The Theological or Meta-Anthropological Meaning of Education

If the very nature of God is relationship (Trinity) then the best way to encounter God is within the context of relationship here on Earth. This is most important in Catholic education in the relationships we have with our students. For many of them, they may never have a chance to experience the Love of God outside of the classroom or outside of our regular encounter with them. How important, then, is it for us to be in good relationship with God.

                But this is not simply relationship with other people. Everything that God creates and everything that is a result of His Creation possesses a sacramental nature. The Creator leaves His fingerprint, so to speak, on His Creation. Though we cannot know God directly by observation, we can certainly know of God through His creation. Just as I may have taught my students in an English class, we may never meet the poet, but we can certain come to know of her through her work. Relationship with the poem, then, becomes meaningful so long as we remember that our relationship with the poem leads us to knowledge of the poet, herself. The same is True with the self, the other, and nature as they are the Creation of God. We are called to be in a relationship with ourselves, with others, and with nature or creation. But to what end? Is it not so we can grow in relationship with the one who created us and them?

The Knock Basilica in Knock, Co. Mayo, Ireland. This statue of the Risen Christ and Sacred Heart of Jesus tells us that, while the earthy lessons of Love, Mercy, and Forgiveness taught by Jesus are invaluable to our pursuit of Justice and Equity on Earth, they mean nothing in eternity unless we know that our ultimate Truth is relationship with God. (photo P. Smith)

                I met with my colleagues the other day; the ones who teach the same course as I. It was a standard meeting where we assessed if we were all on the “same page”, as it were. Are we following the same unit objectives? Are we sharing common vocabulary with our students? Ultimately, are we working to provide equitable education for all our students, regardless of the teacher. The answer is a tenuous “yes” right now; we can never be certain unless we compare and contrast every lesson every day. We simply do not have the time for that. But I am compelled to remind my colleagues that the real reason for education is not the material facts or the material Truth of our curriculum, but the Ultimate Truth to which our curriculum points: we are made to be In relationship with God so that in that relationship, we discover that we are Loved. Why do we teach? Regardless of the subject, we do not teach simply so our students can have a relationship with the curriculum, the vocabulary, the skills, or even the objectives. We do not work in schools so our students can “know themselves”; what good is that unless we know our transcendent self? We do not even teach so our students can grow in relationship with others. Relationship with self, other, and nature/creation is vital in so much as it offers us a chance to encounter the fingerprint or accent of the one who Created it all. Our relationship with self, other, and nature will never fully satisfy our deepest longing for Love. But if we recall that there is one who Created all of this, and if we recall that the ultimate reason for education is to “draw out” (educare) from within the Truth of who we are made to be, then education takes on a theological or a meta-anthropological meaning. We are created in the image and likeness of God, and that image and likeness is Agape. It can be hard for teachers to hear it, but, at the end of the day, all the lessons and all the assessments we give them and all the success they have on their grade reports mean absolutely nothing if they do not encounter the Truth that they are Loved… if they do not encounter the Truth that God Loves them perfectly. I need to remind myself of this when I am teaching as much as anyone else.