Religious and Empathic Education in Edith Stein: Life as Plenitude

In this article, we discuss the anthropological-theological foundations of religious education in Edith Stein, pedagogical proposal, ways of access to faith, the purpose of education, the empathic relationship and the response to faith. The research has a bibliographic character, focusing on the constitution of the human person, its essence, origin and purpose. The person is constituted, body, psyche and spirit. Edith Stein's pedagogy is based on a philosophical-theological anthropology and an ontology of the human person, and on the horizon of religious education is the revealed truth. What the Christian faith says about the human person constitutes the theorethical foundation for its constitution. The experiences of education and its methods need the complement of faith. Empathy, interpersonal and intersubjective relationships broaden the pedagogical itinerary and contribute to the harvesting of the spiritual dimension and the living of their faith. The purpose of religious education is to lead to adherence to Jesus Christ. To educate to faith means to reveal, in the Person of Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, the whole eternal plan of God. Everyone who is called to "teach Christ" must first know Jesus Christ. Religious education presents itself as the space to restore the covenant between human efforts and divine grace. The greatest educator is not the human being, but God. It is in the relationship between God and the human educator that the maximum contribution of the person's constitution is achieved and the response to God's call to faith is inserted.