Itinerary of Education to Faith
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Date
1996-02
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
In this essay I want to suggest another line of action that, I believe is
more in line with the need of the young people, more effective in the pastoral
activity, and more closer to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. 'The
first thing that is expected of all human education and true communication is
that they facilitate and stimulate interior activity in the recipients. ...the
pedagogy which requires an active response from the recipients is in accord
with the Christian life in general. For Christians respond actively to the gift of
God by prayer, by participation in the sacraments and the sacred liturgy, by
taking on tasks in the Church and civil life and by the practice of charity."I In the document to the lay catholics in schools we read: "An educative process
involves a methodology, whose principles and techniques form together a
consistent pedagogy. A variety of pedagogical theories exist; the choice of
the Catholic educator, based on a Christian concept of the human person,
should be the practice of a pedagogy which gives special emphasis to direct
and personal contact with the students. If the educator undertakes this
conlacl with lhe conviction that students have a fundamental active role in
their own education, this will lead to a dialogue which will pave the way for a
witness of faith offered by the teacher's personal lit a"2 The Emmaus event of the Gospel can be the flag of our educative
system. Let us consider the way the risen Christ approached and started to
walk with the two disciples: at first without a word, listening and
accompanying them as they were going. (They were moving away from
Jerusalem and this has a special meaning for Luke). Secondly, asking them
and letting them express all the knowledge, feelings, experiences they had
about the events of the previous days. Together with them Jesus in their
journey helped them to discover the truth. He moved them to accept God's
plan and to be enlightened with joy. The result of this educative process is the
metanoia. The disciples changed life and after having discovered the truth,
turned back to Jerusalem to bring the good news and become witness of
Jesus' resurrection.
This is what should happen in our educative process. The text of the
Emmaus event is a good insight in the style of education that I want to make
present in our work. To educate for me means, "to share lovingly in the growth
of individuals and in the building of their future".3 To opt for an educative
journey with the youth means to put into question first of all our ownselves as
—tors. It means to walk with them in a journey of growth, accepting to be
what we are with our own past experiences but with the openness to learn and change with them. By: "to educate" I understand there is a dynamic process:
those who don't want to start to journey, those who have no interest for the
adventure and tile curiosity of traveling with young people will not be able to
educate according to our own parameters.
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Keywords
Itinerary, Education to Faith, Educative Pastoral Plan