The Place of Service in Christian Education – in the Light of the Reflections of John Paul II and Benedict XVI

Abstract

The article deals with the Christian understanding and educational approach to the category of service. The author starts with the meaning of the notion of service and the place of this category in contemporary culture. She treats the “service” as the value of a particular action and as an attitude (of service) in the sense of an informed willingness to voluntarily undertake it. She assumes that today’s culture is distancing itself from the service, reserving that category only for special activities, requiring special skills, above average behaviour, selfless effort and responsibility. Only service understood this way deserves recognition and social respect. The subject of the author’s reflections is service in the sense of the Christian attitude, binding on every Christian. Its awareness and implementation in the unfavourable for service cultural environment poses a serious challenge to Christian education. The approach to bringing the personal and Christian sense of service requires serious consideration, the search for credible arguments and the form of message. The author points to the writings of John Paul II and Benedict XVI on the Christian thinking of service as an important aid in this task.