La Paz, Bolivia, Jun 11, 2009 / 21:28 pm
Bishop Jesus Juarez of El Alto in Bolivia called on Catholic teachers this week to be witnesses of Christ and help their students to encounter the Lord in the classroom, and thus educate the new generations in Christian values.
During a Mass on the Day of Educational Ministry, the bishop pointed out that the mission of the Catholic teacher is “to be a disciple of Jesus in the world of education,” to be “witnesses of an experience of having encountered Jesus and deciding to be his disciples.”
After noting that Jesus is the model for all teachers, Bishop Juarez also called for unity among Bolivian families, who are very “culturally diverse.” “In order to achieve unity we must liberate ourselves from hatred, resentments and be able look each other in the eyes with joy,” he said.
Bishop Juarez said Bolivia needs “love, fraternity, reconciliation, in a word, justice, in order to live in the truth, in peace and in progress, which are the values we must embrace through authentic quality education.”