eCatechist

Finding God in All Things: On Being with Fr. James Martin

 

Before Pope Francis, Fr. James Martin was perhaps the best known and loved Jesuit writing in American life. He’s followed the calling of the founder of the Jesuit order, St. Ignatius of Loyola, to “find God in all things” – and in 21st century forms, as editor of America magazine, but also as a wise and witty presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Stephen Colbert has proclaimed him the chaplain of “the Colbert Nation.” To delve into Fr. Martin’s way of being in the world is to discover the spiritual exercises St. Ignatius designed to be accessible to everyone more than six centuries ago. These underpinned the Jesuit way of “contemplation in action” and are now shaping the Vatican in a new age. - Krista Tippett

Krista Tippet interviews Fr. James Martin for On Being, December 18, 2014.

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5 Things To Do in Decemberr 2014

1.  As we continue our advent preparation, take time to read A Waiting Heart by Charles Sidott.

2.  As you plan for 2015, consider purchasing the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCB). Choose those sections that address the themes that you are teaching and keep a log/journal of what you read and study. Complete the Catechist learning page and discuss it with your catechetical leader.

3.  Subscribe to www.faithAlivebooks.com, where you will find recommendations for spiritual and religious books. Check out A Catechist's Guide to Reading Your Bible by Steve Mueller.

4.  Focus on one learning outcome for each lesson by completing this sentence: “By the end of this lesson the children will know...” Be specific. Remember: just one.

5.  The Sunday after Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Family. As you pray for the children in your class and their families, remember that all families experience stress and are doing the best they can in growing in faith and building their relationship with Jesus Christ. Offer meaningful suggestions and don't be judgmental.

Frosting on the Cake

You’ve worked hard to create a visually pleasing area in which to meet with students.  New materials have arrived and been organized.  Hours have been spent in researching and preparing for a dynamic lesson.

The most important element has yet to be incorporated.  That will happen when the students arrive. It’s referred to as adult-child interaction or what I like to call “the frosting” on the cake.  

The type of supportive climate you can offer to the children, with whom you work, has nothing to do with the physical space or the quality of the materials.  It has everything to do with the kind of responsive, caring and encouraging relationship you build with your students.

Research indicates the way adults interact with children plays an important role in a child’s learning process.  I also believe it has a lot to do with a child’s developing sense of self.  We’ve all heard stories of the teacher who played a significant role in a child’s life.  It was not a matter of the teaching materials that were used, but rather the supportive relationship that was built between teacher and student. 

In creating an environment where a student feels valued and respected, an adult provides a safety net for individual growth and development.  Students are encouraged to ask questions, make mistakes in order to learn, and work cooperatively with others.  Adults take an active interest in what children may be thinking or feeling and refrain from making judgmental comments.  Rather they use their words to encourage and when possible allow children to develop their own problem solving abilities. 

Adults in supportive environments talk less and listen more.  Interaction is at the child’s eye level. That very often means sitting alongside a student or kneeling near the child’s work space so as to make eye contact.

Supportive environments with optimum adult-child interaction are neither directive nor permissive.  Rather there is a good balance of shared control. Students feel secure when there is an atmosphere of “freedom within structure”. 

REC – Responsive, Encouraging, Caring is the kind of interaction that nurtures growth and development in every one of us.

© Cindy Williams, 2010

Relish the Banquet by John F. Kavanaugh

 

The Incarnation, then, became the great reversal of our Fall, a yes to our humanness, not only in our limits, but even in our fallen, broken state. Mary’s “Let it be according to your word” was the harbinger of her son’s “Into your hands” on the cross. Perhaps this is why Jesus, in his lifetime, seems so grateful for gratitude. Ten lepers are healed; one returns to give thanks. What happened to the other nine? Did they go on to their next crisis, their next craving need? What happened to giving thanks?

If we ever have that question, the answer is this: Don’t let go of Thanksgiving. Instead of lurching into the “30 shopping days left till Christmas,” why not extend thanksgiving all the way through Christmas and even into the new year? Let Advent be not just a longing for God, but a savoring of all the ways God already enters into our lives.

This requires a strategy. One that I have come upon and have found to actually work is this: enter the days. Savor them. Appreciate them. Then God can enter our days with us. All we need is a practical discipline. Here it is.

From America Magazine. December 13, 2010

John F. Kavanaugh, SJ