A Latina Theological Reflection on Education, Faith, Love, and Beauty

In this article, Cecilia González-Andrieu presents what she defines as a theological reflection. She writes that it is theological in that she engages jointly faith and reason, the religious tradition of the Catholic Church and the contemporary situation. What makes it theological "reflection" is that it arises out of a community of belief not only from data or theories but from hearts fully engaged in a shared and sacred story of a loving God. Here the author defines the goal of the Catholic religious education tradition as forming new generations whose gifts of intellect and wisdom will be guided by a coherent understanding of God's longing for a world full of love. The author argues that a radical stance about the basic right to education is a theological necessity for a well-articulated Catholic faith and not an "add on" or an "option" arising from particular political leanings. Universal access to quality education is not "politically correct," but a theological good because it speaks well of God. In order to speak well of God means to work tirelessly to create the conditions necessary for integral human flourishing, to create beauty, and extend it to all. Reminding readers that education is one of the most basic of these conditions, three principal points are are considered. First, education is a theological good mandated by the Church's preferential option for the poor. Second, the Church cannot adequately carry out the important work of ministry and teaching globally, unless and until the voices of those on the peripheries (as repeatedly evoked by Pope Francisco) are included. Third, the future of the Catholic Church in the U.S., fast becoming a church of color, is in serious jeopardy unless aggressive measures are put into place to improve the "pipeline," involving all of the ministries of the Church in a coherent way to support increased school success for Latinos/as. González-Andrieu, who is Associate Professor of Theological Studies in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University closes this article by saying that when we use our ingenuity to imagine new models that will reach beyond traditional campuses and spread the good of education to places near and far, we have spoken well of God. In sharing this reflection, Gonazlez-Andrieu hopes to encourage readers to engage this tradition in the vital work of education by sounding a call to unleash, unbind, give life, and let loose the beauty of education… for the greater glory of God.