In a world torn by adversarial politics it is a very human thing to seek answers in the reorganization of society among any number of tribal, ethnic, national, economic or social identities.

The great genius hidden in the early Church’s growth was its ability to help diverse groups of people see their common humanity and dignity and the high calling upon their lives in the bright light of the Resurrection.

In today’s episode I share some thoughts on why Catholic teaching is at it’s best when it helps students discover the great truths that unite us rather than those diabolic agendas that pull us away from each other and the God who loves us all regardless.

Well, Hey everybody, Jonathan door with you.

Once again, welcome aboard to the Catholic teacher daily podcast.

Hope you had a chance to listen to some of yesterday's interview with

a Catholic teacher and author and rainy, really enjoyed doing that.

So make sure you check that out.

It'll be on all the podcast feeds and of course, on the

website@onecatholicteacher.com.

Today, I want to keep taking you on a journey with Paul Kingsnorth.

I think he has all his most recent article had a great deal

to offer Catholic teachers.

And this quote today is very simple.

He says this the work.

Is not political, but spiritual to rediscover the eternal truths,

which must be at the base.

Of any functional culture.

The work is not political, but spiritual to rediscover the eternal

truths, which must be at the base of any functional culture.

So firstly, the idea of eternal truths is a little bit problematic

for many people at the moment.

The idea that.

The truth exists independent of our perspective of it.

Uh, I think we've all been immersed over the last, however long

you've been alive or teaching.

It could be a few years or decades.

We've all been immersed in this post-Christian.

Postmodern relativist construct around truth, which is this idea that, um,

you know, really it's it's, it kind of goes back to continental philosophy.

People like Friedrich nature developed a system called perspectivism.

And in perspectivism it's literally just like, it sounds it's, it's

not really the facts that matter.

It's the particular perspective we have on them.

And this has just been flowing along for, you know, last sort

of 150 years give or take.

And then of course, now we're in a, sort of a, an end phase of

this army with the huge upheavals around gender ethnicity, race.

Wow.

You've only got to read a media outlet for a couple of minutes to just realize

how profound these issues are and how much they're permeating all through cultures.

So this Kings north quote.

Is really reminding us as Catholic teachers, that we are actually in the

business of eternal truths and never in the business of political ideology.

There's a lot of church writings on that, that, um, I just want to

encourage everybody, whatever your political beliefs left, right.

Centrist, whatever.

That, uh, Really the task upon our lives is to him is to bring young people

to encounter the person of Jesus who is the truth and never to present a.

This particular perspective of truth.

Contrary to what's taught, I guess, in the, in the faith and contrary to

what has been revealed in, in scripture and a natural law and the magisterium.

I mean, if we don't have a.

Preference for these things or dependence upon these things, natural law, the

magisterium scripture sacrament.

Then really we end up in the business of constructing truth ourselves.

So you can sense that there's a really prophetic missionary aspect to being

a Catholic teacher at the moment.

You know, it's not exactly easy to put your hand up and say,

know what the church teaches.

I hold to be true.

What the church teaches I believe is the result of 2000 years of

some of the greatest men and women in history, reflecting on

the truth of the human condition.

And if I'm going to bet, I'm going to bet on their wisdom rather than my own.

All of these things.

Pretty outrageous to most ears these days.

But, uh, look, I just think if I had to make a choice between back

in my own ideas and attitudes or.

You know, relying upon the depths of the faith and the great

saints that have gone before me.

I think that would be a little bit preposterous on my part,

but I can only speak for me.

I can't speak for anybody listening.

So once again, Kingsnorth reminds us that the work is not political, but

spiritual to rediscover the eternal truths, which must be at the base.

Of any functional culture.

And it's interesting word of functional culture.

What is a functional culture?

I guess it's a con it's culture that conforms itself to truth.

You know, not perfectly because this side of heaven, no culture or

person is going to live it perfectly.

But, you know, we see plenty of dysfunctional cultures, full of violence

and corruption and all sorts of problems.

You know, you look at.

You look at a place like say Venezuela at the moment, which is truly failed state.

It's gone from being one of the wealthiest countries in south America with the

enormous, uh, natural resources to being.

You know, people literally starving and, and horrendous rates of crime

corruption, poverty, violence.

So how does that happen?

Well, at some point, Those in leadership must have departed from some of these

eternal truths about human dignity, about the value of work around

issues around, you know, just how to function in the economy appropriately.

If all those things have fallen apart, then you get a particular kind of culture.

And again, no culture is perfect, but it very much is a spectrum.

So I think.

As we go about our work as Catholic educators, we have to remind

ourselves that we're playing a crucial role in constructing culture.

Because the young people that we educate every day are going to go on

to significant positions in politics, economics, leadership, finance.

All sorts of different areas of life.

You know, and even the ones that don't end up in, you know, super

important necessarily careers.

Are still gonna, you know, probably have families and have friendships

and build a community around them.

So do not for a second underestimate the importance of what you're

doing by introducing young people.

Not to a truth, not to a perspective on truth, but to the truth, a

person, a person whose name is Jesus, who established a church and

promised to never leave that church.

So as imperfect as the church is.

He promised that he would send the spirit, the counselor among us.

To help guide us.

So let's today.

Ask the holy spirit to guide us in all our endeavors.

And I just want to thank you for the work you're doing every single day.

All right, that's it for me, please make sure you've subscribed.

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God bless everybody my name's jonathan doyle this has been the catholic

teacher daily podcast and i'll have another message for you tomorrow