sussidio January 2018

   EDUCATION: A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

The FORMATOR

From the WORD of GOD

Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples.9 And suddenly, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings,’ he said. And the women came up to him and, clasping his feet, they did him homage.10 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; there they will see me.’
16Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them.17When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated.18Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'(Mt 28: 8-10.16-20)

From the DOCUMENTS of the CHURCH
We all have at heart the good of the people we love, especially our children, adolescents and young people… Educating, however, has never been an easy task and today seems to be becoming ever more difficult. Hence, there is talk of a great “educational emergency”. Thus today, the request for an education which is truly such is in fact increasing. Parents (and) a great many teachers are asking for it; society overall is asking for it; children and young people themselves are also asking for it in their inmost being…It might be useful to identify several common requirements of an authentic education. It needs first of all that closeness and trust which are born from love. Yet every true teacher knows that if he is to educate he must give a part of himself, and that it is only in this way that he can help his pupils overcome selfishness and become in their turn capable of authentic love. The educational relationship, however, is first of all the encounter of two kinds of freedom, and successful educa-
tion means teaching the correct use of freedom. We must there-
fore accept the risk of freedom and be constantly attentive. Education cannot, therefore, dispense with that authoritativeness which makes the exercise of authority possible. It is the fruit of experience and competence, but is acquired above all with the coherence of one’s own life and personal involvement, an expression of true love. The educator is thus a witness of truth and goodness. From these simple observations it becomes clear that in education a sense of responsibility is crucial: the responsibility of the educator, but also, as he grows up, the responsibility of the child, the student, the young person who enters the world of work. Responsibility is in the first place personal, but there is also a responsibility which we share as citizens, as members of the human family and, if we are believers, as children of the one God and members of the Church. Society is not an abstraction; in the end we are ourselves all together, although the roles and responsibilities of each person are different. Thus, the contribution of each one of us, of each person, family or social group, is necessary if society is to become a more favourable context for education.
The soul of education, as of the whole of life, can only be a dependable hope. Today, our hope is threatened. I cannot finish this Letter, therefore, without a warm invitation to place our hope in God. Hope that is addressed to God is never hope for oneself alone, it is always also hope for others; it does not isolate us but renders us supportive in goodness and encourages us to educate one another in truth and in love.
(Letter of Benedict XVI to the Faithful of the Diocese and City of Rome on the urgent task of educating young people, 21 January 2008))

From the WRITINGS of Blessed A. ROSMINI
Anyone who teaches young people must be firmly persuaded that to induce them to be good, and to have a useful and effective influence on their souls, there is only one simple means: and that is the truth in the fullest sense of the word. I mean truth both in its natural and imperfect form, and truth in its supernatural and perfect form. This latter is the grace of Christ, which works secretly in them, and from which alone can come the salvation, the interior virtue and the happiness of man. Our Lord as God is the Truth itself; and as man he is the great and sole Teacher — and therefore the model of all teachers. So let us look closely at him: our way of teaching must have in it nothing affected, nothing over-refined or artificial; rather, we must give an exposition that is clear, brief, profound, serious, and expressed in familiar images and symbols, such as are necessary when dealing with those who are not yet mature. I said that moral truth has to be explained coherently. This is because there must be consistency between what is said and what is done. The boy must be able to see the truth in the words of his teacher, but also in his face and in his life. So too there must be consistency both in what the teacher says at various times and between his teaching and that of others. Hence different things must not be taught at different times of the day; nor must everyday circumstances give rise to maxims that contradict what was said in school.
(To Don Paolo Orsi, at Rovereto, Rho, 6 May 1836, AL. Vol.II ,
let. 181, p.229-230, translated and edited by John Morris IC.)

LET US PRAY

My people, listen to my teaching, pay attention to what I say.
What we have heard and know, what our ancestors
have told us, we shall not conceal from their descendants,
but will tell to a generation still to come: the praises
of Yahweh, his power, the wonderful deeds he has done…
They should be sure to tell their own children,
and should put their trust in God, never forgetting God’s great deeds, always keeping his commands. (Ps.78)

PASTORAL YEAR 2017 – 2018 ; ON-GOING FORMATION
INSTITUTE OF CHARITY
ROSMINIAN SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE

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