Our Spirituality and How We Learn - July 8, 2024
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 1, 2, 3; Num. 32:1-6,16-27; Rom. 8:26-30; Matt. 23:1-12
When I was finishing my master’s in theology one thing stood in my way to graduating - writing my thesis. Of course, this is always done at the end. Most people however, prepare for this their entire two years. I hadn’t. I had been on another degree path and so here I was changing horses in mid-stream. After much delay and worry I chose an area close to my heart. - how what we know and how we come to know it, is connected to our faith. Where is God in the process of knowing? Understanding how I learn is connected to my spirituality seemed important. I began by examining the teaching models which had been used for generations in most classrooms. For years the classic hierarchical models of instruction, from the top down, were the standard. My question was, “Is that the model which is most conducive to learning something so that we really come to know it in our being, not just memorize it for a test?” How do we come to know in a way that we have ownership, know it so that it really matters to us?
As our son was preparing for his first year in college, he told us he wanted to teach. He stated it was because he had some teachers who had planted within him the love for learning, and he wanted to share that with other students like himself. Thinking back on who those teachers were, they were the ones whose students felt respected and encouraged to share their opinions and ideas. They encouraged open-hearted discussion. They were not the teachers who primarily taught through lectures and graded solely on test results.
Parker Palmer who has written several books on spirituality, wrote a book entitled, To Know as We are Known: Education as A Spiritual Journey. This book was the inspiration for my thesis. When he began writing he was meeting with Henri Nouwen and others. They were in regular conversation around what this book addresses, the spiritual and communal dimensions of education.
In the gospel reading for today, Jesus expounds on the importance to his disciples of understanding their role, which was not as a teacher but that of students. Jesus made it clear that the only true teacher was himself, the Messiah, their Rabbi. And that no one on earth would hold the role of authority of father for them except their father in heaven. Life as a follower of Christ was as a student.
Hopefully, we all strive to be lifelong students, learning from one another. In our baptismal service we pray “Give them an inquiring discerning heart, the courage to persevere, a spirit to know and love you.” We learn best in situations of open-hearted dialogue, with patience for others’ beliefs and agreeing to seek consensus not domination as right, declaring others to be wrong. Palmer emphasizes the need to see with a vision that includes both our minds and our hearts. Neither one by itself is sufficient. We need both, what he describes as “whole-sighted” to see a world of “fact and reason” along with a “world warmed and transformed by the power of love.”
As we seek to know and understand Jesus’ teaching and his desires for our lives, and at the same time understand and live in our ever-changing, demanding world, it seems to me that seeking a more “whole-sighted” way of knowing is in line with the spirit of Jesus’ teaching. We can encourage and intentionally create spaces where learning includes a whole-sighted way of knowing one another and taking into consideration the challenges that we face today. Our children face a world more complicated and demanding than anything anyone has ever experienced. Instilling in them a way of knowing that includes both their minds and hearts will serve them well as we all continue to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Self-reflection: Who were some of the teachers who inspired me? How do I honor them in my life today? Do I intentionally live into the prayers of my baptismal covenant? How can I become more intentional as a student of Jesus Christ?