3. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE: A RESPONSE

 De La Salle understood the needs of his day

If the truth be known, the situation in which we find ourselves nowadays, with all its challenges and problems, is not a new one. When John Baptist de La Salle founded his Institute in the 17th century, he too had to face a similar array of problems and pressing needs relating to the teaching, education and evangelisation of young people.

The Holy Spirit made De La Salle acutely aware of the crying needs of his day: his whole life became totally modelled on the Gospel. Gradually, he gathered a group of teachers around him: his intention was to provide the kind of schools needed by the children of the poor. This he achieved by founding his Christ-ian schools, which were outstanding in the society and Church of his day, for their teaching, education and evangelisation.

Those who make a close study of his life are greatly impressed: he had this ability to grasp the significance of what was happening in contemporary society; he surrendered himself unconditionally to the guidance of the Holy Spirit; he committed himself totally to the service of the poor; his life was rooted in the Word of God; and there was his attachment to the Church; his wish to become progressively identified with the person of Christ; his stubborn determination and concern to train his teachers, who were for him, Brothers and laymen alike, ''ministers of Jesus Christ''; the need he felt for community life and sharing, which led him to live and work with the Brothers, "together and by association".

His response was the Christian school

Throughout its history, the Institute has often reflected on what the Founder did. In their Rule, which expresses the Founder's inspiration in present day terms, the Brothers have this to say: "John Baptist de La Salle gave a new meaning to the school by making it accessible to the poor and offering it to all as a sign of the Kingdom and as a means of salvation".

These words show quite clearly how important the Christian school was in the life and work of De La Salle, and their meaning has always been well understood by those who have worked, or who still continue to work, to make Lasallian schools the preferred field of action of the Institute's apostolate.

We will not spend any more time on this subject at this point. We would like, however, to suggest you read and discuss with others a document entitled "Characteristics of the Lasallian School Today" which has been published in all Regions of the Institute. One of the reasons we have for making this suggestion is to point out to you that we pursue the same commitment to education and evangelisation throughout the Institute.

His message is a modern one

The Lasailian school, then, was founded to be a Christian school.

Such is the heritage which has been handed down to us and for which we are now responsible. If one examines the 300 years of Institute history, one can see how this heritage has borne fruit; how it has benefited those outside the Brothers' communities; how it itself has benefited from the contribution of lay people; and how it has adapted to successives periods of history and to a diversity of cultures.

This willingness to adapt is also something John Baptist de La Salle taught. It is a most useful attitude in a world like ours which is perpetually changing. Such a modern attitude explains the attraction that the message of De La Salle co~inues to have for a growing number of young people and adult teachers. They see in it the answer to a great many of our problems.

We would point out in particular the following areas it stresses:

Dc La Salle understood from the very beginning that, for a school to be able to pass on its Christian and human values in all their fullness, it had to have teachers capable of seeing their profession as a vocation, as a true ministry, and of treating it as such. These teachers had also to be able to become part of a community, to create a true community spirit among themselves and in their schools.

We are delighted to see that so many of our lay colleagues are inspired and guided by this Lasallian spirit; and that the conviction that their work as teachers is a ministry makes them so generous, imaginative and available. In this way, John Baptist de La Salle continues to be God's very special gift to present day teachers. He is our teacher, our inspiration and our father. This is indeed what the Church thought when, in 1950, it proclaimed him "Patron of all Christian Teachers". This explains why we return so often to the question of Lasallian spirituality.

Since this is a topic that comes up so often in discussion in Brothers' communities and in educational communities, we thought it would be useful to say a few words about its basic components. In the years to come, these and other aspects will doubtlessly be treated in more detail by Brothers and Lasallian groups whether based on schools or not.

From the earliest days of the Institute, the lives of the Brothers have always been lived in the presence of God. John Baptist de La Salle and his first Brothers were first and foremost men guided by faith: faced with the terrible neglect of the children of the working class and the poor, it was their faith that showed them what should be the apostolate of the Institute they were founding.

As he lay on his death bed, De La Salle, the man of faith, summarised his life's journey as follows: "I adore in all things God's action in my life". He lived his life in the presence of God: God was present in his struggle to obtain official recognition for his communities and schools; on his journeys; in founding new schools; in writing his pedagogical and spiritual works; in his care for the Brothers and their communities.

This is very important for us who follow in the footsteps of De La Salle: we live our lives as men and women guided by faith in the very real context of school life, as an integral part of the educational community. We know that God is present in our work, in our joys and in our sorrows. The yardstick of our everyday actions are the words of the Gospel. We learn to see the hand of God in the events of our lives, and his call to us. As "coworkers of Jesus Christ", we dedicate our whole lives to the building up of God's Kingdom through the school.

A Lasallian expresses his faith by his unremitting work -John Baptist de La Salle calls it "ardent zeal" - for the salvation of the souls of his pupils. He helps them to set themselves free from ignorance, selfishness, irresponsibility, self-delusion, materialism and excessive conformism. It is love for the Living Lord that makes us dedicate our lives to making our Lasallian schools places where people can grow as persons and mature, and where a living community can be created.

For De La Salle, our whole life finds its inspiration in the Word of God, and our actions their strength. He asked his Brothers to carry a copy of the New Testament around with them always, as a sign that they wanted to base their lives on the Word of God. De La Salle knew that it alone can teach us to think, feel and to look at things from the point of view of the Gospel. His insistence on seeing everything in this light, an attitude sustained by constantly reading the Word of God, explains why the daily reflection and remembering the holy presence of God were considered so important in the school day by De La Salle, and why nowadays too they should remain a characteristic of our schools.

This is another basic tenet of the Lasallian approach to education. At the heart of the school there is a community of teachers, who create an atmosphere which makes it possible to learn to live in community.

From the very beginning of the Institute, De La Salle committed his Brothers to running schools "together and by association". That is why it is a Lasallian tradition to speak of "Brothers' communities" and "educational communities", which organise schools on Christian principles and run them accordingly.

In our days too there has to be a similar commitment with regard to Christian schools, even if it is expressed differently. For such a school to be able to promote effectively both human and Gospel values, we teachers, men and women alike, have to be seen to practise what we preach; the various different departments of the school community must work closely together; each person must give his active support to the aims of the school by his personal commitment to their ftilfilment, whether he is a teacher, parent, former pupil, friend, helper, member of the maintenance staff or pupil.

- teachers go a stage beyond being simply professional schoolmasters and become "ministers of God and Jesus Christ";
- children are no longer left to their own fate, but learn to know themselves, God, the Church and the world.

John Baptist de La Salle's life reflected the example of Jesus Christ his Master: Jesus, who was rich, became poor for our sakes so as to bring us wealth through his incarnation and life among men. In the same way, De La Salle gave up his riches so as to draw closer to poor children and be able to offer them a high-quality education.

Lasallian schools and teachers need to re-examine frequently how this preferential concern for the poor is being put into practic~ and how it can be made more effective. What is really needed here, we feel, is for teachers to work together as a group to achieve an understanding of evangelical povery, and to try to make it a part of their lives.

This concern for the poor, led De La Salle and his first Brothers to organise their schools in such a way that they offered a welcome to all without any kind of discrimination. In the present state of society, with its stress on competition and selection of the fittest, we must take extra care not to exclude anyone, whether they be social outcasts, the very poor or from the ethnic minorities. Moreover, in a world where the pursuit of wealth and reputation is becoming more and more frenetic it is essential for us to develop a way of thinking and acting which reflects total availability and lack of self-seeking.

We are aware of the problems created by policies in some schools, which make serious discussion, fairness and agreement impossible. The infighting and confrontations which result are very worrying. They destroy the team spirit in a school and have an adverse effect on the quality of the education offered the pupils.

It is obvious that the ideal for a Christian school is to offer free education. This is becoming more and more the norm in modern society. Compulsory education has to become also free education, even when it is not provided by the State. We think this is a question of justice; and to help it become a reality, we ai~e all committed to the promotion of the principle and practice of this form of &ducational equality in our society.

It would seem to be time to try to describe what we understand by a Lasallian. Two remarks will perhaps help to put what we have to say into a context and avoid misunderstandings.

Our description, then, of a Lasallian must be seen in the context of the above remarks.

    - who looks upon everything with the eyes of God;
    - who looks upon his vocation to be a Christian as a call to personal sanctity.

= A Lasallian works with others "together and by association"

    - within the framework of educational schemes of work drawn up by the local Lasallian communities;
    - considering teaching in a school a preferred forin of apostolate, and personally convinced of the value of disinterested [ree education;
    - serving the poor by his teaching and evangelisation;
    - using De La Salle as his model in all he does.

The above description, however, does not in any way exclude persons of other faiths who believe that any education worthy of the name includes a religious dimension; who are convinced that, because of the quality of their lives, they are able to build up a special relationship with their pupils, by helping them discover the hidden values that govern their lives as members of another faith; who are willing to become part of a school community, and work together with those who draw their inspiration from Dc La Salle and consider him as their common model.

At this point in our letter, there are two particularly significant words that come to mind: Faithfulness and Creativity.

For all those that lay claim to his name, Brothers and lay people alike, John Baptist de La Salle is now, even more than in the past, a teacher and a source of inspiration.

He teaches us to look ahead always, to never stop looking for new ways of meeting new challenges: a Lasallian is creative.

He calls upon us to examine our history, culture and spiritual life with a sharp and critical eye, so as to be able to devise appropriate solutions to problems: a Lasallian is a realist and has the courage of his convictions.

He helps us discern, through faith, the signs of the times, and to root our lives in the Word of God, which becomes the basis of our lives. A Lasallian, whether man or woman, Brother or lay person, is guided by faith, constantly listening for the Spirit and following his lead.

And so, by following Saint John Baptist de La Salle, we learn to see more clearly, we increase our ability to be imaginative, and we strengthen our hope.

The inspiration and spirituality of the Founder have been entrusted to our faithful and creative care, but not as a fragile or immovable treasure to be carellilly guarded. Together and as members of the same community, we wish to share them with the young people and teachers of our day.

Here, too, John Baptist de La Salle shows us what steps to take so as to cope with present day needs adequately. Three things need to be borne constantly in mind:

    - the needs of young people, especially of those who are poor, of their families, of schools and teachers;
    - our educational communities and Lasallian groups; their ability to make themselves accessible and to meet needs; the witness they bear and the quality of the service they offer.
    - God and his plan for us, for he is a God who directs everything with wisdom and love, and desires the happiness and salvation of each one of us.

The concern we are speaking of here is quite clearly something that is very concrete and practical, rooted in our work, our teaching, our pastoral care, our personal, family, community and professional lives.

Of course, in speaking in these terms, we are very conscious that we are addressing ourselves to teachers first and foremost. But we are, in fact, addressing ourselves also to all the other members of the Lasallian family who belong to various groups and associations. They are all invited to deepen their understanding of the spirit of our Founder, and to live according to it more and more. It is true to say this, because Lasallian educational aims are furthered each time that:

    - we enable some ignorant person to learn 'something, however small;
    - we help someone to find meaning in his life and the light of faith;
    - we create friendlier relations between people and promote justice and peace among them.

This is our common contribution, day after day, as disciples of John Baptist de La Salle.