A Subtle Reminder of God's Gaze

I teach 7th and 8th grade boys catechism.

You probably have many questions in response to this statement:

Yes, it is difficult.

Yes, I get frustrated with them.

Yes, they make inappropriate jokes and farting noises.

And, sometimes I wonder, am I teaching them anything?

Planting Seeds

As a missionary educator, I must be grounded in my mission to keep showing up anyway.

I must remind myself of the impact of my free choice to love in the present moment. My hope in the midst of the rough days manifests itself in the belief that the seeds I am planting now will bear fruit, although I may not know how or when.

Most likely, I won’t be able to see that fruit.

"He always watching you"

This year I have been taking the boys to the Catholic church next to the school to pray for 10-15 minutes each day during the after school program.

It is a beautiful church with many different paintings and stained glass windows, but, without fail, disciples are always fascinated by God’s all-seeing eye painted on the ceiling and nothing else.

Earlier this year, seeing that the school walls were utterly void of religious art (and reminders of God’s commanding presence), one of my students who I sometimes struggle to engage due to his different abilities, felt moved by the Holy Spirit to take the matter into his own hands.

While we were transitioning from the church to the classroom, in a matter of 30 seconds, he drew an illuminati eye on the wall and wrote, “He always watching you," underneath.

How would you respond?

At first I started stressing out, thinking that I would get in trouble for not having my students under control.

And then I started getting frustrated with my student.

But, as I told my supervisor the story, he surprised me.

Rather than getting upset or accusing me of irresponsibility, a smile formed on his face. He actually started chuckling!

What was going on?

My supervisor found the story endearing, not aggravating.

His response opened my eyes to God’s presence in that moment.

I realized that at least this situation means that daily prayer in the church is making some sort of impression on this student, and all of my students in that case.

The Eternal

So, yes, teaching middle school boys is hard.

And it’s fair to say that I’m not doing it for immediate gratification.

I’m here for the eternal.

I'm bringing about the eternal Kingdom of God here and now, whether it is always visible or not. The opportunity to bring these boys into Christ's presence and just let Him love them has made it all worth it.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us!

St. Josemaria Escriva (the patron saint of my catechism class), pray for us!