Martínez FSC, Luis Varela
Description
From the Editor's Preface:
This work was conceived in Spain as part of a fourteen-volume series published by Instituto Pontificio San Pio X (Madrid)
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and dedicated to exploring various aspects of the Lasallian educational and spiritual tradition. The relationship between Sacred Scripture and Lasallian spirituality is a vital aspect of the Lasallian tradition and is the subject of the present study. . . .
This book can be likened to an architect's conception of a school, understood not as a building but as the education realized within it. The educational vision of John Baptist de La Salle presented in this work is a blueprint that opens the minds and the hearts of both students and teachers, a blueprint that continues to challenge everyone involved in Lasallian educational ventures throughout the world.
From the Translator's Preface:
. . . In this study the author begins with the man and the development of the personal ideas and values he would bring to his life's work. The fact that the author of this study of John Baptist de La Salle's educational vision is a theologian underscores the Founder's basic spiritual vision that integrates the teacher's educational work and spirituality. Regarding the teacher's state and employment, De La Salle is clear: "Do not distinguish between the duties of your state and what pertains to your salvation and perfection." (Collection of Short Treatises, p. 78)
By examining the most original and authentic writings of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Varela observes the expression of the deepest and most personal workings in his mind and heart, which are at one with the word of God in Sacred Scripture. It follows, therefore, that the form he gradually gives to this new Christian School and to its teachers is marked by an attitude of solid faith based on a body of "maxims of the Gospel." Coupled with the learning of practical skills and the respect for others, this approach develops into a vision of a life worth living successfully and enthusiastically.
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