A Student For Good And For God!

Once I wondered why the Catholic Church was into the field of education. Particularly, I am referring to establishing educational institutions like college, universities, and parochial schools. Today, all over the world, there are numerous educational institutions that are being ran by either Catholic religious congregations or by parishes. In the secular world, these Catholic educational institutions are known to give high quality education. They also provide good if not the best services available for their students; professors, facilities, buildings, books, laboratories, etc. They are the main reasons why they also charge a substantial amount of school fees. Catholic institutions are best known for skyrocket tuition and miscellaneous fees. The poor would have little chance of landing in a Catholic institution unless, maybe, because of a scholarship grant.

So, why is the Catholic Church into education? I believe it can be traced back to the medieval times when the Church, through religious priests, were at the of service of the royalty and were regularly relating with the rich and powerful at the time. The religious priests were considered with respect not only because of their status as men and women of God but also because they belong to the few learned kind. They saw the opportunity of influencing these leaders through their children, the future heir to the throne, the riches, and the powers of their elders. By offering them the best education, they can also integrate faith in the process. The ultimate goal is to have graduates who are not only intelligent and excellent in their field, but men and women of faith. They sought to relate everything to faith. They hoped that when these students finally assume the leadership and positions whom their elders occupy, they would be men and women leaders in faith! Thus, Catholic educational institutions were really intended to produce disciples of the faith. With them holding the key and powerful positions, propagation of the faith will be better if not easier. (However, once I was asked by friend about what is happening now to our Catholic education? Why is it that in spite of the Catholic education of many of our professionals who were graduates of prestigious schools like Ateneo, De La Salle, Assumption, UST, and UA&P, to name a few, corruption, deception, dishonesty, and illegalities still exists, and at a grand level at that! Much more, many of our government officials were graduates of respected Catholic schools and yet, un-Christian behaviors proliferate! Good question! I was caught flat-footed! I could not find a satisfactory answer.)

Last Sunday, we integrated the rite praying for a good school year for the students with the feast of the Blessed Trinity. The Trinity, being a community of love, is the best guide and protection for the students who will be facing a lot of challenges during the school year. We decided to do the rite for the sake of the students. They need a lot of prayers so that they will be protected and freed from the tentacles of drugs, lasciviousness, dishonesty, violence, diseases, abuses, accidents, and many more. We prayed that they will be focused in their studies and not be affected by the many distractions present around them.

In that celebration, I took the opportunity to remind both parents and students the real goal of education. Education, while it aims to acquire knowledge, has a very virtuous and serious goal. Having great knowledge provides one an opportunity to gain power, fame, and eventually, riches. For some, these are the main or ultimate goals of knowledge gained from education. But, as far as our faith is concerned, it goes beyond material or temporal gains. Its ultimate goal should be salvation. Whatever is learned should always be used for the greater glory of God. Education should lead to salvation. Education should not only make one rich, powerful, or famous, but more importantly, holy! Yes, holy! Unfortunately, to many, the word or the state of being holy is not achievable or close to being impossible, as if, Saints were created or made perfect from birth! Much more, that Saints were exceptional human beings. Actually they were not! They were just the same as all of us, until they attained the that distinct calling from God to turn away from sin and follow Him. Holiness, in other words, is a decision we make, not a hocus focus of God. We can be holy if we want to be holy. In the same way, we can be evil if we want to be evil!

I further pointed out in that celebration that parents should help their children realize this purpose. Parents should not be obsessed with just making their children get rich, famous, and powerful. The best result they could have for children is to be men and women of faith. They should be Christian doctors, Christian lawyers, Christian accountants, Christian teachers, etc. The stress is in the adjective Christian! This is God's expectation of their children and of them as parents. Other achievements fall below this main purpose. The Lord Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul!" For what is the best education if the educated will not use it for God's greater glory? Education, if use in accordance with God's Holy Will, is a gift and a blessing! But used against God, it is a gift that becomes a curse. The anticipated majestic and blissful climax hopefully will not be twisted to end in a tragedy! 

(As a little note, I pray that students will study to learn and not just for the grades!)