How do we continue to pass on the Faith? This is a timeless question worth asking, especially for Catholic teachers beginning a new school year. Every year begins with anticipation and hope, for both teachers and students alike. Yet, for teachers, there can be some apprehension of how the students will receive the message about the Faith. What is the best way to explain the Faith, in terms that are understandable yet draw students more deeply into the mystery of God? In a world filled with much noise, many distractions, and the omnipresence of social media, teachers may ask these and other questions, wondering how they will be able to impress the truths of the Faith on their students.
When we think of teaching the Faith, we think of passing on the dogmas of the Catholic Church—our beliefs on the Trinity, on Scripture, on morality, etc. While I would be the last to deny the importance of these dogmas (and how we are so often lacking a right presentation of these dogmas!), I would like to recall the words of Pope St. John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation, Catechesi Tradendae. While affirming that teachers must always remember that the teachings of the Catholic Faith are not their own to change or manipulate (CT, art. 6), he first says the following. “It is intended to stress that at the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, ‘the only Son from the Father…full of grace and truth,’ who suffered and died for us and who now, after rising is living with us forever” (CT, art. 5). Thus, the heart of passing on the Catholic Faith is a Person, the Person of Jesus Christ, who is love and mercy itself. When teachers pass on the Faith, they must keep at the forefront of their minds that they are ultimately inviting students into a relationship with Jesus Christ, for he is the only one who will ultimately fulfill their restless hearts. A relationship with him will lead them unto eternal salvation.
Again, we find ourselves with the question: how do we possibly keep the Person of Christ at the center of our teachings? Here, it might be helpful to turn to Blessed John Henry Newman, who write in his essay entitled “Personal Influence, the Means of Propagating the Truth,” that the fact of miracles, the existence of a visible Church, or the moral quality in people is not sufficient for combatting attacks of reason, which seek to destroy any trust in the Catholic Faith. In response to the question of how the Faith has been upheld in the world, Newman writes that it has not been upheld “as a system, not by books, not by argument, nor by temporal power, but by the personal influence of such men…who are at once the teachers and the patterns of it” (art. 26). For Newman, personal influence is by far the greatest means of propagating the Faith. Newman describes several gifts of those who can personally influence others in the matters of the Faith. First: “The natural beauty and majesty of virtue, which is more or less felt by all but the most abandoned” (art. 27). While many scoff at religious and virtuous principles, “they cannot bear their presence: it is holiness embodied in personal form” (Ibid). Because natural virtue is so lacking today, it is immediately noticeable in an individual.
Second, Newman writes, “The consistency of virtue is another gift, which gradually checks the rudeness of the world, and tames it into obedience to itself.” Thus, those who personally influence others are consistent in their practice of virtue. It is clear from their lives that they are virtuous individuals. As Newman explains, “The attraction, exerted by unconscious holiness, if of an urgent and irresistible nature; it persuades the weak, the timid, the wavering, and the inquiring” (art. 33). The holiness of these individuals is critical for drawing others into the Faith. This kind of holiness is “unconscious”—it is not loud or ostentatious, but through small acts of love and devotion to God, reveals itself. The holiness of certain individuals is a sign of deeply rooted joy, which is missing from so many individuals’ lives. Those who are steeped in the culture, if they are searching for something more, will recognize something different and beautiful about the joy of these individuals.
Thus, if we consider Newman’s point in light of John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation, we can see that a teacher passes down the Faith through his or her personal influence—namely, through his or her own love of and devotion to Jesus Christ. We might be thinking to ourselves that such personal influence requires a lot of work, and maybe some of us are thinking that we could not possibly have the holiness to have such personal influence. Nevertheless, if Newman argues that it is necessary, then it must also be possible (for indeed, we are all called to be saints). It would seem, therefore, that teaching the Faith requires more than just knowing the dogmas or being able to recite the Catechism. Those things are certainly necessary, but what is also necessary is the individual’s ability to live those dogmas or teachings from the Catechism. That is how teachers will teach the Faith through personal influence—by fully embodying what they preach and recognizing the Person at the heart of what they are teaching.
Recently canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta, although not a teacher in the strict sense of the word, offers an excellent example of teaching through personal influence. Although she was short of stature and seemingly frail, her very presence was commanding, because of her great holiness and love for God. She personally influenced others because she herself had truly become another Christ, and it was revealed not only in her actions but also in her person. Specifically, because of her deep holiness, she was not afraid to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ on difficult issues such as abortion, even in the public sphere. All of St. Teresa’s actions were fueled by a deep love for Christ, which she cultivated in her time spent in prayer. Even though St. Teresa spent most of her life radically serving the poorest of the poor, teachers can still learn from her in her deep prayer life and her unrelenting commitment to the Church’s teachings on difficult issues. Through the inspiration of St. Teresa, teachers can learn to be constant in their lives of virtue, which will undoubtedly influence their students to pursue a life in Christ.
Newman writes that these, such as St. Teresa, “are ordained in God’s Providence to be the salt of the earth,—to continue, in their turn, the succession of His witnesses, that heirs may never be wanting to the royal line though death sweeps away each successive generation of them to their rest and their reward” (art. 34). Those who influence others through their personal holiness are the salt of the earth, for they will continue to bring forth others who will continue in passing on the Faith. These are the people who will be influenced by the Teacher of Truth, Christ Himself. He himself will be the inspiration for them as they continue to spread the Faith. This is also how the apostles evangelized, through their personal witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, RSV), as St. Paul proclaims. Those who are in teaching positions in Catholic education are fully capable of influencing others through embodying Christ himself—through living sincere lives of holiness. This personal influence goes beyond mere example, for it inspires others to truly change their path and reorient themselves toward Christ. Thus, we should never discount the importance of personal influence, even when it seems like the world’s arguments are stronger than our own for the students we are teaching. Teachers ought therefore to put on Christ himself to inspire a new generation of faithful to live completely for Christ.