August is a month full of mixed emotions as many of us try to pack in one last summer adventure. The expectation and anticipation that accompany the start of a new school year ask all of us, not just students and teachers: Are we open to learning new things? Is ongoing education a priority in our lives?
In the apostolic letter “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” Pope Leo XIV examines education, what he calls an “act of hope and a passion” by teachers and the whole church, “because it manifests the promise we see in the future of humanity.” In a fragmented world, Christian education emphasizes the development of the whole person in community. It is not merely skills or job training. “Education does not measure its value only on the axis of efficiency: it measures it according to dignity, justice, the capacity to serve the common good,” writes the Holy Father. By holding up these principles as “guiding stars,” he invites us to begin imagining new ways of living out our tradition and embracing creativity in the face of new challenges.
Lifelong learning is crucial to prioritizing dignity, justice, and the common good. It cultivates curiosity, humility, and an openness to both God and neighbor. It is an essential habit of discipleship. “Everyone has something to give but first one must learn how to receive. It is not easy to admit this. Nevertheless, this is the beginning of the future: It is like a door opening onto what until now we have neither thought, nor believed, nor loved enough,” said the pope during a pastoral visit to Acerra, Italy. “To keep learning: this is what makes us a community.”
The call of Catholic education and Catholic social teaching is to go out, dialogue with our neighbors, and pursue the common good. Together we build and form communities. Seeking wisdom is an important part of this. Pursuing wisdom and justice is not a matter of accumulating facts or reinforcing what we already know. Instead, we are called to encounter our neighbor. In Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor), Pope Leo XIII urged Catholics to “engage the world as it really is,” but also not to limit ourselves to what we already know for discerning solutions to social problems.
Over the past year, the need for ongoing formation and continued learning has been woven through Pope Leo XIV’s teachings on the environment, peace, and artificial intelligence. Continually, he calls us to a holistic vision guided by humility and moral discernment, asking us to inform and form our consciences. The recognition of what we do not know is not a weakness in Christian education but an invitation.
Participation in the social, economic, cultural, and political life of the community is both a right and a duty according to Catholic social teaching. For Catholics, the political community is an important place where we come together for the common good. In Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), Pope Francis noted, “For many people today, politics is a distasteful word.” Too often the realities of corruption and exploitation lead people to retreat from engaging in politics. Even more dangerous, by retreating from politics, people no longer prioritize civic education or advocacy and the true meaning of democratic self-governance fades away. In contrast, politics is an important place for lifelong learning and participation.
Speaking to Italian Christian Workers in 1955, Pope Pius XII challenged them to get more involved in the political life of their community. He called for the “banishment of the domination of empty phrases and deceitful words,” arguing that a “public opinion must be formed which, without seeking scandal, frankly and courageously” speaks out against injustice. He also urged the “ordinary citizen” to advocate for the common good.
Catholic social teaching urges us to reengage more deeply in our civil and political community to build what Pope Francis called a better kind of politics. Good politics requires engaged citizens with an openness to learning. The start of a new school year and an upcoming election cycle present us all with just such an invitation to learn, engage, and participate.
This article also appears in the August 2026 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 91, No. 8, page 40). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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