I have had a great love for education since at least high school. When teachers at Covington Latin asked me if I had any interest in being a priest, and there were several such teachers, I would always tell them that I wanted to be a teacher (and a baseball coach, which of course is a teacher of that most perfect art form). Some of the most formative experiences for me come from my two brief years as a teacher before entering seminary, and this week’s Gospel reminds me of perhaps the most impactful of them.
 
One of the distinct drawbacks of working withhigh s chool kids is not really knowing what they are taking in. They could be absorbing everything and yet still somehow look completely and utterly disengaged. Nothing better captures the essence of a Monday morning for me like looking out into a sea of blank stares and drooping eyelids. I learned as a teacher, and it has been a useful truth to understand even as a priest, that one must often be content with the understanding that while we work to plant seeds in the hearts of others, we do not often get to see them come to fruition.
 
There was one rare instance, however, that proved that someone was listening even while giving no indication of mental activity whatsoever. In the days when I was still on Facebook, I saw a former student of mine post a truly saddening news story about how an abortion activist group was hosting a “40 days for choice” campaign. In a mockery of the powerful “40 Days for Life” devotion which seeks to advocate for justice the unborn, this counter-protest group was offering daily reflections which supported abortion. The commentary supplied by that former student was something along the lines of “This reminds me of when Mr. McCullough taught us about how the devil cannot create anything, but can only take that which is good and pervert it to his purpose.” Even in the midst of such a dark culture, I was proud that something I had once said had stuck.
 
Those are the moments that remind teachers, priests, and in fact all disciples, of why we do what we do. As an aside, 40 Days for Life kicks off this Wednesday, and I invite you to participate and pray for an end to the greatest injustice of our lifetime.
 
I bring this up because of Jesus’ words about teachers and disciples in this week’s Gospel. Our Lord says that “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” Consciously or subconsciously, we take in that which is offered to us by teachers, witnesses, and the culture in which we live. It’s not a question of whether or not the things we hear day in and day out affect us, but to what degree we resist or give in to the influences with which we are surrounded.
 
We live in an age where more information is available to us than any other time in history. I have been distracted and pulled to about a dozen different websites just while writing this article, because the answers to the questions that pop into my head are accessible via the very machine on which I am composing this. We are inundated by influences at virtually every waking hour, whether or not we are cognizant of them. If Jesus’ words are true, then we are slowly becoming more and more like whatever, or whoever, we choose to listen.
 
As we prepare to enter into Lent, perhaps the most important thing we can do is step back and examine what has influence in our lives. If we immerse ourselves in television, social media, and the culture at large, we will slowly be
conformed to the values of this age. But that is not our purpose. We are called to sit at the feet of Jesus, our Great High Priest, to listen to His Word, and to consume His Body and Blood, so that we can be conformed to His Image. In this way, and only in this way, will we find the strength to be an Alter Christus, another Christ, for the world.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McCullough