Dear Parishioners and Friends, time flies by very fast, autumn is right around the corner. This is a time when parents and grandparents will register their children for Sunday School classes. It is very important, Our Children Are Our Future. “I’m glad my children have grown up. I would hate to be raising them in today’s world.” How often do we hear this sentiment expressed in our material, immoral society? Trying to instill spiritual values in the new generation of young people is seemingly an insurmountable challenge. Where do we turn for guidance as we attempt to keep our children on a proper path, a path that will enable them to establish a foundation in their lives which is firmly planted on knowing right from wrong.
There are no new answers to that question, no new approaches to take. Indeed, to deal with the problem of the present, we must look back at the solution the Church has offered in the past. Moral truth can never change, no matter what may be going on in the world around us. The enduring teachings of Church Fathers still must be our “resource manual” for correctly raising our children. Here are a few wise thoughts that have been passed down to us. “If from the beginning we fix good rules for our children, good habits will be formed. Let us not allow them to do what may be agreeable, but hurtful to them. We may need to admonish them and warn them. Remember: we are charged to keep our children free from evil.” –St. John Chrisostom. “Rear your children in the Lord. Teach them from their infancy the Word of God. Discipline them when needed, and render them respectful to authority.” -The Apostolic Constitutions “Teach your children this lesson: the rewards of evil are temporary. The rewards from Godliness are eternal.” – St. Cyprian