Reflections on the  DNA of Communion

With love being the Church’s DNA, there are many different ways to love, and everyone can live this out in their own way. The bishop discussed four characteristics of God’s love. Of these four ways, I have found myself loving my students where they are at in their academics and personal lives.

Many of my students struggle academically, and I am constantly reminded of the image of Jesus, leaving the 99 sheep to look for the last one. He leaves no one behind. In the same way, I have tried to reach each of my students where they are to help them grow into their role as children of God.

Just as Jesus calls us by name, I also try to call my students by name and show them that I want to get to know them on a personal level. Dale Carnegie, a famous author, writes in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. He notes that a person’s name is to that person the most beautiful sound in any language. With this in mind, I call my students by name when they enter and leave my class, ask questions, or have just had fun. I can show them I care about their lives in and outside of the classroom. 

I want the best for them. I want my students to get to heaven. During my time as a student at Notre Dame, I spent a lot of my free time participating in and leading programs that helped others grow in their faith. I have always loved working with young people to help them grow closer to God.

In a Catholic school, opportunities to talk about the faith readily present themselves. For instance, the other day in my seventh-grade science class, we discussed famous Catholic scientists like Father Gregor Mendel, the founder of modern genetics and Father George Lemaitre, who fathered the big bang theory. I can share my love for the Church and hopefully instill in my students a sense of wonder for the Church’s beauty and the sacraments.

The best way to foster the love of the Gospel, especially teaching in a Catholic school, is by making sure that I do my best to model a virtuous life. My students naturally pick up on my involvement with the Church and my relationship with God. I know that I need to make sure that I foster my own prayer life and relationship with God to share this joy with my students and those around me.

After I teach for two years with the Alliance for Catholic Education, I plan to go to medical school. I wanted to spend two years teaching in a Catholic school to mature into a better physician for my future patients. Even after only three months of teaching, I know that my students challenge me to become the best version of myself every day. They are helping me become someone who can better love like Christ. 

Editor’s Note: After reflecting on Bishop Michael Mulvey’s pastoral letter, “I Am With You Always to the End of the Age,” John McCarthy, a first-year ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) teacher, shares his views on the section entitled, “The DNA of Communion.” McCarthy is from Spokane, WA. He graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in pre-professional science and theology and is presently teaching science for St. Anthony Catholic School in Robstown.