Father Ferdinando Colombo: Instructing the Ignorant

Becoming little to be instructed

«I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light» (Matthew 11).

To allow ourselves to be instructed, we must step into the shoes of the little ones Jesus speaks about in the Gospel, adopting an attitude of surrender and trust toward the master.

«Unlike the corporal works of mercy, where (usually, if not always) the one who feeds is not hungry and the one who hungers is not in a position to give food, here the benefactor and the recipient are not distinctly separated. Indeed, it is a sound rule not to distinguish them at all: we are all recipients of these “works”. It is wise, therefore, for each of us to consider ourselves at once both “instructor” and “ignorant”, wise counsellor and doubter, champion of justice and sinner, and so forth». (Card. Giacomo Biffi)

Illiteracy and the illusions of the digital era

• 16% of the global population can neither read nor write; 67 million are children, predominantly girls between the ages of 5 and 9.
• Even today, 72 million children and 71 million adolescents have no access to a school.
• Globally, 759 million adults cannot read, and two-thirds of them are women.
• The plight of over one million Syrian children without school. Some argue that this work of mercy has become somewhat obsolete in the era we inhabit—the era of the Internet, where almost all forms of knowledge seem available at the click of a mouse.

There is no doubt that in the era of Google, access to information has reached an ease never before experienced in human history (at least for the connected population). Yet we all sense that acquiring information is one thing; genuine knowledge—transforming how we see and interact with the world—is quite another.

This experience of knowing was tied to love by the great Augustine of Hippo, who maintained that without some form of attraction, passion, transport, and inner transformation, authentic knowledge cannot exist (don Roberto D’Avanzo).

The search for meaning and the ignorance of God

The strange predicament of modern man is that he knows everything except what truly matters. He brings the most intricate investigations to completion yet stands mute before the most fundamental and elementary questions; he is capable of gathering rocks from the moon yet cannot articulate why he was brought onto this earth.

To ignore the meaning of our existence; to ignore our ultimate destiny; to ignore whether our arrival into life was prompted by a design of love or by blind coincidence: this is the absurd darkness that objectively cries out for light.

The first and greatest act of charity one can extend toward another is to tell the truth about reality. This also means unveiling humanity’s genuine identity. This is the first mercy that the Church exercises—and must exercise—toward the human family: the tireless proclamation of truth (Cardinal Giacomo Biffi).

Plutarch, the Greek philosopher of the early Christian era, observed that «a mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled», meaning that to teach is to broaden horizons, awaken deep curiosity, and throw open the eyes to the boundless beauty of reality.

Contemporary humanity often possesses vast knowledge but meager wisdom. Wisdom teaches how to use earthly tools properly and offers sound moral criteria. How many live oblivious to these principles and, as a result, become prisoners of sin, passions, selfishness, and frequently substance abuse, alcohol, pornography, organized crime, and more!

Even more gravely: how many live today in ignorance of God—the most devastating and destructive form of poverty. To live without God is to live without a compass, without light, without hope. How many, despite having received baptism, know neither faith, prayer, nor the sacraments (Hermann Geissler F.S.O.).

Research indicating that 69% of Italians have never read the four Gospels, and only 15% have read them at least once in their lives, brings sorrow to anyone committed to genuine Christian life and the transmission of faith to future generations.

These statistics are startling, especially when one considers that the majority identify as believers and 17% as practicing.

The Church «forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn “the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”», as Saint Jerome states. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 133)

«God himself is the supreme educator who has made himself known to us creatures who were ignorant of the intimate essence of his Trinitarian life: “In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known the hidden purpose of His will, by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father. Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God with the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends and lives among them, so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself”». (Dei Verbum, Second Vatican Council)

Prayer (Wis 9:1-6, 9-11)

God of our fathers and Lord of mercy, you who have made all things by your word,

and who in your wisdom formed mankind to have dominion over the creatures you made,

and govern the world in holiness and righteousness, and pronounce judgment with an upright soul:

Give me wisdom, who sits by your throne, and do not reject me from among your children.

For I am your servant and the son of your maidservant, a weak man of short life,

unable to understand justice and the laws.

Indeed, even if one is perfect among the sons of men, if your wisdom is lacking, he will count for nothing.

With you is wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world;

she understands what is pleasing in your sight and what is right according to your commandments.

Send her from the holy heavens, and from your throne of glory, that she may labor at my side and assist me, that I may learn what pleases you.

Illustration by Sister Marie-Anastasia Carré (Communauté des Béatitudes)