“Wide-eyed and mystified, may we be just like a child, staring at the beauty of the King…may we never lose our wonder.” This line is from a song that a friend of mine would often sing as we prayed with Christ’s words in Matthew 18, where He is instructing us to become like little children. While I think Jesus says this to call us to a deep and simple humility, child-like trust, and dependence on God, I also think about how little children are especially close to Him because they live in the present, fully alive and fully themselves, just simply being. They seldom worry about past events or feel anxious about the future. Little children live in the present, experiencing their thoughts and emotions with authenticity and encountering the world around them with awe. Children have a great aptitude for wonder and admiration. They are so happy to learn, and often seek understanding, asking “how” or “why” even about simple things. This innate human desire to seek truth is so evident, and Catholic education, especially one rooted in wonder and joy, helps lead students towards these deep desires for truth, beauty, and communion with God.
St. Thomas Aquinas believed that knowledge, especially of God and His creation, is a vital step toward loving God and all that He has made. By understanding the order and beauty of the natural world and the attributes of God, one’s heart is moved to love and reverence. That love, in turn, intensifies the desire to know more.
In today’s world, increasingly dominated by busyness, noise, and utility, Catholic schools offer a counter-cultural space where students are invited to slow down, encounter silence, and cultivate wonder. In the Early Learning Program at St. Benedict Classical Academy, this too is an essential part of the children’s early formation. Dr. Maria Montessori placed a big emphasis on allowing time, space, and silence to help a child develop concentration and peace. Sophia Cavaletti and Gianna Gobi developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd based on Montessori’s philosophy of education. In this catechetical program, silence and peace are essential for inspiring wonder and contemplation. These are the very things our hearts are made for and help us behold God in His Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.
In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the religious education curriculum for our Early Learning Program, the catechist is a co-wonderer with the child. The catechist does not impose or simply inform, but is called to humbly and joyfully proclaim the Gospel. Silence is encouraged and respected, allowing space to truly listen to the Word of God and let it resound in mind and heart. The adult and the child – both children of God – listen to God’s Word together. Facilitated by the loving presence of the adult and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the child’s encounter with Sacred Scripture and liturgy becomes a prayerful dialogue with God. The catechist asks guiding questions that nurture the child’s capacity for contemplation.
To wonder is to open oneself to truth – as a gift to be received and loved. This wonder naturally leads to joy: the joy of discovery, the joy of realizing one is known and loved, and the joy of seeing all creation radiant with the glory of God. This is like Aquinas’ view of knowledge and love as an infinite cycle: the more we learn about God and His creation, the more we love Him, and the more we love him, the more we desire to know Him.
Wondering is foundational to the contemplative life – the loving gaze between Creator and creature, between Lover and beloved. This is what our hearts are made for, and so what a joyful journey it is: the wonder-filled pilgrimage offered in Catholic education, forever leading us toward Truth and communion with God our Father.
AUTHOR: Shannon Wieszczek, Early Learning Specials Coordinator & PE Instructor
