The Church has long upheld education as central to its mission andidentity. The last instructions Jesus gave to his disciples were to “teach everything” that he had passed on to them (Matthew 28:20). In fact, “to instruct the ignorant” is one of the seven Spiritual Works of Mercy. The Church has also recognized 38 “Doctors,” or teachers, of the Church (withSt. John Henry Newman as the most recent).
There is also a long tradition of Catholicism inspiring great literature that includes fictional teachers who have instructed, challenged, and inspired readers. Here are three great teachers that uniquely show the beauty of education in Catholicism:
1. Abbé Faria —‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by Alexandre Dumas
Early in this epic tale of betrayal, survival, and revenge, our hero Edmond Dantés sits in prison for a crime he did not commit. As Dantés nearly despairs, he discovers Abbé Faria, a fellow prisoner, slowly digging an escape tunnel. Wrongly imprisoned himself, Faria convinces the guards that he has gone crazy to avoid suspicion of his escape. Faria gives Dantés hope as they work together to flee. Faria teaches Dantés “mathematics, physics, [and] history” as well as “three or four” languages, preparing Edmond for his life after prison. Dantés uses this wealth of knowledge to become the mysterious “Count of Monte Cristo” for the rest of the story.
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Abbé Faria shows the re-creation that education brings about. After a year under Faria’s tutelage, Dantés becomes a “new man.” Faria gave Dantés hope beyond the prospect of escape — with the potential to thrive after. This lesson becomes even more poignant when we learn that Faria’s declining health will not allow him to escape, which makes his service to Dantés’ education powerful in its sacrifice.
This illustrates that teaching is a sacrifice of love for one’s students, as teachers often do not see the results of their work. St. Paul alludes to this idea when describing himself as planting the seed or laying a foundation (1 Cor. 3:5-14). The Catechism of the Catholic Church similarly ties together the strength of one’s love and one’s willingness to sacrifice, using the sacrifice of Jesus as our primary example showing his love for us (CCC 606, 1394). Faria taught Dantés without seeing the payoff. One hopes to find this in all teachers so that each student can grow and realize their potential.
2. Miss Jean Brodie – ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ by Muriel Spark
Muriel Spark, who converted to Catholicism before this book was published, subtly infused her faith into her writing, even with a deeply-flawed character like Miss Jean Brodie, who inadvertently helps develop her students’ independence in learning.
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Brodie does not confine herself to the constraints of the classroom but instead seeks to provide authentic learning experiences like walks through the city and trips to the opera and museums. Her unconventional methods cause her to be “held in great suspicion” by her colleagues, but she remains undeterred. She respects students as she does not “believe in talking down to children,” recognizing that they “are capable of grasping more than is generally appreciated by [their] elders.” Brodie often shows her intimate knowledge of her students’ personalities, tailoring her instruction accordingly.
Emblematic of Brodie’s sensibilities is her correction of a bland “safety first” poster in the school. Walking with her students during their lessons, she stops and explains in an Aristotelian way, “Safety does not come first. Goodness, Truth and Beauty come first” (p 10). This places the transcendentals, the qualities that extend from God’s nature, as the primary object of education. When education focuses on the transcendentals that emanate from God, it becomes more about the formation of the person’s immortal soul instead of becoming a means to some lesser end like money, power, pleasure, honor. This transcendental view is captured brilliantly in the last teacher of this list as well.
3. Gandalf – ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien infused his Catholic faith into his greatest work and one of his most important characters. Gandalf is the quintessential mentor figure in fantasy literature, and gives both heroes, Bilbo in “The Hobbit” and Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings,” room to grow and find strength. Yet Gandalf is not only a mentor to the characters around him, he also guides readers to learn. As Frodo begins his journey to destroy the ring, Gandalf tells him, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” (Fellowship, “The Shadow of the Past”). This sentiment reflects the spiritual advice of “the sacrament of the present moment” that can be found in the spiritual classic“Abandonment to Divine Providence” by Fr. Jean Pierre de Caussade.
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Tolkien also corrects Frodo’s callousness toward Gollum, saying, “Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment” (Fellowship, “The Shadow of the Past”). This direction toward mercy would prove pivotal to the larger story later. One cannot help but be reminded of Christ’s “desire” for “mercy” inMatthew 9:13.
What unites these great teachers in their ability is that none of them rely upon a method or mechanical structure. The education they all provide flows organically from their character. There is an old adage that “more is caught than taught” in reference to the informal education children receive when they see their mentors as models. Methods cannot replace one’s character, one’s enthusiasm for the subject, and, more importantly, one’s love for their students.
