The Aim of (Christian) Education
"The key to a Christian conception of studies is the realization that prayer consists of attention . It is the orientation of all the attention of which the soul is capable toward God. The quality of attention counts for much in the quality of prayer. Warmth of heart cannot make up for it. "The highest part of the attention only makes contact with God, when prayer is intense and pure enough for such a contact to be established; but the whole attention is turned toward God. "Of course school exercises only develop a lower kind of attention. Nevertheless, they are extremely effective in increasing the power of attention that will be available at the time of prayer, on condition that they are carried out with a view to this purpose and this purpose alone. "Although people seem to be unaware of it today, the development of the faculty of attention forms the real object and almost the sole interest of studies . Most school tasks have a certain intrinsic in...