How does the Catholic Teach?

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Robert_Heibel

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Do the teachers in the Catholic Church teach spiritual things spiritually, and if so how does it differ from someone who teaches philosophy or any other subject?

(John 14:26)
“but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.”

St. Paul told us (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) “Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: B]we teach spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit.”

(Hebrews 8:10-12) “No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ’Learn to know the Lord’. No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
 
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adstrinity:
Hi Robert!!

vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm
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How is that different from the way I was taught any subject in college?
 
Robert Heibel:
Do the teachers in the Catholic Church teach spiritual things spiritually, and if so how does it differ from someone who teaches philosophy or any other subject?
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As a catechist in our parish I would say I teach with a combination of truth, inspiration, and downright intervention of the Holy Spirit. There are certainly facts that are taught, but in many ways those facts are ancillary to conversion which is so much more a process than a class that gets taught. I try to be a good shepherd and guide folks, but I do credit the Holy Spirit with doing the important work.

Don’t know if that helps, but there you go.
 
Robert Heibel:
How is that different from the way I was taught any subject in college?
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I have received a significant amount of Catholic instruction and it never resembled the college courses I have taken. This is not to say that there aren’t Catholic religious courses that fall into the category you describe.

My personal experience has always been such that it was clear from the beginning that we were studying something holy and sacred, and that we were studying something that we were an intimate part of. Most of my teachers were nuns and priests and they were deeply spiritual people who loved God with all their hearts. My studies were always opened and closed with a prayer.

That having been said, studying scripture and the tenets of our faith should still be done systematically, and with all the intellectual skills that God has given us. I’ve heard all kinds of random ideas and understandings from sincere people. Sincerity does not always produce the truth.

I am always cautious and given pause by the following passage of scripture:

2 Peter 3:15-16
So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.

The interesting thing about this passage and others like it is that the apostle does not indicate that these people are bad or insincere. Instead he tells us that some things are hard to understand and that the “ignorant” and “unstable” twist them to their own destruction. This is why systematic studying, guidance, and knowledge of the truth can be so helpful and rewarding in our spiritual walk.
 
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