The Primacy of Teaching As an Act of Love

The identity of a teacher is often misperceived as an individual who simply conveys information, regurgitates concepts, and assesses a student's academic competency. In many ways, the entire educational process resembles an assembly line of concepts that aim to construct a functional student from a utilitarian perspective. The thought of guiding a student to utilize their intellect, will, faith, and reason from a Judeo-Christian perspective would, I argue, be viewed as a contradiction if the intention is to merely manufacture information rather than aid in the moral and spiritual development of the student.

The charism of teaching as a human discipline, if associated with the divine reality of the Holy Trinity, introduces the importance of developing an active faith life in Jesus Christ. From a Judeo-Christian anthropology, teaching as an act of love reflects the love between Christ and his disciples, whom he loved and taught. Jesus, the Divine Teacher, never wavered in revealing the Father’s love for his children. In the parables of the three Kingdoms, we encounter an example of teaching with love where Jesus demonstrates to the disciples the beauty and sanctification of what awaits us in heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then, in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[1]

Jesus’ descriptions of heaven as a treasure, a merchant, and a net convey how God, as a loving Father, never wavers in desiring to be with us and conveying his love for us. We encounter a demonstrative method from Jesus that addresses the human senses of the body, heart, and mind through the description of heaven as a treasure, merchant, and net. These examples express the nature of teaching as an act of love. The Catechism reminds us that,

The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope, or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.^[2]

Again, we are reminded that the entire law of the Gospel is contained in the new commandment of Jesus to love one another as he has loved us.[3] The Catechism teaches that the moral catechesis of the Apostles post-Sermon on the Mount reflects the necessity of presenting the virtues that flow from the faith in Christ and are animated by charity through the Holy Spirit.[4] In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminds us that the mark of a true Christian is for their love to be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another with brotherly affection, and outdo one another in showing honor.[5] These characteristics can easily be associated and attributed to the Catholic educator whose primary act is to love their students and demonstrate the act of love through all levels of academic learning.

In his work on St. Newman entitled, On Being Christian, the late Fr. Ian Kerr highlights Newman’s insistence that if we dare call ourselves Christian, we must live a life of holiness,

Let us strive and pray that the love of holiness may be created without our hearts; and then acts will follow, such as befit us and our circumstances, in due time, without our distressing ourselves to find what they should be. You need not attempt to draw any precise line between what is sinful and what is only allowable: look up to Christ, and deny yourselves everything, whatever its character, which you think He would have you relinquish. . . Learn to master your heart, when it would burst forth into vehemence, or prolong a barren sorrow, or dissolve into unseasonable tenderness. Curb your tongue, and turn away your eye, lest you fall into temptation. Avoid the dangerous air which relaxes you, and brace yourself upon the heights. Be up at prayer a great while before the day, and seek the true, your only Bridegroom, by night on your bed. So shall self-denial become natural to you, and a change come over you, gently and imperceptibly; and like Jacob, you will lie down in the waste, and will soon see Angels, and a way opened for you into heaven.[6]

The beauty of St. Newman’s description of holy living should emanate, I argue, for all Catholic teachers regardless of the academic discipline taught. Teaching is an act of holiness rooted in charity and revealed in virtuous living. The primacy of teaching is to present the transcendence of God as revealed through his Son, Jesus Christ. And if this is done, then those we teach should demand a deeper conversion of faith. St. Paul echoes this demand by reminding us that,

he will not venture to speak anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel. . .[7]

In conclusion, the primacy of teaching from the universal lens of the Catholic Church is to reveal the greatest act of love from the Son of God who ransomed his life for the salvation of humanity. When we teach out of love, we teach to make saints. For St. Newman, the virtue of love is the seed of holiness . . . it is the first element of holiness as faith is of religion. . . Faith can make a hero, but love makes a saint.[8]