In today's episode it's time to celebrate Saint Patrick and it's also time to talk about the way that every Catholic teacher can prepare the way for Jesus in the lives of each young person
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Well, Hey everybody.
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Jonathan Doyle with you.
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Once again, welcome friends to the Catholic teacher daily podcast.
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And can I take a moment depending on when you're hearing this to say happy St.
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Patrick's day.
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We're blessed St.
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Patrick's day to you.
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I know that many of my Northern hemisphere friends, this can
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be quite a day of celebration.
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Uh, here in Australia too.
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I know we do market.
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So what a great celebration, what a beautiful thing it is to remember
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the great men and women who've gone before us and Patrick, one of the great
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pastors, one of the great evangelists and also one of the great administrators.
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He had a great deal to do with the organization of the church in Ireland.
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But when I was praying the divine office this morning and
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going through his face, stay.
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I realized that I just wanted to say to you, don't lose track of just
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the amazing things that God does.
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Through a single person.
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You know, all these centuries later.
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Some Patrick is still remembered.
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He celebrated his so instructive for us.
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So I know that many of you in your day-to-day work as Catholic educators
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can feel that, you know, It's not noticed that I, you making a difference.
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I'm here just to encourage you to say you absolutely are.
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Will there be a feast day for you in sort of 16, 1700 years time, but we
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don't know that it's very possible.
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You know, there's a lot of incredible educators.
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We've been celebrated and it becomes St.
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So.
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Do not give up hope.
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My friends do not give up hope in what God is doing through individual men and
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women, simple men and women just like us.
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You know, St.
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Patrick.
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Did not have a doctorate.
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He did not.
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Uh, you know, he wasn't the Elon Musk of his day.
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He was a simple man who had been, had been a slave he'd known
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great suffering and hardship.
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But his encounter with Christ really led to.
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Such incredible change for the world, right?
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I mean the whole of Europe and, uh, And all throughout the world was impacted
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and it has been impacted down the centuries through this one person.
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So don't lose sight of what God's doing in each of our lives.
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Now, the last thing I want to say to you today is the gospel
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reading for today for St.
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Patrick's day.
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It's a real focus on.
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Speaking and evangelization the first readings from Jeremiah, that famous
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reading where Jeremiah says, don't send me, send anybody else, but, uh, not me.
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And, uh, and God says to him before a formed you in the womb, I knew you.
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You know, I've sent you a party bus.
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Very clear with Jera ma that there was a call on his life to speak.
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And then in the second reading, we have Saul and Barnabas.
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You know, preaching to the pagans, telling them that this good news is for them.
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And it says, you know, the pagans were very happy.
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I like that word.
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The pagans were very happy and they responded.
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So you see this, the power of preaching, the power of the spoken word in the
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lives of people who may not know Christ.
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And then finally in the gospel, you have that.
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Uh, that beautiful gospel story where Jesus sends out the 70.
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Uh, disciples ahead of him.
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Two by two, into all the villages to prepare.
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Uh, each village for the fact that Jesus is going to come after it.
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And as I was praying through that gospel, I really thought of you guys,
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because you know, really what you are doing is you're participating as
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an educator in that same tradition.
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You are going ahead of Christ.
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Into the hearts and minds of young people, you're preparing them for his visit.
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Don't lose sight of that, you know, each time that you lead them in prayer,
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each time that you encourage them in the faith, each time that you create
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an environment where they can hear the gospel or have some time for stillness or
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silence or learn something about Christ.
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You're exactly like the 70 disciples that Jesus sent out ahead of him.
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You know, he sent them out into physical villages, but what, why did he do it?
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Cause he was getting them to prepare the ground.
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He was getting them to prepare the ground for the visit that
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he would make after them.
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And you are doing exactly the same thing.
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You are preparing the ground for the visit of Christ that will come after you cannot
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know the impact you might be having.
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As you help a single young person or a class of kids today.
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To just be quiet to be still.
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To have a moment of prayer.
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You know, uh, one of my kids in this school.
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Unfortunately, one of the teachers was like, you know, just.
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It was really horrible.
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They were just like, well, you know, I'm not into that Catholic thing and we're
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not going to be doing prayer anymore.
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It was shocking.
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Right.
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Just to, for a person in a Catholic school to kind of go, well, you know, we're not
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going to do this and it's too much hassle.
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And you know, what a, what an incredible difference you can make.
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By being somebody that goes, you know what?
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We are going to pray at the start of each lesson.
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We are going to have a moment each day for scripture.
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We are going to take some visits to the chapel together.
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So friends get out there, prepare the ground.
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That's what you're doing.
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So happy St.
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Patrick's day friends.
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Happy St.
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Patrick's day.
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Let's thank the Lord together for the great gift of the
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saints that go before us.
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And remind us that a.
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Sanctity sainthood is not a case of.
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These are, you know, if you've heard me speak live, you hear me talk
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about the Saint factory in heaven.
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You know, there's not some production lineup.
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They were God preordained, saints.
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They're these ordinary men and women.
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Yesterday's quote that I sent out from Padre PO was just, you know,
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about the power of small steps.
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The power of small steps, the power of just walking, the
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journey of holiness, falling, failing, getting up one more time.
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Failing falling, getting up one more time.
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That's sainthood.
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That's becoming science.
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So I just want to encourage you today.
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Pray trust, use the sacraments, press into Christ and take him.
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In your daily work as an educator into the lives of young people god bless
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everybody my name is jonathan doyle this has been the catholic teacher
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daily podcast i'd love it if you could subscribe and maybe send this to a few
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friends the more people we have listening the better god bless everybody i'll
