The Purpose of School

(Adapted from a sermon delivered to the children of Transfiguration Orthodox Academy)

Now that Fall Break is behind us, we're really getting serious here at TOA. We're learning our letters, solving math problems, and doing science experiments. But why are we doing all these things? Why can't we just stay home all day and play? If we didn't learn Math, as one of you children said, then we might go to the store and buy something, like a lollipop, which is only $1, and pay $100 for it, because we don't know our numbers. When we grow up, we need to have food to eat, a house to live in, and a car to take us around. But how will we get these things, if we don't have money? And how will we get money, if we don't have a job? And how will we have a job, if we don't have skills or knowledge? And (you guessed it!) how will we have skills or knowledge, if we don't go to school?

But there's more to the story than just that. Because sooner or later, when you finish school, get a job, and start making money, a little voice may start whispering in your ear, "make more money." And you make more money, but the little voice whispers again, "buy more stuff." So you buy more stuff with your money - fancy cars, nice clothes, BIG houses. And you start to like doing that and you get more and more and more. Until one day you realize that while you were buying all this stuff for yourself, you forget about everyone else! And because you forget about them, they forgot about you! And now you’re lonely and sad, and you realize (in this case, too late), that life is about more than money, and stuff, and success, and is actually about people, and relationships, and love.

Now, let’s be clear: money, houses, cars, and stuff are not bad in and of themselves. God created this world and all the stuff in it that we use to build houses, cars, etc. He also created our brains to be able to invent all of these things. I know many people with big houses, nice cars, and lots of money who share all of those things with so many people, and especially with those in need.

Whether we have all that stuff or not, it’s important to remember that the point of school is not to be successful and buy all that stuff. If we end up with all of it later on, fine!

So if that’s not the point of school, why do we go to school?

The point of school is to become Saints! Saints are people who heard that little voice telling them "if you want to be really happy, make more money" or "buy more stuff" or "be more comfortable," and they chose not to pay attention! Instead they turned to Christ for their happiness, and to the voice of the Holy Spirit, which is quieter but more rewarding than anything that money can buy. They ran to the Holy Spirit and realized that Love for God and neighbor was the only thing on this earth that can truly make us happy, the only thing (or Person) that truly fills us up!

And so we study and learn about God and His vast Creation so that, yes, we can survive and do well on this earth, but most importantly, we study so that we can fall ever more deeply in love with Christ and become servants of Christ, fulfilling His commandments and teachings, which are all about love, humility, forgiveness, repentance, obedience, and faith.

When we do these things, and make these actions the center of our lives, we become truly educated people and even more importantly, we are on the road to becoming Saints!