ДЕТИ

We will take care of the children, we will educate them in the same way, both in everything else and in regard to chastity. Nothing in young men requires such effort and care as chastity and purity, because this particular passion overwhelms this age. What we do with regard to lamps, we will observe the same in relation to children. It often happens that when a maid lights a fire, we tell her not to bring the lamp to where there is reeds, or hay, or anything like that, lest a spark fall into this substance unnoticed by us and burn the whole house. We will also take care of children and will not turn their gaze to where the dishonest maids, immodest girls and dissolute slaves are; and if we have such a servant, or a neighbor, or any other girl of this kind, then we will order and confirm to them that they should not appear in public or enter into conversation with the young men, so that the spark that comes from here does not ignite the whole soul of the child and cause inconsolable grief. Let us keep children away not only from sights, but also from listening to seductive and depraved songs, so that their souls are not deceived by them. We will not take them to theaters, feasts and drinking bouts. But let us take care of the young men even more than the virgins hidden in the inner chambers (1). In every misfortune, let us resort to God. If we don’t have children, we will ask Him for them. And if we receive it, we will raise them with great care and remove young men from all evil, especially from lust. The temptations of this sin are strong and nothing worries this age more than this passion. Therefore, we will protect them from everywhere with advice, admonitions, fear and threats. If they overcome this passion, they will not soon succumb to another one - on the contrary, they will be higher than the passion for money, they will conquer drunkenness, and they will try in every possible way to avoid disorder and vicious societies; They will be more kind to parents and more pleasant to all people. Indeed, who would not respect a modest young man? Who will not hug and kiss the one who curbs unclean desires? Who among the richest would not agree with great pleasure to give his daughter for him, even if he were the poorest of all? Just as no one would be so pathetic and stupid as to decide to have a wasteful and depraved person as a son-in-law, even if he were richer than everyone else, so no one would be so reckless as to reject and dishonor a modest and chaste man. So, in order for our children to be respected by people and dear to God, we will adorn their souls and introduce them chastely into married life. Then all earthly blessings will flow to them, as from sources, and they will receive mercy from God, so that they will enjoy both present and future glory (1). We will not allow low and rude desires and any debauchery to enter and take up residence in the souls of young men. Such thoughts are more ferocious than robbers, robbing children of their freedom, making them slaves of insane passions, striking them from all sides and inflicting many wounds on their souls. Therefore, we will take care of this every day and, using the word as a scourge, we will drive out all such passions from their souls, so that the children will be able to take part with us in the higher life and perform every service in it. Don’t you see how those who live in the cities only wean their children, immediately force them to carry olive branches, make them judges of competitions, leaders of these competitions and choirs? We will do the same: from an early age we will introduce them to heavenly life, because this earthly life requires only expenses and does not bring any benefit (1). When your children have already desecrated themselves with countless vices, then unite them by marriage; but it is already in vain and in vain. But you say: we must wait for the time when the son becomes famous and glorifies himself with state affairs, but you do not care at all about the soul, but look indifferently at its fall; This is why we have such confusion, disorder and disorder in everything, that we do not care about the soul, we neglect the necessary and we direct all our care to unimportant matters. Don’t you know that there is nothing better you can do to benefit your son than by preserving him from the uncleanness of fornication? After all, there is nothing more precious than the soul: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). But the love of wealth transformed and overthrew everything and destroyed the true fear of God. Just as a tyrant destroys a fortress, so it overthrew the souls of people. That is why we do not care about the salvation of our children or our own, caring only about becoming rich and leaving wealth to our heirs, and those to their own, and so on; and thus we only transfer our property to others, and do not possess it ourselves. This is where the madness comes from; This is why free people become worse than slaves. In fact, we punish slaves, if not for them, then at least for ourselves; but free people do not enjoy such care and turn out to be worse than even slaves. And what am I talking about slaves? The fate of our children is worse than even cattle; We care more about donkeys and horses than about children. If anyone has a horse, he tries in every possible way to find the best groom, who would be honest, not a thief, not a drunkard, and who knows his business. If we need to give a mentor to our son, then we simply, without any choice, take whoever happens to be. Meanwhile, there is nothing more difficult than art to educate. Indeed, what art can compare with the art of educating the soul and enlightening the mind of a young man? A person who knows this art must be more attentive than any painter or sculptor. But we don’t worry about this at all, and only pay attention to ensuring that the student learns to speak. And we only care about this for wealth. He learns to speak not in order to be able to speak well, but in order to get rich, so if it were possible to acquire wealth without knowing how to speak, then we would not worry about this either. Do you see what power the passion for money has over us? How did she subjugate everything under her power and bind us like slaves and cattle, and drag us wherever she wants? But what good does such denunciation benefit us? We arm ourselves against this passion with words, but it defeats us with deeds. However, we will not stop, even so – with the words of our mouths – to amaze her. If there is any benefit from this, it will extend to both us and you. If you do not abandon your former vices, at least we, for our part, have done everything (7). The soul of a child is pure from all passions; the child does not remember the insults and runs up to those who offended them as if they were friends, as if nothing had happened; No matter how much a mother punishes her child, she always, however, looks for her and loves her more than anyone else. Present to it a queen in a diadem: it will not prefer her to her mother dressed in rags, but will even more desire to see the latter in rags than the queen in rich clothes. It distinguishes its own from someone else's not by poverty or wealth, but by love. The child does not require anything more than what is necessary, and as soon as he is satisfied with milk, he leaves the nipples. The child does not grieve, as we do, about the loss of money and the like; just as he does not rejoice, like us, about such fleeting things; a child is not partial to physical beauty. That is why Christ said: “of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14), so that we would do by free will what children do by nature (7). Small children do not seek what is truly great, but are usually surprised at what is worthless. Thus, they look with joy at chariots, horses, charioteers and wheels, when all this is made of clay; and if they really see the king sitting on a golden chariot, and harnessed white horses, and great pomp, they do not pay any attention. Or again: having received a doll made of the same substance and representing the bride, they dress it up; but they won’t even look at real brides who shine with beauty. This is what they do in many other cases. Many adults are now subject to the same thing. Hearing about heavenly things, they do not pay any attention, but are partial to everything mortal, like children - they are amazed at earthly wealth, highly value both glory and pleasure in this life, although all these are the same children’s [toys] as those, and heavenly things bring life, and glory, and peace. And just as children, deprived of toys, cry, but cannot even wish for heavenly things, so do many of those who are considered husbands. That is why it is said: “Do not be children in your mind” (1 Cor. 14:20). Do you love, tell me, wealth? Why do you love not lasting wealth, but children's toys? After all, if you saw someone treasure a lead coin and bend down to pick it up, wouldn’t you conclude that he was very poor? And you collect even more insignificant things and consider yourself among the rich! Does this make any sense (9)? If you want to leave great wealth to your children, leave them the Providence of God. The One who, without any of your participation, gave you a soul, formed a body and gave life, when he sees that you are showing such great devotion and entrusting to Him both children and their belongings, will He really not open up all His wealth for them? If Elijah, fed with a small amount of flour, when he saw that that woman preferred him to her children, showed a threshing floor and a winepress in the widow’s hut, then think what mercy the Lord would show Elijah. Therefore, let us take care not to leave our children rich, but to make them virtuous. If they begin to hope for wealth, they will not care about anything else, as they have the opportunity to cover up the depravity of morals with an abundance of money; and when they see that they are deprived of this support, they will do everything to find greater consolation in eternity through virtue. So, do not abandon wealth in order to abandon virtue. After all, it is extremely reckless not to make children masters of what we have during our lifetime, but after death to give complete freedom to the frivolity of youth. When we are alive, we can demand an account from them and, if they misuse the present, we can admonish and curb them, and after our death, if we, together with our absence and their youth, provide them with the free use of wealth, then we will plunge these unfortunate and pitiful people into the greatest abyss, adding fire to the fire and adding oil to the red-hot furnace. Thus, if you want to leave your children truly rich, then leave God as their debtor and entrust your will to Him. If they themselves receive the wealth, they will not know who to give it to, but will meet with many - both slanderers and dishonest people, but if you loan it to God in advance, then the treasure will, of course, remain inviolable and its return will take place with great ease. God is merciful, returns to us what he owes, and looks upon His creditors more pleasantly than those who did not lend Him anything, and he loves the one to whom he owes the most (11). You might be interested in: