A Word to the Youth
Archbishop John (Maximovitch)
And the younger son said to his father, "Father,
give me the portion of goods that falleth to me" [Luke 15:12]. The parable of the prodigal son is a most instructive
lesson for youth.
We see in the prodigal son the true character of
carefree youth: lightmindedness, thoughtlessness, a passion for independence,
in short, everything that usually characterizes the greater part of one's
youth. The younger son grew up in his parents' house and having reached
adolescence imagined that life at home was too restrictive. He thought that
living under his father's rule and his mother's eye was unpleasant. He wanted
to imitate his companions, who gave themselves up to the noisy pleasures of the
world. He decided, "I am the heir of a rich estate. Would it not be better
if I received my inheritance now? I could handle my wealth differently than my
father does." Thus the light-minded youth was taken in by the deceitful
glitter of the world's pleasures and decided to cast off the yoke of obedience
and depart from his parent's home.
Today many are inspired by similar impulses, and
if they do not leave their parents' house, do they not depart from the house of
their Heavenly Father, from obedience to the Holy Church?
The yoke of Christ and his commandments seem
difficult for immature minds. They imagine that it is not entirely necessary to
follow what God and His Holy Church commands. It seems to them that they can
serve both God and the world at the same time. They say, "We are already
strong enough to withstand destructive temptations and attractions. We can, by
ourselves, hold on to the truth and correct teachings. Allow us to improve our
minds by many kinds of knowledge. Let us strengthen our wills amid temptations
and pitfalls. Through experience our senses will be convinced of the foulness
of vice!" Such desires are not better than the ill-considered request of
the younger son to his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods
that falleth to me."
Today we have light-minded youths who cease to
heed the commandments and suggestions of the Holy Church. They stop studying the Word of God and the teachings of
the holy fathers, and turn their attention to the 'wisdom' of false teachers,
thus ruining the better part of their lives. They go to church less frequently
or attend without attention, distracted. There is no time to be pious and
practice virtues since they are too busy attending movies, going to parties,
etc. In short, they give themselves up to the world more and more each day,
and, finally, depart into a far country.
What is the result of such parting from the Holy Church? It is the same as the result of the prodigal son's
parting from his parents' house. Light-minded youths waste their excellent
energies and the talents of their soul and body very quickly, ruining for this
life and eternity all the good they have done. Meanwhile there appears a mighty
famine in that land -- emptiness and dissatisfaction -- a necessary result of
wild pleasures. A thirst for satisfaction appears,
which is even more intensified by the gratification of base passions, and which
finally becomes insatiable. It frequently turns out that the unfortunate lover
of the world resorts to the pursuit of that which is base and shameful in order
to gratify his passions, but is still not brought to his senses, unlike the
prodigal son; he does not return to the path of salvation, but completes his
ruin, both temporal and eternal!
[From a pamphlet published by Archbishop John in Shanghai, Feb. 4,1946.]
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