother, too.

To prepare for this retreat, we decided to look at the Scriptural Stations of the Cross and the Sorrowful Mysteries of ALL the Rosaries.

If you’ve read my book, you know that there are different types of Rosaries and that each of these Rosaries have mysteries that focus on the life of Jesus and Mary.  I also introduced in my book the Scriptural Stations of the Cross.

Scriptural Stations of the Cross

As I prepared for this retreat, I was reminded of my visit to a beautiful cathedral in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a Catholic cathedral with a beautiful display of the Scriptural Stations of the Cross.

As we journey through this Season of Lent, I’d like to share with you the scriptural Stations of the Cross as displayed in the Cathedral in Salt Lake City.  I’ve also indicated, next to each station, the scripture that is related to that station.

I.     Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane – (Matthew 26: 36-46; Mark 14: 32-42; Luke 22: 39-46; John 18: 1-12)

II.   Jesus is betrayed by Judas – (Matthew 26: 14-16)

III.  Jesus is denied by Peter – (Luke 22: 54-62; Matthew 26: 69-75)

IV.   Jesus is judged by Pilate – (Mark 15: 15; Matthew 27: 24-26; John 18: 31-32; Luke23:24)

V.    Jesus is stripped and scourged – (Jon 19: 1)

VI.   Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns – (John 19: 2-3)

VII.  Jesus bears the cross – (John 19: 16-17)

VIII. Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene – (Mark 15: 21; Matthew 27: 32)

IX.    Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem – (Luke 23: 28-29)

X.      Jesus is crucified – (Matthew 27: 33-44)

XI.    Jesus promises His kingdom to the good thief – (Luke 23: 39-43)

XII.   Jesus speaks to His Mother and the disciple – (John 19: 25-17)

XIII.  Jesus dies on the cross – (Matthew 27: 45-54; Luke 23: 44-46)

XIV.   Jesus is placed in the tomb – (Matthew 27: 57-61)

Lent is truly a season of renewal.  May God continue to bless each of us as we draw closer to Him.

New Year’s Resolution: How to Increase Our Hospitality for Jesus in Our Hearts and Homes this Year

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As this month begins, the gifts have been unwrapped, leftover Christmas tinsel may be clinging to the rug and there might be a few gingerbread cookies still left in the pantry. We’re a bit worn out from hosting or attending December’s Christmas gatherings, or due to pandemic-related concerns, we are feeling a bit disappointed that this Christmas wasn’t quite as social as years past. And now comes January of a new year, traditionally a time to start fresh. How can we rest or rejuvenate ourselves, no matter what kind of end to 2021 we had?

For starters, Christmas isn’t really over. It’s the season known as Christmastide now! Some people keep their decorations up until the “twelve days of Christmas” culminate on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. Still others like to keep their decorations or at least their Christmas lights up until the traditional end of the Christmas season on Candlemas, or the Purification of the Virgin Mary on February 2. But whether you prefer to pack the ornaments away immediately or keep the Christmas decorations and crafts going, there’s one thing every home can benefit from this January: increasing our hospitality. Hospitality during Covid? That’s right! We can welcome Jesus into our home EVERY DAY. And doing so will make us feel a greater sense of true belonging in these disjointed times as we are reminded of Whose we are. Let’s make a resolution now, or better yet: five! Here’s five ways we can increase our hospitality for Jesus in the new year:

1) Welcome Jesus First Thing, Every Day

“Now it came to pass as they went, that He entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha, welcomed Him into her house”(Luke 10:38). We know how Martha worked as hard as she could cooking and cleaning for Our Lord and how Mary gave her full attention, sitting at the feet of Christ and listening to Him. But it’s easy to forget the simple profundity of that verse: she “welcomed Him.” How often Jesus was misunderstood, rejected, or overlooked. Yet Martha welcomed Jesus: receiving Him into her home! No wonder she became a saint! Let’s resolve to welcome Jesus in our homes and hearts this year… first thing; every day! What will that look like for us? Well, it can look like praying a Morning Offering prayer daily as soon as our eyes pop open, deciding to find and attend a daily Mass, praying an Our Father and emphasizing “Thy Will Be Done,” even as we start the coffee or take the dog for a walk. If there’s a prayer that helps you surrender everything to Jesus, try placing it behind the door of your most-opened kitchen cabinet or on the table near where you eat breakfast every day.

2) Tell Jesus, “Our Home is Your Home!”

You’ve Heard the Expression “My Home is your Home” or “Mi Casa es Su Casa!” Well, this 2022, let’s offer that sentiment to Jesus! Saints Martha and Mary offered Him a peaceful respite from a world that often rejected him. We should ask ourselves: Does our house do that? Do people who pass by our house know we are Catholic? This month, why not add a statue of Jesus or of our Blessed Mother on our property in a place that can be seen from the road, inspiring others! Do people who enter our home see our faith proudly on display? Add a beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart in a prominent place in the home. Then arrange with a priest to have a Home Enthronement Ceremony in which you officially declare Christ as the King of your Home. Here is the Enthronement Ceremony which is ideally led by a priest, or the father of the family, or if neither is available, the owner of the home. We pray, “May our home be for Thee a haven as sweet as that of Bethany, where Thou canst find rest in the midst of loving friends, who like Mary have chosen the better part in the loving intimacy of Thy Heart!”

3) Give Jesus Your Heart, Again and Again

St. Francis once asked Jesus what he could give Our Lord, since he had already given Jesus his heart. Our Lord answered, “Francis, give me (your heart) again and again. It will give me the same pleasure.” Consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the first time, or once again. You can never consecrate yourself too often… it is like a repeated “I love you.” This one offers a fresh approach to the 33-Day Consecration. Available completely for free online, it sends daily emails to your inbox with a link to a 9-12 minute podcast containing beautiful stories and reflections, featured works of art and inspiring music… all themed around that day’s line in the Litany to the Sacred Heart.

4) Invite Jesus to Each Meal You Have

We know Saint Martha of Bethany worked hard on each meal she served Jesus. How wonderful to imagine the grace of inviting Jesus to our own table, to invite Him to sit among our family members and to serve Him there. But we can do this! Let’s resolve to always pray grace before meals and perhaps end by praying, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!” This 2022, why not also a prayer of thanks after meals, frame a picture of Jesus and place it in the center of our table as a way to include this most Beloved family member, and add readings from and discussions of Scripture to our mealtime conversations.

5) Take a Course in Welcoming Our Lord from the Saints

Martha and Mary were devoted hostesses and they can teach us how to welcome Our Lord. After all, Jesus did not just stop by their home once. Rather, He loved visiting them and would often visit when he was in or near Bethany. To start 2022 with a 9-day novena to Saints Martha and Mary that delves deeper into the lessons we can learn from their house at Bethany, sign up here for 9 podcasts delivered daily to your inbox that includes moving reflections, sacred art and music for only 9-12 minutes a day.

God bless you as you resolve to make your home and heart shine with hospitality to Our Lord in this fresh first month of 2022!

Puppet Script: Jesus, the Greatest Gift of All!

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This week, I offer you another Advent-themed script about a grumpy kid frustrated with all the busyness and distraction of the adults during Advent.

Jesus the Greatest Gift of All-Advent

Feel free to change the names, add or subtract from the content, and share my free script in any way that helps you catechize and enjoy the season with your family, your students, or your parish. I recommend it be used as a puppet show for little ones or a skit to be performed by your confident readers!

NOTE: The only thing I ask is that you not sell the scripts. I own the copyrights and I’d like to keep them free for everyone. If you charge for performances, that’s fine. I know your ministries can use all the help they can get!

p.s.

Some of my scripts, you will notice, were inspired (many years ago) by a Christian script writer by the name of Louise Ferry. I believe this is where you can currently find her wonderful work: https://puppetscripts.tripod.com/puppet.htm

Interview with Dr. Brant Pitre on His New Book!

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My Friends, Enjoy this delightful half-hour with Dr. Brant Pitre. We’re talking about his fantastic new book, “Introduction to the Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus.”

Just click the book cover to watch my super-fun chat with Dr. Pitre!

I highly recommend this resource for individuals and groups.

It is truly accessible to anyone–from teens and RCIA candidates to those who are advanced in the spiritual life. 

Dr. Pitre presents the faith in easy steps, without skimping on the beauty, majesty, challenge, and joy of growing in the spiritual life.

You can order it in plenty of time for Christmas, here.

Pro-Tip: For 2022, form some accountability partnerships and go through this one short chapter at a time, discussing your learnings and then setting goals for your own growth!

Dr. Brant Pitre is Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute, Graduate School of Theology. He earned his Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he specialized in the study of the New Testament and ancient Judaism. He is the author of the best-selling books, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist (Image, 2011), The Case for Jesus (Image, 2015), and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (Image, 2018). Dr. Pitre has also produced dozens of video and audio Bible studies, in which he explores the biblical foundations of Catholic faith and theology (available at BrantPitre.com). He currently lives in Louisiana with his wife Elizabeth and their five children.

Advent Puppet Script

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My Friends!

Today, to mark the beginning of this holy Advent season, I’m sharing a sweet Advent puppet script, which I wrote years ago. It can be performed easily by any adult or teen. In fact, any child who reads well can perform them!

I have dozens of such scripts, some connected with the liturgical year, others with articles of our faith, others with virtues (which I created for our local YMCA nursery school), some created for VBS programs (for free, by request), and so on. I’ll be sharing them here at AmazingCatechists.com, in the coming weeks and months, and may eventually create an ebook, so you can acquire the whole “collection.”

How to perform the show

Simply sit with the script pages laid out on a desk or story rug and gather the children around you, or hand out copies and use it as a skit for older students to act out together in front of the class.

Use a different “voice” for each of the two characters, moving the one that is speaking, to make it clear for the children.

Some of them are wacky and silly, while others are more reverent. Be sensitive to mood, and have fun!

Please read my “Note on Reverence” before using any of my scripts. It’s important, truly.

A note from the author about reverence

And, without further ado, here is The Empty Manger, to start off your Advent season with the children:

The Empty Manger

A little history, if you have a minute more…

Between 2003 and 2008, I wrote dozens of puppet scripts for use in a YMCA nursery-school (virtue) program, then for Catholic and Christian children’s events, library programs, parties, scout troops, and finally my own religious education classroom. I was a volunteer mom teaching elementary-aged kids, but I was also a writer and a former actress, so–along with the Holy Rosary and our parish curriculum–I incorporated singing and creative dramatics, every week.

I almost always capped my lessons with a puppet show (hastily created beforehand), and the children adored them. It was a reward for good behavior, I told the children, but it was also a way to emphasize a point from that day’s lesson, break open a difficult concept, or make a dry subject fun and intriguing. If we had time and the children were clamoring to see it again, I would do an encore performance. Each lasts only a few minutes, and I figured, “Hey, they’re asking for another lesson in their faith. How can I say no?” They wanted to touch and talk with the puppets, so I often held a brief, extremely silly, improvised Q&A with the characters, after the show.

My religious education credo

To ignite their imaginations is extremely important to me, and I sincerely believe that it is a crying shame, if not actually sinful because it’s so dishonest, to make our amazing, transformative Catholic faith a dull and ordinary business. So I gave it my all, each week, begging the Holy Spirit to “light me up” and make the lessons impactful. He never let me down.

A little more about how to use them…

At the end of the day’s teaching, using whatever hand puppets I had at the time, I sat on the story rug, placed the scripts on the floor in front of me, and gathered the eager children around me. I started out using some old, neglected puppets they had at the YMCA, when I volunteered for a summer program with nursery-school-aged children. I also incorporated sock puppets, which were a scream and easy to make (and I am the least crafty person I know). But eventually, I bought an adorable, racially-diverse collection of “kid” puppets that Oriental Trading used to sell cheap. I added some animal puppets my daughter had been given (and never used), and a few oddball ones I borrowed from some enthusiastic neighbor kids (who were not using their’s, either).

A couple of important insights

As I branched out into children’s parties and library programs, I noticed a couple of amazing things:

  • all kids enjoyed the shows–even kids as old as 14 wanted to try them on after the show and make up their own stories,
  • and special needs children who normally could not attend long to a regular lesson were spell-bound by the puppets.

The puppets excited them like nothing else–like animated characters sprung into 3-D before their eyes!

CatholicMom.com…

Then, in 2007 (or thereabouts), I was on a Catholic writers’ email group, and offered to share my scripts for free to anyone who wanted them. Another member, the lovely Lisa Hendey, invited me to share them with the world at her popular site, CatholicMom.com. They had a home there, as a “puppet ministry” until 2019, when the site went through an overhaul and all PDF content was lost. (I just found out about it because someone tracked me down, asking for the scripts, and I made inquiries.)

The upshot is that I’m now sharing them here, so stay tuned!

Next up will be a Christmas show about a disgruntled kid feeling lost in the busyness of the season, who learns a lesson about service and sacrifice. Coming soon!

I pray these little lessons bless you and the children you care about, pray for, and teach. I would love to hear from you about how you use them, and I pray they will inspire you to create and share scripts of your own! I’d be happy to post them, here.

Feel free to write to me: lisa@wonderfullymade139.com

A very sweet and holy Advent to you and yours!

Lisa

With Jesus the Master Teacher

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Teachers Day has always been one full of surprises. It is so true even today, in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions and the “new normal,” into which each one of us is gradually getting immersed. Yesterday evening, as I was moving to the Chapel for community prayers of the Rosary, a small group of three young girls stopped me: “Please see our dance,” they said. “Oh! You are getting ready to surprise your teachers!” was all I could utter. Their faces brightened up.

Thirty minutes of prayer swiftly flew, and as I entered my office to log on to an online provincial vocation coordinators meet, a small group of four boys called to me: “Sister, please see our skit…”

Teaching today: an adventurous task

Teaching has always been a pleasant, adventurous and committing task. Today, in the midst of COVID-19, with online teaching, it has become even more adventurous and more and more teachers are getting the hang of it all. Teachers are very familiar with sending of links, screen sharing, making online classes alive and participative, etc. A word of praise and admiration goes to our younger generation, who are experts at modern technology. It is amazing to watch a teacher’s son/daughter flying in at the correct moment with the right click to assist mom/dad, while they are busy with their online classes.

Multiplicity of methods and styles of teaching

Throughout the course of the century, human beings have witnessed a variety of methods and styles of teaching. A peep into some of the significant books in the field of education, and to relevant methods of teaching imparted to those trained for teaching, will certainly arouse curiosity and wonder. There is so much available, by way of teaching styles and methods. There is much more still in the making…

Online or offline

No matter whether we are online or offline, the child is at the heart of all our teaching. Muriel Spark affirms, “The word ‘education’ comes from the root “e” from “ex” (out) and “duco” (I lead). It means “a leading out.” To me, education is a leading out of what is already there in the pupil’s soul. In this process of leading out, education becomes a dynamic process of interaction between the teachers: the one who teaches and the one who is taught.

Paulo Coelho has expressed it aptly:

A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.

In the midst of sharing and caring

The surge of COVID-19 has multiplied in our global human family genuine gestures of sharing and caring. An open online dialogue with a group of young college students from St. Andrew’s College, Bandra, and with those of Auxilium, Baroda Junior College, did bring to our notice how the family scenario has changed, all of a sudden, as a consequence of the pandemic. Youngsters are more and more tuned to see things from the perspective of their parents; they are alert to step in when their parents are under pressure. A good number of teachers are busy accompanying youngsters to face the “new normal,” at home.

A child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him. ~ Pablo Casals

Fixing our glance on Jesus the Teacher

With two groups of Catechism teachers, I had the joy of fixing our glance on Jesus the Teacher. Jesus always had his listeners at heart. He spoke to them making use of life situations: How can we not recall to mind Mark 12:41-44, the Widow’s Offering?

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.

Jesus spoke to the people using stories: Surely you will remember the parable of the Growing Seed, in Mark 4:26-29.

He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.”

Jesus spoke to them asking questions and answering them: Certainly the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:36-37 is on the tip of your tongue, with that ever provoking question:

“Which if these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told them, “Go and do likewise.”

Time and again, Jesus spoke to the people referring to Scriptures: The classic text that comes to mind is Luke 4:16-21. Jesus affirmed,

“Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Then we have Jesus’ friendly approach, in John 21:5-7:

Jesus called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

Finally, Jesus taught by his own love and life style. Matthew 12:9-13 informs us that,

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.

Happy Teachers Day, our beloved Teachers!

Teaching is a vocation and a mission.

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child. ~ Knights of Pythagoras

A woman truly knows when to bend down and listen to a child with her heart.

 

This article originally appeared in Indian Catholic Matters, on September 5, 2021