Find your gift, then give it away: How lives are touched by sharing God’s presence

In her 38 years of teaching at Catholic schools in the archdiocese, Sally Meyer has always tried to share the gift of her faith and her gifts as a teacher with her students. Here, the sixth-grade teacher at St. Jude School in Indianapolis poses for a photo with two of her students, Macy Tilson, left, and Josephine Clark. (Submitted photo)

(Editor’s note: The Criterion has invited our readers to share a favorite Bible verse or a favorite quote that helps remind them of God’s presence in their lives and/or helps center them in their relationships with other people. Here is part three of their responses. See part two | See part four)
 

By John Shaughnessy

In her own way, Sally Meyer is trying to live out the wisdom of one of her favorite quotes—a quote that also represents all her fellow teachers in Catholic schools across the archdiocese.

The quote is from the renowned artist, Pablo Picasso: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

“I absolutely believe that I try to live out Picasso’s quote,” says Meyer, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Jude School in Indianapolis, where she has taught for 37 of her 38 years as an educator in the archdiocese. “There is a fine line in knowing what to do with God’s gift and not letting pride get in the way. But there’s no point in hiding or withholding the gift when it could be given to help someone else.

“I was lucky enough to feel a calling to teach. It’s sad to think some people can’t find their gift or don’t think they have one. Some days are much better than others, but, regardless, I still feel my purpose is to give the gift away.”

Similar to many Catholic school teachers, she views her profession as a way to share the gift of her faith with her students. After all, her life has been touched in many ways by her relationship with Jesus, a bond that’s represented in her favorite Bible verse, from Proverbs 3:5-6.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”

“This Bible passage symbolizes my journey with Christ,” says Meyer, a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis. “I have experienced significant endings and beginnings in my life—changes at work, broken friendships, the death of a loved one.

“This passage from Proverbs connects to a time when my mother was gravely ill and death was imminent. I wasn’t sure how to pray or what to pray for, but I felt God calling me to let go. This was a time at which I approached a threshold—a time when it was necessary to leave someone behind, and with trust, surrender to what was to come. I could not rely on my thoughts alone.

“With this event, and with so many others since then, I have learned that God will provide the way for me. My hope lies on this renewed path, straightened by God’s unending love for me.”

An uplifting touch of kindness

Sometimes, it’s our seemingly small acts of kindness that make such a big difference to people.

Barbara Davis of St. Paul Parish in Tell City experienced that truth when she went looking for a “get well” card for a neighbor who was in a nursing home after suffering a bad fall at home.

She knew she had the right one when she read her favorite Bible verse on the card, the verse from Isaiah 41:10—“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

“I could not wait to go see him and give it to him,” she recalls. “He opened it and was so taken with the verse that he placed it on his table for all to see.”

‘The key to life’s success’

The words that John “Jack” Fink has lived by are captured on a frame near his desk.

It’s a quote from Holy Cros Father Theodore Hesburgh, the late president of the University of Notre Dame:

“The key to life’s success is the ambition to do as much as you can, as well as you can, and for as long as you can, and do not despair over the things you cannot do.”

As the 91-year-old editor emeritus of The Criterion, Fink has had a storied career in Catholic journalism in more ways than one.

Through the years, he has traveled the world extensively, including in his former role as president of the International Federation of Catholic Press Associations.

He has also been non-stop in sharing his writings on the Catholic faith through his books, columns and editorials—and he continues to do so in a monthly column he writes for the Catholic Chapel newsletter at Marquette Manor in Indianapolis.

He continues to write and exercise as he deals with a number of health issues, including being blind in his right eye and requiring nightly dialysis because of kidney failure.

“Despite those things,” he notes, “I’m continuing to follow Father Ted’s advice.” †