Forming the formators

Call me crazy, but last night I spent two hours or so with some of our young teachers.

Those who teach in the Catholic School system are required to complete studies in religious formation (fondly referred to as Religion I, II and III) before they can be designated as specialists. A few months ago I received an invitation to teach four of the classes for this group, and after much prayer and reflection (and a few moments of agonizing over whether or not I had enough energy or time to commit to such a prospect, I agreed to four teaching engagements over the next five weeks.

Walking into this new setting, I must admit that I was a bit nervous. They know each other relatively well: they see each other every week (except for statutory holidays) so they have a shared history together, but when the 'teacher' is parachuted in, there is always a new element added to the mix.

After doing some preliminary introductions, I launched into the task at hand. Somewhat modeled on the approach of Randy Pausch, I endeavored to expose these neophyte teachers to the hard truths about faith in today's teaching context. First, I wanted them to explore faith in their own story, so we did a few priorities exercises ... then I invited them to take a fresh look at an old favorite (the Lord's Prayer), and the combined result from these exercises was quite revelatory.

Prayers may be uttered, but sometimes they become routine, and then we get lazy about paying attention to the words we use, much less to the meanings they imply, the questions they ask or the obligations they impose. It helps every now and then to slow down, to take one or other of these prayers apart, or to break them down into little chunks, or even to take them line by line. Considering them in such minute detail and allowing our minds and hearts to look at them with new eyes can sometimes help us to find new insight and fodder for further conversations with God.

Oh, by the way, the first reading for today's liturgy also speaks about words: in this case the words spoken by God himself. In Isaiah's portrayal, we get a glimpse of the power of God's words. These are utterances which happened at various times throughout our history. These words have had great power - to create, to destroy, to restore, to curse or to bless. I wonder how often we take the time to consider that our words too are just as powerful.

Be conscious today about the words we use. They have great power to do good or to do evil, to build up or to tear down. To harm or to bring about wonderful possibilities.