Teaching

A spiritual guide or teacher should be able to read and interpret the scriptures for people so that we understand how God wants us to live our lives. St. Paul says that all scripture has been written by people who were inspired by God, and so can be used to guide us on the right path (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through study, the scriptures equip us for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness.

There is a phrase in Latin Optimus magister bonus liber that means ‘The best teacher is a good book’. A good teacher is able to not only tell other people what to do but have the respect of other people as well, or gain that respect over time. This is accomplished by being well-versed in the scriptures and living the life s/he teaches about. A good teacher is able to reach into the mind of his / her weakest student and impress upon them what the word of God has to say. Eventually the teacher is the one who learns the most in the process, and the more the teacher knows the better they will be able to help the students. However a good teacher realizes that it is not actually possible to teach somebody – a student has to have the desire to learn. It is the Holy Spirit and not the self that kindles the burning desire to learn and to understand.