Yesterday was half day for AJC as we did well for our A Levels so we had this bonus treat from the top.
I found it strange to go home so early (like before 3pm) and so I decided to visit Fr Andrew to pass him the gifts which RCIY has bought.
We chatted for a long time (about 1.5 hours) with Auntie Josephine. And in the midst of our conversation, I blurted out that being a teacher is like a priest. That if I do not teach well, the students will gossip and say I am a poor teacher. Likewise, if the priest does not give a good homily, the parishoners will say that he is a poor preacher. And a teacher is like a priest because no matter what the odds are against you, you have to be strong and thick-skinned and to go on, teaching (preaching). It gets even harder when you want to try harder (the desire to improve) but your audience (the students/ parishoners) do not signal their support towards you.
There are many more examples I can state but I shan't cos I think these 2 examples are sufficient. A teacher is like a priest, is like a lamb. Can you imagine that everytime a teacher/priest faces his class/congregation, we are being judged, scrutinised, evaluated like Jesus, the lamb of God? It's like Jesus being presented to the crowd where the crowd demanded him to be crucified.
The next time a priest gives a poor homily, I will pray for him and will be more "forgiving" instead of striking him off. Cos I never know when a student will "strike me off".
The next time a priest gives a poor session, I will not shake my head in dismay but will learn to pick up the main points that he wants to bring across.
The next time my student fails to perform, I have to constantly encourage her/him.
The next time my students judge me, I have to be strong and say "I am human" too and I make mistakes but the difference between you and me is that I want to learn but you (my students) want to condemn.
I admire the priests. Cos it takes a lot, a lot of giving, humility and dedication to want to try and try again. To be our shepherds and wanting to give as much as they can, even though to us, humans, it may seem very little and insignificant.
