Education and the Christian View of Man

Education is the chief concern of the Church. The word "education" itself [obrazovanie] comes from the word meaning "image" [obraz]. To educate a person is not simply to pass on to him a certain sum of knowledge, it is to bring out a certain image in him. The Christian view of man sees in him the image of God. It is the image that is in every one. In many, the image has become blurred and obscured by sin. But it can never be completely destroyed. The task of the spiritual transformation of man, which the Church serves, is akin to the task of the icon restorer, who must clean the deposits off the darkened face and reveal to the world its original beauty, the radiance of its colors and lines, its harmony.