Long ago, inside the sturdy walls of Catholic High School (CHS) in Tidewater, English classes were so meaningful that years later, I became an English teacher. While at CHS, I studied with the best of teachers, growing stronger every year. When I look back, I think about what those dedicated teachers had in common. The answer is faith.
From the first book that we cracked open as a class, “Lord of the Flies,” to the halfway point, Dante’s “Inferno,” to the last benchmark, “Taming of the Shrew,” I was taught that we were not just reading words. We were not just picking out parts of a plot or analyzing character traits or taking political sides in free-thinking platforms. We were all on a journey to deepen our faith in Christ.
CHS was one place where teachers of faith could implement this approach and, in my experience, the opportunity changed the way I look at everything. Years later, the same mission instilled in me holds true: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). The biblical reference hangs in my classroom next to my desk. It shines for every student who enters my room as a reminder that we are given a gift to seek Christ in all things, including literature.
Literature is a gateway to spiritual constructs. When we look for them, we can see biblical patterns and references in every piece. Whenever my students open a book, it is like opening a pathway to the Lord where we seek meanings that collectively call us. As we journey through stories, we pinpoint religious objects, hunt for faith-based ideas, compare events to possible representations of sacramental grace, holy messages and much more!
Like my teachers, who were deeply committed to this type of training, the amazing outcomes generate a level of understanding that is spiritual and academic. This immersion ignites readers’ thinking about their faith, maximizing a total, holistic challenge. The things we read have lasting messages that we can take with us throughout our lives.
Reading for meaning means diving deeper into what the soul hears beyond the words. When I work with my students, I understand that I, too, am uncovering messages I may not have heard. Every time I open a piece of literature, whether I have read it before or not, the Lord refreshes me. He opens doors to new perspectives. Because I want to read with him at the pinnacle, he allows his wisdom to wash over me. And then I understand: Words are three-dimensional and multi-faceted. The transferable meanings light the way like diamonds in the dark.
Seeking the Sacred
I often tell my students that the hero’s journey is the act of facing a giant where the impossible becomes possible; where redemption can lead to transformation; where adversity, sin and suffering can lead to hope, love and honor; where even tragedies can make sense. By associating a secular work with our faith, we drive the human experience with God at our wheel. We visit parables, psalms, proverbs and many other biblical passages.
We make pitstops in the houses of David, Noah and Job. Then we marvel around the Gospels, seeking Jesus’ words. This gives reading a new level of symbolic meaning, archetypal understanding and universal growth. It is a way of bringing us together not only as a class, but as a people of God, strengthening our own heroic journeys. This is important because reading this way is not just for a classroom, but it simply crosses every boundary there is.
The reading experience is a powerful one, but to seek out sacred meanings within multiple texts stretches it higher. This approach makes reading a prayerful journey where we begin to understand universal complexities and symbols that are rooted in faith.
These associations create transferable meanings that move beyond facts or baseline elements for literature studies. They essentially catapult the learning experience to a more conceptual level where problem-solving and deeper thought — relatable and practical in daily living — must occur. Catholic schools are a landmark for helping learners build their spiritual journeys with Christ. As my teachers did, I recognize that gift. Hands down, it is something to celebrate!
In spring 2022, Jay McTighe, an educator, author and consultant, asked diocesan teachers an important question at our annual teacher’s meeting: “What is worth learning deeply?”
I would say our faith. In this secular world, looking for faith in the words that we read builds bigger ideas with much deeper transfers. Looking for faith in words that we read means knowing our faith even more. This is where the truest and the deepest form of transferable information is sparked, and it is everywhere! We just need to want to find it.
This type of immersion has the potential to break barriers and cross multiple subjects, behaviors, thoughts and actions with the promise of God at its forefront. Therefore, when we read, we know that we walk with Christ so that we may find a more powerful learning experience that not only moves the mind, but moves the soul, too.
Jennifer Holmes-Avis teaches middle school language arts at St. Matthew School, Virginia Beach.