The Church
oftentimes names a person as a patron saint of a cause or group or even a
nation. For example, Mary, the Immaculate
Conception is the patroness of the United States and St. Thomas Aquinas is the
patron of Catholic schools. However,
there is no patron of the Internet.
Today’s saint has been proposed as the patron of the Internet because of
his encyclopedia, which was used as a textbook for 900 years!
St. Isidore
of Seville is considered the last of the Church Fathers. He was the bishop of Seville, Spain and was
influential in the conversion of the Visigoths in Spain in the seventh century. He also established schools and seminaries,
completed a Spanish version of the liturgy (Mozarabic), and played a major role
in two councils in Spain. His efforts
inspired the education system of the Middle Ages.
We are
fortunate to live in an age that values learning. We have numerous junior colleges, colleges,
and universities that educate our youth in various arts and disciplines. We have numerous professions that contribute
to the common good. We owe their skills to
men and women who have dedicated themselves to the vocation of teaching, the
passing on of a lore of knowledge and the skill of processing that knowledge so
that students may benefit society.
But
knowledge and skill are useless without wisdom.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10). It is vital that we educate our youth not
just in arts and disciplines that may benefit society, but also in the ways of
God so that society, in turn, may benefit individuals respectful of Truth. St. Isidore knew about learning, but he also
knew about God and the necessity of faith to guide reason.
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