In today's episode I share an important quote from Jordan Peterson's new book. It's a useful insight that helps us to remember that our efforts to share our faith with students are never in vain and can have far-reaching impact.

Well, Hey everybody, Jonathan Doyle with you.

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

Hope you're doing well.

Hope we can bring you something.

That's a bit of a blessing for you today in this crucial, precious vocation that

you have in the lives of young people.

It's a bit sad here.

In the, uh, in the Doyle household at the moment.

Um, uh, my son has gone on.

He's gone on year six camp for three days, four days.

So were all the rest of the family and the other kids were.

Noticing last night that, uh, We just don't miss him.

And I was thinking what an incredible thing it is as a parent really.

And I think we can forget this as educators.

It's an incredible thing to hand over your child to interest your child.

Into the care of other people.

So never forget that, uh, what a precious and a special vocation it

is that you have where these adults.

Uh, in trusting you with their child.

And let's never forget that what that really means that we are.

Discharging this very special ministry in the lives of families and parents.

It's a really precious thing today.

I want to talk to you about.

A quote that I came across, uh, this morning I, uh, was

here early in the studio and.

I've been reading Jordan Peterson's new book.

Uh, called beyond order.

Many of you be familiar with him.

I like his work for many reasons.

I think he's a, not only is he a prodigious intellect.

But he's somebody who especially recently has endured an enormous

amount of suffering, both physically in his own health and, uh, in

that of his family as well.

And.

So often, like to say that you can trust people who've suffered, you can

usually trust people who've suffered.

And why is that?

Because.

Usually, if people have been through suffering, one of

two things tends to happen.

They either get cynical, nihilistic and potentially vicious in

terms of they become deeply disillusioned and angry at life.

And that channels out in, on their relationships and a

whole bunch of other things.

I don't say that judge mentally.

I just say that as an observation of life.

But there are other people who enjoy suffering and it changes them.

Let's never forget the central motif of suffering in our Catholic faith that we

have a God who enters into human reality.

And doesn't just wander around like sort of magically granting wishes and

blasting Roman legions into oblivion.

He's a God who enters into the reality of human suffering.

And he weeps over the pain of other people's lives, you know, and when

Lazarus dies, you know, that famous two line sentence, Jesus wept,

you know, that he felt our pain.

And he takes the pain of creation and, uh, upon himself and suffers.

And so the, his, his, his suffering is ultimately.

Trends formed into the great victory of Easter.

So let's never forget that, uh, that suffering in all our own lives has such a.

An incredibly important role, if it is.

Surrendered to God.

And.

That we learned to trust him in the midst of deep suffering.

Very hard to do.

Isn't it.

It's a definitely.

Easy to talk about, harder to live.

We've been, uh,

In our own community.

We, we recently had the tragic loss of a, of a young student.

And, um, just seeing how that suffering has impacted so many people,

obviously the parents and family, but.

So many other people who've journeyed along.

That, um, that suffering is something we would never choose, but, uh,

well, the, the things that God can do through the tragedies of life,

So on that today's quote comes from Jordan Peterson's new book and it struck me

this morning when I came into the studio.

And it's just this, he says, unless you make a connection.

To the transcendent.

You will not have the strength to prevail.

When the challenges of life become daunting.

One more time, unless you make a connection to the transcendent.

You will not have the strength to prevail.

When the challenges of life become daunting.

So I like this.

He's, he's making the point for us that.

That in the absence of a transcendent reality in the

absence of a relationship with God.

Then the difficulties and suffering of life can seem very, very arbitrary.

They can seem very unknowable and unsearchable.

And I think we're left very much on our own as kind of cosmic orphans.

And as I said before, I think that leads to nihilism, to despair, to rage.

To avoidance.

I don't know if this is drawing a long bow, but it's interesting

to know that, um, you know, one of the biggest challenges.

Uh, facing Russia.

Is alcoholism.

It's one of the biggest causes of death.

I think it's like right up there now.

It's like, although, you know,

In the top two to three causes of death in, uh, in Russia.

And it's interesting, cause it's a nation that had a very, very deep

Christian past that, which was course, which was of course overwhelmed.

By the, um, the communist revolution in 1917, and then it's enjoyed.

Do you know, decades.

Oh, really?

Uh, you know, a century now of, uh, Of Marxist scientific materialism.

And I often wondered when I sort of came across the stats on alcoholism there.

If.

If you remove the transcendent, if you remove the people's connection

to the divine, to their history, to their heritage, to their faith.

And then life is hard because life, especially in, you

know, in Stalinist, Russia,

Was was difficult and unpleasant and, you know, lacked beauty and

synthesis and joy and community.

And I wonder if that's why so many people turn to the avoidance.

Of alcoholism's just a thought, just interesting in our own cultures

that, uh, what do we do with the difficulties of reality when we

don't have a transcendent, God.

To fall back upon.

To pray to, to talk with.

To seek that he'd carry us.

So what's this got to do with Catholic teachers?

Well, I think that the fragility, the emotional, psychological fragility of

many young people, not all, cause I know some of you will hear this and say, but

you know, you know, tons of young people that are really resilient and I agree.

But I think statistically, at least if we look at the mental

health measures, this is a cohort.

Historical moment for young people where anxiety and depression.

Uh, a very significant forces.

So here's the link I want to make.

And I've really covered a few topics in this short podcast today.

But I want to say this to you that.

Every way in which you help them to know.

God to know his son.

To learn about the provision of the holy spirit, every way in which you do that.

You can never know the buffer that that may give them against the

vicissitudes of life, the difficulties and hardships that will come in

their life because they will come.

So helping young people to have a deep spirituality, a deep

awareness of, you know, God and his action in scripture and people's

relationship with him and hardship.

And even just the central motif of Christ himself and his trust in God.

On the cross.

Can give them a buffer, psychological, spiritual buffer that, you

know, you're never going to see probably the full results of that.

But I just want to be a voice today reminding you and encouraging you

that it's a unique and precious and special thing that you do.

Particularly in this cultural moment where, you know, we're living in

this highly technocratic culture.

Where, you know, rates of narcissism and self-absorption and distraction

through technology and social media.

Can be highly problematic for young people.

So you may, we'll be giving them tools and grace.

That is going to be extremely important in their lives.

So do not be afraid to preach Christ and him crucified do not be afraid to

speak to them of the love of a perfect father, even though for many of them and

for a significant number of us, we may not have experienced perfect fathering.

We can still find the courage as educators to speak that truth,

to reality in their lives, and to create the experiences of prayer and

liturgy and silence and sacrament.

That will buffer and strengthen that.

Internal transcendent compass.

All right.

There's a lot in that.

That's it from me today.

Unless we make a connection to the transcendent.

We will not have the strength to prevail when the challenges

of life become daunting.

So God bless you, everybody.

Thank you for listening.

I'd love.

If you could make sure you've subscribed to the podcast.

If you could share this with a few other teachers and of course say everything else

is on the website@onecatholicteacher.com.

My name is Jonathan Doyle.

Thank you so much for what you do every day.

God is outrageously proud of you.

He sees everything you do.

And he thinks you're doing a pretty fine job.

So you can take that to the bank.

I bless everybody.

This has been the Catholic teacher daily podcast.

And I'll have another message for you.