Photo: sofija.ru In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Today we prayerfully honor the memory of the holy Greatmartyr Catherine. We all know from her Life that she had no equals in her level of learning and wisdom. But at the same time, she also received a religious upbringing from her mother, who was a secret Christian. It was her pious mother that gave St. Catherine the opportunity to emerge victorious in a dispute with fifty philosophers and sophists gathered by the Roman Emperor.
By her good example, we see how important it is to have a proper and harmonious combination of education and upbringing of the mind, heart and soul. It is here, in the education of the whole person, that you need to have a lot of skill, experience and spiritual discretion so that this harmony won’t be disturbed. Unfortunately, in our modern life we often see the opposite. Many parents understand the duty of raising their children only to mean that they must provide them with food, clothes, and help them get an education, while forgetting the duty of educating the hearts of children in virtue and piety. According to St. John Chrysostom, those who violate this commandment become guilty of filicide in some sense. Sadly enough, from the very cradle the child is accustomed to entertainment, distraction and idleness; his parents buy him numerous expensive presents and toys, satisfying all his whims and fulfilling all his desires, thereby fostering in him the spirit of self-will and selfishness.
Fathers, mothers, and grandparents pamper their beloved children with sweets without noticing that through this the passion of gluttony is cultivated. Children hear a lot of fairy tales and funny stories, but not everyone remembers God, the life of His Most Pure Mother, miracles of the holy monks, and the feats of the martyrs and saints. As children grow up, many parents want to inculcate in them a subtle musical taste that reveals the invisible realm of music to them. But few parents strive to open the invisible, angelic, spiritual realm to their little ones with the same zeal.
Those parents who believe that it is too early to tell such lofty truths to their young children are wrong. After all, the Lord Himself commanded His disciples, who forbade small children to come to Him: Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 19:14). May the mother of the holy Prophet Samuel serve as a model for us in this, for she gave her three-year-old son to be raised in the house of the Lord. The holy Prophetess Hannah entrusted the first fruit of her womb to God. The woman’s faith, zeal, and prayers were not put to shame; afterwards her son became a great prophet. And the Most Pure Mother of God Herself was brought to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem at the age of three. She was brought up there and was honored to give birth to our Lord Jesus Christ for Her purity.
There were many children in the monasteries of the Egyptian deserts, as well as in Russian monasteries. There they received the proper education and guidance necessary for their earthly lives. Seeing the present state of things, we cannot shy away from the spiritual education of those born to us. After all, it is reckless to teach children many skills and sciences while neglecting their upbringing in the commandments and teaching of our Lord and Savior. We ourselves reap the bitter fruits of such upbringing of our offspring, seeing them impudent, intemperate, disobedient and depraved.
Let us not act in this way, and let us listen to the exhortation of the holy Apostle Paul. Let us bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). A child’s heart is like soft wax, from which parents can make whatever they want. It is vital to cherish the initial upbringing of your children. From the cradle teach your children to love God and their neighbor. Let the first words of your children be God and love. Let their first activity be prayer. Teach your children fasting and abstinence. Don’t think that fasting food is harmful to your children as being of low nutritional value. Look at the saints of God—they spent their whole lives in fasting and prayer, and thanks to this many of them always enjoyed good health, painlessly reaching a ripe old age.
From an early age, teach your children to attend the church of God undeviatingly. In the church of God, the seeds of virtues will strengthen in your children’s hearts, and grow and bear the fruits of goodness. May the Church become the Mother of both children and their parents. And the latter should constantly cry out morning and evening, day and night, both with their hearts and with their lips: Lord, help me raise my children in faith and piety!
In this good intention, may the example of the mother of the holy Greatmartyr Catherine support our aspiration and hope; for amid severe persecutions she was able to pass on to her daughter the seeds of piety and ensure that they grew and bore abundant fruit for the Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.
