“What is the greatest lesson someone has ever given you?”
This is my students’ Bellwork for
the day. I will break the suspense; the focus of today is epistemology, or,
rather, Catholic understanding of how we can “know” anything. I will get back to
that in a bit. The students take about a minute to complete this.
My dad once said to me “Don’t be
sorry; just do it right”. For prayer today I share a story. What is a prayer
but a story, at least the dialogue part of a story. Sometimes I lead my class
in prayer with a story from my life. In fact, I point it out to them that when
we share a story we are being vulnerable with those with whom we share. The
concept of vulnerability in relationship will be a theme I stress throughout
the year. The best way to prayer is with humility and vulnerability. I tell
them about how when I was young, my dad taught me everything I knew about
baseball. My dad, my older brother, and I would go to the park every weekend and
work out. Once my dad was throwing batting practice for me and I did something
lazy or stupid; I don’t remember what it was. My dad yelled something at me and
I said “sorry”. His response, you know, was “Don’t be sorry; just do it right”.
That was almost thirty years ago and I remember it. It might be the first time
I ever thought to myself to be aware of my time and space…to be conscious of
where I was and what I was doing. To be present wherever and whenever I was. I
tell my students this story, both because I think my dad’s wisdom is especially
powerful and because I want them to know that True knowledge or wisdom actually
must be rooted in the vulnerability of the teacher and the learner. It is the
same with the Love God has for us (I don’t say this to my students yet; they
are still just trying to imagine me as a kid). The fullness of God’s Love for
us is not found in a list of dos and don’ts. The fullness of His knowledge that
He wants to share with us is not found in a speech He gives us… the knowledge
He desires to give is found in His vulnerability to us.
(Falling asleep with his stick)
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