
St. Ignatius (kneeling, center) and his first Jesuits
Our third level of education is the human or liberal — the training of man as man (how to think, how to act, and how to express oneself eloquently with both tongue and pen). A liberal education presupposes the earlier levels. If you can’t stay alive, you won’t be able to train your intellect. If people aren’t working together in society and providing for its needs with servile education, liberal education isn’t an option. But, once a society is established, now we can build even higher. And, to paraphrase Brother Francis, having a liberal education will make everything else you do more meaningful. Remember, the more you know, the more you can love, and the more you love, the more you serve.
In honor of Father Leonard Feeney, one of my examples is Saint Ignatius and his Company of Jesus.
Like that of Saint John Bosco, the story of Saint Ignatius’ personal education is fascinating. He was of a noble family and followed a military career. When he was laid up after the cannon ball broke his leg, he was disappointed that his sister-in-law had nothing else for him to read than the lives of Christ and the saints —so he was literate — but this reading educated him in a way that opened his soul to grace and God’s call (he had not been living the faith very well until now). Continue Reading »