Return or Remote

Seeing the value of the body in education

08/18/2020

Matthew 19:23-30 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

This morning I would like to weigh in on the sensitive subject of returning to school this fall. The two sides of the debate can be distinguished by the words, “return” and “remote.” “Return” means to go back to in-person, classroom learning, while “remote” refers to on-line, virtual instruction, where students stay home. This debate has been thrust back into the spotlight yesterday when the whole University of North Carolina system decided to switch to “remote” learning after one week of having “returned” to campus. Last week they tested 135 students and faculty as positive for COVID-19 infections. You may recall that California’s colleges opted for “remote” rather than to “return” earlier this summer.

Now, people’s opinions about return versus remote learning runs the entire gamut from one extreme to the other. Some people, for example, are convinced this pandemic is a sign of the end of the world, and are researching the book of Revelation for proof. At the other extreme are those who hold it is a political hoax and will virtually disappear after the November election. Doctors don’t even agree on the debate. One nephrologist (a kidney doctor) said we must seriously consider “remote instruction.” It’s not safe to go back. One podiatrist (a foot doctor) felt this pandemic has all been blown out of proportion and kids must “return” to school this fall. Have you developed your own opinion on the debate? I’m very proud of our Catholic schools for giving parents the option of choosing either format for learning because parents’ opinions differ on this debate, too.

My opinion in this matter is not political nor is it medical, and it’s not even educational. I am not qualified to speak in those arenas. Rather, my perspective is theological, that is, does our faith shed any light on this debate about “returning” versus “remoting”? Put more precisely, what difference does a student’s body make sitting in a classroom rather than sitting at home and being virtually present? Pope St. John Paul II said in an address on April 2, 1980, these astonishing words: “Through the fact that the Word of God [that is, Jesus] became flesh, the body entered theology through the main door.” In other words, the human body is indispensable to the Incarnation, the fact of our faith that God became man. You might almost say that if the whole cosmos were a classroom and if Jesus were the Student, the Incarnation means Jesus would have chosen to “return” rather than chosen “remote” instruction or learning.

Reflecting on the role of the body in theology, especially the Incarnation, has radical repercussions for Catholic schools in particular. Why? Well, the Incarnation – that is, Jesus Body, and our bodies by extension – is integral to the whole sacramental system: baptism, Communion, confession, confirmation, marriage, Holy Orders and anointing of the sick. You cannot receive a sacrament if you do not have a body. Angels cannot be baptized or receive Communion, neither can dogs or cats (sorry!). Angels and animals are missing the key ingredient emphasized by the Incarnation: the human body.

This is why you cannot phone-in or send a text with your confession: your body must be present. This is why you cannot send a substitute to say your wedding vows: your body must be present. And obviously, don’t send a substitute to consummate your marriage. Your own, physical body must be present to receive the graces of the sacraments. The whole sacramental system depends on the human body. Why? Well, because “through the fact that the Word of God became flesh, the body entered theology through the main door.” To be sure, your body is not essential in education in exactly the same way as in a sacrament, but it makes a huge difference nonetheless: we receive God's grace through the body, and we receive our education through the body. St. John's gospel opens with his profound Prologue: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14).

Whatever happens this fall, whether we go “remote” or we “return” – and there are plenty of good reasons for both – I am deeply grateful to our teachers. They’ve done tremendous hours of overtime this summer to get ready for this fall. Instead of relaxing on the beach, they were getting ready for both possibilities of return and remote education. With good reason they can ask like St. Peter in the gospel today: “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” And Jesus’ answer applies in a special way to teachers today, who said: “Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life.” So, please keep Jesus’ promises in mind, because we did not give our teachers a raise this year.

Praised be Jesus Christ!