Beliefs and ideas about life

Life in its fullness

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I have come that you might have life - life in all its fullness.” (Jn 10:10). The Christian attitude to life is positive and holistic. Christians value life in its fullness. This implies that Christians are to regard as precious and valuable life in all its manifestations in creation - whether this is the life of the planet itself, plant life, animal life, or human life. All are to be valued, nurtured and cared for. A further implication is that human life in all its various stages from beginning to end is likewise to be valued and nurtured.

Values

In Catholic schools, students are taught through word and action that they are valued as individuals. The worth of their lives as individuals is reinforced by the way they are loved and cared for in their families and the way this love and care is reinforced in the context of the school, in the classroom, in the playground, in the parish Church and in all the contexts that make up the total curriculum of the school. Students are also taught how to respect and care for others in the school community, respecting them, collaborating with them and assisting them. They come to learn the value of each person. They come to understand the Christian message that each person has human dignity as a person created in the image and likeness of God. Through activities focused on the environment, they come to understand that respect for life extends also to animals, to plants and to all aspects of the environment they live in. In a very real way, in Catholic school students are encouraged to reflect upon their own experiences of life in all its manifestations and on ways in which they can contribute to bringing about the “fullness of life” spoken of by Jesus.