April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERSPECTIVE
At the feet of the Master
Hailed by the media as one of the great football minds in the coaching ranks, the young coach had a rather inflated view of himself and expected great things in his budding career -- including a contract which would pay him a considerable sum of money.
One evening, he attended a lecture given by the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi. Coach Lombardi devoted a full hour to a single formation on the field. He gave a thorough analysis of the play, impressing his audience.
Coach Madden was stunned. He declared that he'd entered the lecture hall as one of the great football minds of the game, but "I left the lecture hall a humbled student, and not a wise teacher. I realized that I was in the presence of the master."
At least 45 times in the Gospels, the name "Teacher" (or "Master") is given to Jesus. Even the known adversaries of our Lord, the Pharisees and Sadducees, did not refuse Him that title of respect. Nicodemus, a Jewish leader and later a disciple of Jesus, recognized that the teaching authority of Jesus was not merely human: "We know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with Him" (Jn:3:2).
Nicodemus must have been spellbound by the one of whom St. Augustine wrote, "Christ alone is our teacher." Should we be surprised that large crowds gathered around Jesus and "were astonished by His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority" (Mk.1:22)?
Even more significantly, Christ calls Himself teacher. On the night before His death, He said to His disciples: "You call me teacher and God and you are right, for so I am" (Jn.13:13).
His teaching is not a body of abstract or useless information. St. John Paul II, in his apostolic letter, "On Catechesis in Our Time," writes that the teaching of Christ "is the communication of the living mystery of God. The person teaching in the Gospels is altogether superior in excellence to the 'masters' of Israel, and in the nature of His doctrine surpasses theirs in every way because of the unique link between what He says, what He does and what He is."
With the start of another school year, we reflect on the role of the catechist and student. During his life, Jesus announced that He would pass on to His disciples the work of teaching in His name: "He who hears you, hears me" (Lk.10:16). What a responsibility! What a privilege! How blessed is the catechist!
To be an envoy of Christ is truly a wonderful calling. At the very least, it requires that a catechist spend as much time with Jesus as possible and reflect prayerfully on His inspired Word -- and be an effective witness in living the Gospel message.
The attitude of the Christian with respect to Christ is that of a disciple who is learning, of one who embraces His teachings in faith. As the late Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, who was head of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship, said: "To be a disciple of Jesus implies more than admitting His historical existence and accepting or acknowledging the loftiness of His moral doctrine, considering it as the teaching of a famous philosopher or even the greatest philosopher of all time.
"To be a disciple means to believe in Jesus. To believe in Jesus means acknowledging that He is the Son of God who has come into this world, following Him lovingly, and accepting His word as the ultimate criterion of the truth."
After 32 years in ministry, I still consider myself a student of "the Master," even though I am a teacher of His Word. I have much to learn at the feet of Jesus. Moreover, I can always profit from reading the lives of the saints and following the example of those who, under the inspiration of divine grace, have allowed the teachings of Christ to take flesh in their own lives.
I am fortunate to have the greatest of all teachers, Jesus Christ, in my life. I sincerely hope that His Word has made a difference in my life and the lives of those whom I have taught.
(Father Yanas is pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Troy.)[[In-content Ad]]
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