The Theo-drama

Bishop Robert Barron publishes Gospel Reflections each day that are available on your smart phone.  I think if you type in his name or "Word on Fire" they will probably appear.  Today's reflection concerns Mary's haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth after hearing the message of the angel.  According to Barron, Mary went with haste because she had discovered her role in the "theo-drama," or the great story told by God.

Everywhere in our culture, Barron says, we find the "ego-drama," the play that I'm writing, I'm producing, I'm directing, and I'm starring in.  I become the person I choose to be.  Indeed, his words remind me of those often told to young people:  You can be anything you want to be.  But according to Barron, what makes life thrilling is to discover our role in the "theo-drama," in God's great drama of salvation.  Once we discover our place in His play, our lives are energized and filled with excitement.

I remember the feeling I had when I first went to Delgado Community College to teach part-time:  This is where I'm supposed to be, I thought.  This is what my life is all about -- helping these students succeed.  For a good many of them had experienced little or no success; they hardly knew what to expect from higher education.  And they certainly could not have known how their lives would change as a result of succeeding in college.  I had found my mission, and I was willing to do anything within my power to fulfill it.

Mina Shaughnessy, who taught at City College of New York, wrote extensively on the problems encountered by those who teach developmental education -- or sort of "pre-college" courses.  She said that the teacher of these students would experience heights of exaltation and depths of discouragement hardly guessed at by other teachers.  And she was right.  We were in a struggle for their very lives.

I remember one class especially in the first year I taught.  The first week of class, I took the students to the library -- just so they could experience and get the feel of being in the library.  I asked them to walk around and find a book they thought was interesting, to bring me the book and talk with me about their reasons for choosing this book.  I thought this might be a way for me to get to know my students the first week.  Their homework was to write about their experience of being in the library.

One young woman wrote that for the first time she realized that she could sometimes take her 5-year-old to the library instead of to the playground.  I was stunned to read her words, and upon reflection, realized that even if she dropped out of college, the next three generations may have been affected by her one visit to the library.

I love Bishop Barron's explanation of the "theo-drama."  Maybe if we could teach children to seek God's plan for their lives instead of writing their own play, we could also change the next three generations.