Tag: Jesuit

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How YouTube Can Increase Students’ Awareness of God

YouTube LogoA while back I wrote a post about using YouTube videos in the Catholic classroom. Here’s one of my favorite YouTube videos to use at the beginning of the school year to help students be more aware of God’s presence. It can also be used in faculty meetings to help remind teachers to look for the ways God works in their school day. If you teach in a Jesuit school, it might be a good video to use when teaching the examen.

I’ve written a few points for discussion but watch the video closely yourself first to avoid spoilers.

For Meditation/Discussion:

  • God is always present in our lives, but we often fail to see him. We get caught up in the details, the busyness, the distractions of our day-to-day lives–in other words, we get so busy counting the passes that we miss the moonwalking bear. God is the moonwalking bear, and when we notice him, we can’t help but break into a smile.
  • When was the last time you noticed a “moonwalking bear” in your own life? What was it?
  • What are you so focused on that you miss the moonwalking bear?
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Catholic Book Group Reading de Caussade for Lent

Abandonment to Divine Providence“Today God still speaks to us as he used to speak to our ancestors at a time when there were neither spiritual directors nor any systems of spirituality. To be faithful to the designs of God then comprised the whole of one’s spiritual life. Religious devotion had not become a science crammed with precepts and detailed instructions” – Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence, translated by John Beever

Spiritual reading is one of the most powerful and oft-recommended Lenten practices. This year, you might consider reading de Caussade’s Abandonment to Divine Providence. Here’s why:

  • It’s an acknowledged classic of spirituality, providing fruitful material for mediation for hundreds of years.
  • de Caussade’s simple message is an effective antidote for a world that tends to complicate things unnecessarily.
  • At 119 pages, the book is a perfect length for the forty days of Lent; 54 short chapters make it easy to divide into daily passages for contemplation.
  • For teachers, its message can profoundly affect the way we approach our students and our teaching, leading to a deep inner peace.

I count Abandonment to Divine Providence as one of the most influential books I’ve ever read, and have gotten into the habit of reading it each year during Lent. As a member of the Catholic Readers group on Goodreads, I’m very glad that they have chosen it as their Lenten book. If you’re looking for some profoundly inspirational spiritual reading this Lenten season, look no further than this classic by Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade.

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Essential Podcasts for Catholic Educators – Pray As You Go

This is the first in a series of podcast reviews and suggestions for those who teach in Catholic schools or religious education programs. Podcasts can be a powerful tool for educators, both in the classroom and for personal and professional development. Now on to our first review, Pray As You Go, Daily Prayer for Your MP3 Prayer: Continue reading “Essential Podcasts for Catholic Educators – Pray As You Go”