wE must pass on to young people not merely the formulas of religion. but deep convictions about good and evil, about the nature of God, about Christ and His Church, and about the nature and destiny of man.
This was the message of the Pastoral Letter from the Archbishop of Liverpool on Education Sunday, November 15.
"It has been said,the Archbishop wrote, "that education is meant to be a guide to the youngster as he shapes himself as a fully human person. And here in England it has been said that the quantity of knowledge grows and grows and it is less and less anybody's business to say what it all adds up to'."
How, he asked, did we learn about human destiny and the purpose of life? God's revelation and the Christian Faith then entered the picture. God told us about these things by communicating Himself to us.
"It is the work of the Church and of those who teach in the Church to pass on this knowledge and promise, and to lead the younger generation to respond to their encounter with Christ. To say this is to indicate the immense importance of personal influence. Parents, priests and teachers, all have their part to play. We are fortunate in this country that since the Education Act of 1870 we have built up, at great cost, a schools' system through which this joint enterprise can be undertaken.
"We must educate for jobs and careers, for leisure and for service, but we must above all help young people to solve the problem of human destiny. and to lead them to the love of their Father, through Jesus Christ. Only in this way will they come to a right understanding of life, of time, and of eternity."