Why some parents don't choose Chesterton, but many more should!
"A spiritual thing is not known unless it is possessed: 'No one knows but he who receives it.' (Rev. 2:17)" ~ St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John.
A few months ago I read a reflection from a former professor whom I greatly respect. In his piece, he ponders on the human conundrum of why material things that do not lead to true fulfillment so easily attract us, while the spiritual goods that do actually satisfy the human heart don’t have the same attraction. For example, why is a vacation so desirable, but being just isn’t? His conclusion, drawn from the line from St. Thomas Aquinas above, is because material temporal goods can be known before they are possessed, while spiritual goods must first be gained before we can truly see how good and fulfilling they are. Hence, in faith we have to prioritize the spiritual over the material.
The practicality of his thesis implied many things for the way that we order our lives, our households, and make decisions. It challenged me to reconsider various habits and attitudes into which I fall. Yet, it also helped explain something to me that I had been pondering about the past several years.
You see, as a headmaster, I am blessed to get to know many families who are discerning the next steps in their childrens' education and are considering Chesterton Academy as a part of that process. I get to speak with them, get to know their children, their families, and their motivations. It is a particularly graced position in which to get to know people. Therefore, I get to see why people choose Chesterton, and why they don't.
Oftentimes, their choices for not sending their children to Chesterton have puzzled me. Frequently, individuals have chosen to not send their children to Chesterton for the following reasons: sports, extracurricular activities we don't offer, the school is too small, it’s inconvenient, etc. In other words, they have cited the material, temporal and easily perceived goods. However, these goods are so inferior to the spiritual goods which students at Chesterton receive through our unique high school education.
On a daily basis I witness the beautiful things that happen to students who come to Chesterton. I have seen students who were suffering from anxiety or depression experience peace. I have seen students reach heights that their parents never expected. Students have fallen in love with Jesus Christ, grown into astounding, mature, joyful young men and women. These types of things happen again and again because students are immersed in the truth, beauty and goodness of the Chesterton curriculum in an authentically Catholic community. Our daily schedule presents students opportunities to experience the fully human life through daily Mass and being steeped in the rich intellectual tradition of Western Civilization.
Aquinas's point, though, explains why so many parents do not see what I see: "A spiritual thing is not known until it is possessed." Material goods, such as the glory of victory or the fun of activities, are clearly seen beforehand. Because they are sensible, we can know them before we possess them. This is why, in general, material goods more easily entice us than spiritual goods. We are more quick to desire that new thing on the commercial because we can see it, rather than that virtue we just heard about because it remains unseen. But because man is a spiritual being, these material goods do not fully satisfy. As Aquinas explains it, “The reason for this is that before temporal things are possessed, they are highly regarded and thought satisfying; but after they are possessed, they are found to be neither so great as thought nor sufficient to satisfy our desires, and so our desires are not satisfied but move on to something else.”
Unlike material goods, spiritual goods only are experienced as good once they are possessed, once they actually reside in the soul. In other words, I only see how good something like the virtue of courage is once I have become courageous. But because man is made in the image and likeness of God, it is these spiritual goods that most fulfill us. Thus, Aquinas in the same passage says, “once it [the spiritual good] is possessed and known, then it brings pleasure and produces desire, but not to possess something else.”
It provides a difficult conundrum for a school such as ours. We offer spiritual goods to our students and their families. The most that we can do is try to offer them some "possession" of these goods before they actually are students (for instance, through scheduling a "Crusader for a day" experience). Yet, even then, the full life changing impact that our education can have will require a step of faith - that it is actually something worth sacrificing for. It will require that we believe in the value of spiritual goods before they are possessed.
If you're looking for a place for your high school student for the coming fall, I invite you to reach out to me at manderson@castgeorge.com to schedule a meeting. If you're looking at Chesterton for future years, I'd invite you to visit this coming semester. Most especially, though, if you want the highest goods, spiritual goods, that will fulfill your student in ways not even they can expect, I'd invite you to choose Chesterton Academy of St. George for their high school years.