S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 4 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 1 8 3 3 Marek Wiesenganger Education wasn’t just a social or relational activity for John Bosco. It was a principle, source and, at the same time, a consequence of a spiritual experience. In general, we may say that through education John Bosco is experiencing God (Chavez 2014). One of his most important autobiographical, spiritual, and pedagogical texts entitledMemoirs of the Oratory (Bosco 2011) describes education as an apparition, mission, and prophecy of one’s life. It actually was a space for a radically new spiritual experience and a specific spiritual discretion. The fundamental story of a “prophecy dream” (Wiesenganger 2017) shows specific features of Don Bosco’s spiritual experience. As a boy he is invited to cease such a relationship with God, which is based on the strict compliance of orders. His relationship with God doesn’t have to be based on the duties and justice but on the glamorous beauty and gentleness. The same is true for education, which he gets as the mission: it is not based on the curd commands, instead it is a mission aimed at the inner conversion, where the commands cannot penetrate. Such an educational mission also becomes the way of his personal spiritual conversion, a space of permanent searching for God’s identity. His shiny presence has two sides: blinds and attracts at the same time. The apparition given to John Bosco is also a prophecy about himself. It is God, who doesn’t command but attracts through His presence and causes changes. In this way John is able to recognize not only the identity of the youth, but also of himself. Education isn’t only the correction of deficiencies; it a way of life, by which is enabling the one to be a friend of God or even his son. Thus, a personal spirituality is fulfilled by education. It is the way how one can perceive God’s presence. It is important to recognize that Bosco’s view of education is based on the following three principles, “reason, religion, and loving kindness” (Bosco 1877), while the loving kindness can be considered the first of the three (Braido 1999). However, Pascual Chaves (2013) clarifies that the loving kindness is in the tradition of Salesian educational “without doubt a characteristic trait of his pedagogical method … But it cannot be reduced to simply being a pedagogical principle but needs to be recognized as an essential element of his spirituality.” This is the essential principle of spiritual view of education at John Bosco. In this article we will discuss some aspects of this unique principle of his spiritual view of education. About the author Marek Wiesenganger, PhD. (1980) is an assistant professor of ethics. His research interests are focused on philosophical reflection of culture, human dignity, and education. He is a member of the Central European Philosophy of Education Society (Czech Republic) and Towarzystwo Pedagogiki Filozoficznej (Poland). He is also a co-author of The Roads of Maturity, which provides an educational program for the youths in the spirit of Salesian spirituality. His email is lukochod@gmail.com.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzgxMzI=