Notes

1

Gravissimum Educationis, n. 8.

2

March 19, 1977.

3

October 15, 1982.

4

From Vatican Council II: Declaration on Christian Education Gravissimum Educationis; Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium; Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes; Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum; Constitution on the Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium; Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem; Decree on Missionary Activity Ad Gentes Divinitus; Declaration on Non-Christian Religions Nostra Aetate; Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio; Declaration on Religious Liberty Dignitatis Humanae. From Paul VI, the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi of December 8, 1975. From John Paul II, the Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae of October 16, 1979; in addition, a number of his talks given to educators and to young people will be cited below. From the Congregation for Clergy, the Directorium Catechisticum Generale of April 11, 1971. All of these documents will be cited by their Latin titles in the notes which follow. In a few places, pastoral letters of bishops will be quoted.

5

Note that the Congregation has also published Educational Guidance in Human Love: Outlines for Sex Education, November 1, 1983. This theme, therefore, will receive only brief and passing mention in the present document.

6

Gravissimum Educationis, n. 9: "It is clear that the Church has a deep respect for those Catholic schools, especially in countries where the Church is young, which have large numbers of students who are not Catholics."

7

Cf. Dignitatis Humanae, nn. 2, 9, 10, 12 et passim.

8

C.I.C., canon 748 _ 2: "Homines ad amplectendam fidem catholicam contra ipsorum conscientiam per coactionem adducere nemini umquam fas est."

9

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, nn. 4-10.

10

Ibid., n. 7: "The change of mentality and of structures often call into question traditional values, especially among the young...."

11

Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 20.

12

Cf. the Annuario Statistico della Chiesa published by the Central Statistical Office of the Church, an office within the Secretariat of State for Vatican City. By way of example, on December 31, 1985, there were 154,126 Catholic schools with 38,243,304 students.

13

Cf. 1 Cor 12:31.

14

Various aspects of the religious attitudes of young people developed in this section have been the object of recent statements of the Holy Father. A handy compilation of these numerous talks can be found in a book edited by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, The Holy Father Speaks to Youth: 1980-1985. The book is published in several languages.

15

Cf. Gravissimum Educationis, n. 8. For the gospel spirit of love and freedom, cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 38: "[The Lord Jesus] reveals to us that God is love (l Jn 4:8), and at the same time teaches us that the fundamental rule for human perfection, and therefore also for the transformation of the world, is the new commandment of love." See also 2 Cor 3:17: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom."

16

This question was treated in The Catholic School, nn. 81-82.

17

Mt 28:20.

18

n. 6.

19

Cf. the address of John Paul II to the parents, teachers and students from the Catholic schools of the Italian Province of Lazio, March 9, 1985, Insegnamenti, VIII/1, p. 620.

20

Address of John Paul II to the bishops of Lombardy, Italy, on the occasion of their "Ad limina" visit, January 15, 1982, Insegnamenti, V/1, 1982, p. 105.

21

Insegnamenti, VIII/1, pp. 618f.

22

Mt 25:40: "For indeed I tell you, as often as you have done these things to one of these least of my brothers, you have done it to me."

23

Cf. Perfectae Caritatis, n. 8: "There are in the Church a great number of institutes, clerical or lay, dedicated to various aspects of the apostolate, which have different gifts according to the grace that has been given to each: 'some exercise a ministry of service; some teach' (cf. Rom 12:5-8)." Also see Ad Gentes Divinitus, n. 40.

24

Summa Theol. II-II, q. 186, a. 1: "By antonomasis those are called 'religious' who dedicate themselves to the service of God as if they were offering themselves as a holocaust to the Lord."

25

Ibid.,ca. 2.

26

Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to the Faith.

27

The norms of the Church in this respect are to be found in canons 800-803 of the Code of Canon Law.

28

Cf. the address of Pope Paul VI to the National Congress of Diocesan Directors of the Teachers' Organizations of Catholic Action, Insegnamenti, I, 1963, p. 594.

29

Cf. Gravissimum Educationis, n. 3.

30

Gravissimum Educationis, n. 8.

31

A number of recent documents from national Episcopal Conferences and from individual local ordinaries have had the Catholic school as their theme. These documents should be known and put into practice.

32

See, for example, the Resolution of the European Parliament on freedom of education in the European Community, approved by a large majority on March 14, 1984.

33

Cf. Mk 6:3; Acts 10:38. Useful applications of the ethics of work to the work done in school can be found in the September 14, 1981 Encyclical Laborem Exercens of John Paul II, especially in Part Five.

34

Gen 3:19: "By the sweat on your face shall you get bread to eat."

35

Lk 9:23: "...let him take up his cross each day."

36

Gravissimum Educationis, n. 8: among the elements characteristic of the Catholic school, there is that of "developing the relationship between human culture and the message of salvation, so that the knowledge of the world, of life and of the human person which the students are gradually acquiring is illuminated by faith."

37

For a description of culture and of the relationship between culture and faith, see Gaudium et Spes, nn. 54ff.

38

Cf. Denz.-Schon. 3016-3017 for the traditional doctrine on the rapport between reason and faith, as defined by Vatican Council I.

39

Cf. the address of Pope John Paul II to the teachers and students of Catholic schools in Melbourne, Australia, on the occasion of his pastoral journey to East Asia and Oceania: Insegnamenti, November 28, 1986; IX/2, 1986, pp. 1710ff.

40

Cf. n. 8.

41

Cf. nn. 53-62.

42

Pope John Paul II, speaking at the National Congress of Catholic Cultural Organizations: Insegnamenti, V/l, 1982, p. 131. See also John Paul II, Epistula qua Pontificium Consilium pro Hominum Cultura Instituitur: AAS 74 (1982), p. 685.

43

Wis 13:5: "Through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures we may, by analogy, contemplate their Author." Ps 18 (19):2ff.: "The heavens tell of the glory of God...."

44

Cf. Mt 25:14-30.

45

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, nn. 12, 14, 17, 22.

46

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 10.

47

Cf. Denz.-Schon. 3004 for the ability to know God through human reason, and 3005 for the ability to know other truths.

48

1 Thes 5:21: "Examine all things, hold on to what is good." Phil 4:8: "Everything that is true, noble, or just...let all this be the object of your thoughts."

49

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 61, on the need to hold on to certain fundamental concepts.

50

Ibid., n. 44: "At the same time there should be a vital exchange between the Church and the diverse cultures of peoples."

51

Cf. Dei Verbum, n. 2.

52

Cf. Blaise Pascal, Pensees, fr. 397.

53

Gaudium et Spes, n. 37: "The whole of human history is permeated with the gigantic struggle against the powers of darkness."

54

Invaluable material for presenting the divine history of salvation can be found in Lumen Gentium and Dei Verbum.

55

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 62.

56

Cf. St. Augustine, De Libero Arbitrio, II, 16, 42. PL 32, 1264. St. Thomas, Contra Gentiles, IV, 42.

57

Cf. Gravissimum Educationis, nn. 1-2.

58

Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 18: "For the Church to evangelize is to bring the Good News to all aspects of humanity and, through its influence, to transform it from within, making humanity itself into something new."

59

Ibid., n. 44: "The effort to evangelize will bring great profit, through catechetical instruction given at church, in schools wherever this is possible, and always within the Christian family."

60

Catechesi Tradendae, n. 69.

61

Cf. the address of Paul VI at the Wednesday audience of May 31, 1967, Insegnamenti, V, 1967, p. 788.

62

Address of John Paul II to the priests of the diocese of Rome, March S, 1981, Insegnamenti, IV/1, pp. 629f.

63

Cf. Mt 3:1-3 on the mission of the Precursor.

64

Cf. Jn 17:9, the prayer of the Lord for those entrusted to him.

65

Apart from strictly local concerns, these questions are generally the ones treated in university "apologetics" manuals, and are about the preambles to the faith." But the questions acquire a specific nuance for today's students, because of the material they are studying and the world they are living in. Typical questions have to do with atheism, non-Christian religions, divisions among Christians, events in the life of the Church, the violence and injustice of supposedly Christian nations, etc.

66

Revelation, Scripture, Tradition and Christology are themes developed in Dei Verbum, Lumen Gentium, and Gaudium et Spes. Study of the gospels should be extended to include a study of these documents.

67

Mt 16:16.

68

Concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the pilgrim Church, cf. the Encyclical Redemptoris Mater of Pope John Paul II, n. 39.

69

Mt 11:28.

70

Cf. Denz.-Schon. 2854: one cannot speak about God in the same way that one speaks about the objects of human knowledge.

71

Jn 14:9.

72

Cf. Lk 12:24-28; Jn 3:16f.

73

Cf. Jn 16:13.

74

Cf. Jn 3:16f.

75

Jn 15:13.

76

From the point of view of Christian anthropology it is essential that the history of salvation presented in Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes be a part of what is studied in class.

77

Important and valuable material for teaching about the Church can be found in Lumen Gentium.

78

Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 7: "Christ is present in the sacraments with his own authority, so that when one baptizes it is Christ himself who baptizes...."

79

Jn 1:16.

80

The content and the methods for teaching about the sacraments can be enriched through studying parts of Lumen Gentium and Sacrosanctum Concilium.

81

Jn 11:25-27.

82

Cf. Lk 16:19-31.

83

Cf. Mt 25:31-46.

84

Cf. Ibid., 25:40.

85

Cf. Lumen Gentium, chapter VII on the eschatological nature of the pilgrim Church and its union with the heavenly Church.

86

Cf. Eph 1:1-14 and Col 1:13-20 for doxologies which witness to the faith of the early communities. Acts 10 speaks of evangelization, conversion, faith and the gift of the Spirit in the house of the Roman official Cornelius. Acts 20:7-12 describes evangelization and the Eucharist in a house at Troas.

87

1 Jn 4:10: "It is not we who have loved God, but God who first loved us...."

88

Cf. Mt l5:19f.

89

Cf. the document of the Congregation for Catholic Education already referred to-Educational Guidance in Human Love: Outlines for Sex Education.

90

Jn 15:12.

91

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, nn. 63-66 and related applications.

92

Cf. Gen 1:27f.

93

Again cf. Mt l5:19f.

94

Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 93.

95

Students should become aware of at least some of the Church's major social documents.

96

Lk 2: 10: "I bring you news of great joy...."

97

Lk 22:53: "But this is your hour; this is the reign of darkness." Evidence of this is easily found in various abuses, acts of injustice, attacks on freedom, the overwhelming weight of misery that leads to sickness, decline and death, the scandalous inequality between rich and poor, the lack of any equity or sense of solidarity in international relations. (Cf. Some Aspects of the "Theology of Liberation," published August 6, 1984, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Introduction and Part I.)

98

Jn 8:7: "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone...."

99

Cf. Lk 8:4-15.

100

Cf. Eph 6:10-17, a characteristically vigorous Pauline description.

101

Cf. the Introduction to Some Aspects of the "Theology of Liberation" published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

102

Mt 5;48. "You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."

103

Lumen Gentium, n. 42: "All the faithful are invited and called to holiness and to perfection within their own state of life."

104

Ibid., n. 39: "This holiness of the Church...is expressed in various forms according to each individual, who in their lives and their activities join perfection to love."

105

Some aspects of this are treated in the documents already referred to: The Catholic School, nn. 78-80; Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to the Faith, especially nn. 56-59. What is said there does not apply only to the lay teachers.

106

Gravissimum Educationis, n. 1: "Children and young people should be assisted in the harmonious development of their physical, moral and intellectual gifts.... They should be helped to acquire gradually a more mature sense of responsibility...."

107

Ibid., n. 2.

108

Ibid., n. 8.

109

Cf. Mt 5:48.

110

Lk 2:40: "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him." Lk 2:52: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with men."

111

Cf. once again Gravissimum Educationis, nn. 1-2.