The Catholic Leader - 12 November - Issue 5477

14 / 32

14
The Catholic Leader, November 12, 2017
Options
Catholic Leader
*
Vocations Talk
By Patrick Ransom
AT the end of next year I will be a teacher.
I began my studies years ago, and am looking forward to
finally finishing them off.
I was one of the (not) clever people that took the long way
’round – one year of study, two years deferred, then a couple of
semesters with a less-than-full study load.
During that time I worked in a bookshop, played hundreds or
thousands of hours of computer games, rediscovered my faith, be-
gan volunteering in different ministries, met a girl, got married, and
brought a baby into the world – time not wasted, I think.
While it has been frustrating at times seeing my peers already
well-established in their careers while I am still busy attending
classes and writing essays, the extra time it took has given me a
chance to really work out who I am, what I value, and the person
I want to be in my career and as a Catholic man.
My recent experience on practical teaching placement has
shown me the value of this experience.
Faith and experience can make a difference
By patrick ransom
Patrick Ransom is a
vocations officer for Vocation
Brisbane.
Sharing: “We didn’t speak at any deep philosophical level, but
at the end of the conversation I felt as though I had offered wis-
dom, which absolutely could not have come from my nineteen-
year-old, first-year-at-university self.”
I spent one month at my placement school.
It took about 30 seconds for a student to identify the type of
sneaker I was wearing (my Chinese ultra boosts, very comfy),
but almost four weeks for anyone to ask the classic “why do you
wear a ring on your left ring finger?”
The shocked disbelief at my answer suggested my Year 8s
were not used to guys in their early twenties making these types
of commitments.
My favourite follow-up question though was asked by one of
my Year 12 boys: “didn’t you think you were a bit young getting
married at 20?”
Shout out to the young married couples – you are a visible
example.
These conversations that start because of the metal I wear
around my finger are so valuable.
They’re a chance to preach the Gospel, or to share St John
Paul II’s Theology of the Body, or the Song of Solomon; without
necessarily using any of their words.
The follow-up questions days later about family, faith, com-
mitment told me that the students had been thinking about what
I had said.
My favourite conversation was with another Year 12 student.
With graduation and Schoolies on the horizon, the cohort was
as boisterous as one might expect; but one student seemed to be
having an existential crisis.
“God is s--t, sir,” he said, I presume to get a rise from me.
I wondered what prompted this.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“He doesn’t care about you, or anyone.
“All religions are stupid, they’re a waste of time.”
As we spoke, I found out that this outburst likely stemmed from a
tragedy that had recently impacted some of the school’s students.
What proceeded was a conversation about the Problem of Evil
– essentially, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
We didn’t speak at any deep philosophical level, but at the end
of the conversation I felt as though I had offered wisdom, which
absolutely could not have come from my 19-year-old, first-year-
at-university self.
I felt like my faith and experience had made a difference for
someone else.
At the end of next year I will be a teacher.
It has taken me much longer than I thought it would, but I
wouldn’t have it any other way.
My experiences, my knowledge, my relationship with Jesus
and my Catholic faith are all part of who I will be to my students
and co-workers.
While still ever impatient, I think I will have so much more to
offer because of these past years.
My experiences,
my knowledge, my
relationship with Jesus and
my Catholic faith are all part
of who I will be to my
students and co-workers.