January 17, 2012
Benedict’s Corner is a weekly summary of our Holy Father’s latest words on topics related to HLI America’s mission.
Whether it was Pope Benedict’s intention or his docility to the Holy Spirit, I don’t believe there could have been a more masterful transition from the Christmas Season into Ordinary Time than to offer a reflection on childhood, both physical and spiritual, and on parenting. And his insights into parenting are very down-to-earth. Take, for instance, this excerpt from the Holy Father’s Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord:
Parents must give much, but in order to give they need in turn to receive, otherwise they are drained, they dry up. Parents are not the spring, just as we priests are not the spring. Rather, we are like channels through which the life-giving sap of God’s love must flow. If we cut ourselves off from his spring, we ourselves are the first to feel the negative effects and are no longer able to educate others.
In other words, beware burn-out! There is a lot of realism in this type of reflection: the realism of accepting one’s limitations, the simplicity of recognizing that taking care of oneself in order to properly take care of those in our charge is not selfish, but actually quite sensible and loving. Of course, Pope Benedict did not go into the details of how to go about this. The way in which one family and one set of parents attends to their proper balance might be entirely different from the way in which another family does it.
And as you may have guessed, embedded in this very practical message to parents is the theme so dear to our Pontiff’s heart: the education of the young. It bears clarifying that when Pope Benedict speaks of “education” he is implying the integral formation of the whole person, not just the accumulation of facts and information that is sometimes understood by the term. I’m sure the Holy Father is very solicitous that the young learn math and geography and proper grammar, but he also wants to see them flourish as people and ultimately learn that which distinguishes a human person from the animals and the rest of the created order – what it means to love. For this sort of education, one needs the guidance of Love Himself.
It is very important for you parents, and also for the godparents, to believe strongly in the presence and in the action of the Holy Spirit, to invoke him and to welcome him within you, through prayer and through the sacraments. It is he, in fact, who illumines the mind and warms the heart of the educator so that he or she can pass on the knowledge and love of Jesus. Prayer is the first condition for teaching because by praying we prepare ourselves to leave the initiative to God, to entrust children to him, who knows them before and better than we, and who knows perfectly what their true good is. And at the same time, when we pray we listen to God’s inspiration in order to do our part well, which in any case is our duty and which we are bound to do. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance, enable us to carry out our educational action in union with Christ, in communion with him and continuously renewed by his forgiveness. Prayer and the sacraments obtain for us that light of truth thanks to which we are able to be at once tender and strong, gentle and firm, silent and communicative at the right time, admonishing and correcting in the right way.
As a final point, I want to highlight a fleeting remark by the Pope that, as usual with him, was absolutely packed with deeper meaning. He noted that the best teachers (still addressing parents, since parents are the primary educators of their children) point beyond themselves.
The true teacher does not bind people to himself, he is not possessive. He wants his son or daughter, or disciple, to learn to know the truth and to establish a personal relationship with it. The educator does his duty fully, he assures his attentive and faithful presence because his objective is that the person being educated listen to the voice of truth speaking to his heart and follow it on a personal journey.
This last brief remark could be fodder for so much reflection by those of us who have charge of others. Do I myself have this level of detachment in my own personal life that I am willing to follow the voice of truth wherever it leads me, even if this spells sacrifice and is uncomfortable in some way? Am I truly detached from my children in the sense that I want them to follow the voice of truth in their lives, even if this voice takes them down a path I would not have chosen for them?
It’s not easy to live with one’s heart focused on things above (Col 3:1), especially in a culture that is constantly inviting us to just focus on “my way” and that which is most convenient. But as the Holy Father reminded us last week, the best teachers are witnesses. As the saying that is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi goes, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and use words when necessary.”
Melanie Baker is a Contributing Writer of HLI America, an educational initiative of Human Life International. She writes for the Truth and Charity Forum.
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Pope Benedict is truly great. Just not as great as the late Pope Jean-Paul II who has truly rfoermed the catholique and kept an open mind to diversity.