In these challenging times it can be very easy to give in to despair and fear. The modern news cycle and the fear-based narrative of social media can make us feel that we are alone and that things are going from and to worse. What we all really need is a reminder of the power of faith and the decision to be people of faith and not victims of circumstance. In this episode I want to share with you a great quote and help you realise just how influential and important your faith is in the lives of those around you.

Transcript
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Well, Hey everybody, Jonathan Doyle with you.

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Once again, welcome back to the Catholic teacher daily podcast,

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your daily source of inspiration and encouragement in this precious vocation

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that you have of Catholic education.

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You know, the main website that I developed around this is one Catholic

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teacher.com and there's a reason I chose that name one Catholic teacher.com.

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Is simply because it's all it takes to change the life, the future.

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The fight experience of a young person, just one Catholic teacher.

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I'm really convinced that none of us can really solve the

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great problems of the world.

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Right now.

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There's so much happening around our world.

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There's a connectedness.

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There's a global perspective that I think technology has really changed.

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The experience of so many of us.

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And by that, I mean that, you know, things have always been

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happening in human history.

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Of course, you know, there's always been.

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Issues and challenges, but the connectedness right now can

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make us all feel like it's all happening at the same time.

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So I drew some comfort from the fact that, uh, that I can't fix the problems

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of the world and no individual person can.

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But what we can do is make a significant impact in the world, around us,

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in the world of our classroom, in the world of one young students.

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So one Catholic teacher can always make that difference

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and never lose sight of that.

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Whether you're having a good day, a bad day.

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I keep saying this just about every episode, you can't know the particular

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conversation, if a particular moment of presence and pastoral care.

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Is going to change the life of any student.

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Now, today.

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I want to share with you a great quote from a brilliant Catholic

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theologian father Romano Guardini.

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Who, uh, has gone home to his eternal rest, but, uh, I brilliant

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philosopher and theologian.

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And you can tell he's one of the big guns, because

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Entity 16, who of course was a phenomenal theologian in his own.

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Right.

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Was a great fan of Romano Guardini so this is quite, it's very simple.

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Listen to this.

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He says as one candle, Is lit from the flame of another.

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So is faith.

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Kindled by faith.

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As one candle is lit from the flame of another.

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So is faith kindled by faith.

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All right.

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What's this got to do with you while I've been on a faith?

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Crusade in the last few weeks, I've got a wonderful mentor.

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Who's.

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I've been helping me to reflect on the power of faith.

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And I think we really need faith in these difficult times.

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Right now.

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It's so easy to be surrounded by all the negativity, all the fear of the future.

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And isn't that how the enemy works.

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He always trades in fear.

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You know that I was studying this stuff in the zone.

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There's a line from the Yale anchor Bible dictionary about faith.

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And it says faith by its very nature.

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Opposes fear.

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Isn't that powerful that faith by its very nature.

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Opposes fear.

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Faith refuses to accept the core premises of fear.

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Faith refuses to accept those core premises of fear that, uh,

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that we are not safe, that we are not going to be taking care of.

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That there are forces outside of subtle overwhelmness.

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Faith speaks into those things.

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And reminds us that it's not up to us to protect ourselves from reality.

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It's up to us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author,

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and perfecter of our faith.

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And if we keep our eyes fixed on him in faith, in faith, that he will

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bring about his purposes in faith.

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That he will bring history to its appropriate end.

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Then we get insulated from the power of fear.

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And it was also, as I was studying last week have been going across to

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adoration each day at about 2:00 PM.

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And we're just working through faith scriptures.

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And it's amazing when you look at the life of Jesus.

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How often he speaks about it and how often his miracles are

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deeply related to people's faith.

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So, you know, when Jesus goes back to Nazareth thin.

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Um, Mark's gospel is that moment where he says, you know, he

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couldn't work many miracles there because of the lack of faith.

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So, you know, I was also speaking last week and studying the, the

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woman with the hemorrhage and gyrus his daughter, all of these.

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Miracles happen because of radical faith.

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What about the Centurion servant?

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This insurance is, Hey Jesus.

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You don't even need to come to my house.

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You can just do it from here.

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I mean, what kind of fight is that?

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So, I'm on this crusade to remind us all of the crucial importance of faith.

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Now what I want to talk about faith now about in the context

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of Catholic education, is this.

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Police do not underestimate for a second, the power of your faith to

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impact your colleagues and your students.

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You see our faith.

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Kindles the flame of faith in all those around us, you know, you've ever

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been around somebody that's really confident, not arrogant, but just

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confident in what God's going to do.

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Just, you know, a person of real faith that Jesus will do this.

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He'll come through the holy Spirit's going to move.

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That kind of faith.

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So you either get cynical and you go, yeah, whatever.

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Okay.

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You're one of those people, or it's intoxicating.

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It's inspiring.

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You get energized by it.

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So each Friday, I go to mass at my son's Catholic high school

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and do a great job there.

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They've got a wonderful mass there every Friday.

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And you know, it's just, there were days they, when it's really full and

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you see all these teachers and they're busy and they're, you know, he can

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see that the minute mass is over, they have to basically run out of the

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room to get to the classes on time.

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But it's fascinating that, that once they get around each other,

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the faith of each of them, I think impacts the faith of the rest of them.

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So they see that they're not alone, that there's other teachers of

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real deep faith who prioritize the Eucharist who want to be with together

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with other teachers of deep faith.

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So, I guess what I'm trying to say to you is this quote says, you know, as

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one candle is lit from the flame of another, so is faith kindled by faith?

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So.

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Our faith is not a private matter.

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And by faith, I don't mean a Catholic Praxis of religion.

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I mean, Our faith in Jesus Christ.

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It's not an insulated.

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You know, individual act that the more on fire we are with the faith of Jesus

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and faith in Jesus, the more that impacts those other staff around us.

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So don't be shy.

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Friends.

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Don't hide it.

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Use your speak about what he's doing, speak about what he's done.

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Today I was studying, I think it was Chronicles.

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Um, you know, we're we're David is talking about.

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You know, remember what he's done.

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Be reminded of his action in your life and speak about it.

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And rather than give into all the fear that's around us, look back into your life

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at the times where Jesus has really moved.

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And the spirits really moved in your life.

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So friends.

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Your faith is a flame, and I want you to go set fire to some other people today.

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Live your faith in front of your students.

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Talk about your faith.

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You know, pray for people, just constantly keep that faith.

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Your eyes fixed on Jesus front and center.

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All right.

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That's it for me.

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It's been a blessing to share and speak with you today.

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And I want to thank you for what you're doing in Catholic education.

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I mentioned recently that, uh, my wife, Karen is doing an awesome

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program for Catholic women.

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So if you are a Catholic woman or even in fact, you know, a Catholic woman.

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Jump across to discover my gifts.com.

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Discover my gifts.com and she's put together this beautiful free.

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Uh, strengths finder for Catholic women.

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So do that come and find me on Twitter at J D Catholic.

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And you can find us on Facebook at one Catholic teacher come

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across the one Catholic teacher.

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On Facebook and join the group there.

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We'd love to have you join us.

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All right friends.

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That's it for me, please make sure you've subscribed to the podcast.

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My name's Jonathan Doyle has been a blessing to do this.

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Thanks so much for what you're doing.

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Go and radiate that faith.

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And i'll have another message for you tomorrow