Value of Recognizing Christian Service
"The experience of
Christian community leads naturally to service" (To Teach as Jesus Did: A
Pastoral Message on Catholic Education, 28).
Through the
Christian service program, students at all class levels give service
beyond the school setting in ways that further their faith, engender
hope, and witness love. Christian service programs should foster an
understanding of the essential connection between the Eucharist and
Christian service.
Catholic educators work to form young people
who will lead happy and meaningful Christian lives of faith and service.
Catholic schools provide students with the tools—intellectual growth,
doctrine, piety, an understanding of the roots of societal problems,
and the practice of the virtues—to become productive and transformative
members of society.
A eucharistic spirituality that propels
students into Christian service will help them not only to meet any
crisis of values and meaning in their lives but also to be
transformative agents in the world. The Eucharist is lived daily as the
faithful take Christ to others.
Religious formation and Christian
service programs should inspire young people to have a vision of their
mission in society and the Church. These programs should inspire young
people to aspire to be leaders in government, education, the service
professions, and the arts. It is not good enough for them to think that
they will just try to be good. Christ asks them to be the salt and light
of the earth. Religious formation and Christian service programs should
transmit this vision to them.