About family
Parents and children
“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward”(Ps. 127,3).
At one school children were asked to answer a question, what words do they hear often at home. It has appeared that more than half of children in the answer to this question wrote: «I don't have time». So more often parents answer the children.
The girl has asked the father to tell to it a fairy tale. He has told. "Once again", – the girl asked. The patient father has told once again. And when the girl asked the same fairy tale to tell in the third time, the father told: «I don't have time», but to comply with the request of the daughter, he has told a fairy tale on the recorder and told: «Well here, now you can use the tape recorder and listen how many you want».
«But the father, – the girl answered, – I can't sit down to this device on knees, as to you». It means, that it is important not only an interesting fairy tale, but fellowship with the loving father and mother.
Children are wonderful creations of God, and parents should be ready to bringing up their worthy citizens of the sky and the earth. Parents should care not only of that their children were live or that they were as more as possible richer, but parents have to aspire to that their children mind to fill with wisdom. After all wisdom is more expensive than jewels and pearls; everything to what people aspire, it is impossible to compare to wisdom. “Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour” (Prov. 3,16). A tree of life at those who seizes it, and those who will keep it are happy.
While the soul still is capable to formation, is gentle and soft, like wax easily embodies in itself images, it is necessary, without hesitating hour to induce it to good. When the wisdom will be formed, then the initial bases of piety will be already put. Then the wisdom will inspire useful, and skill will facilitate success. A young tree is easier to force to grow anyhow, than the adult tree.
The kind example happens better any lecture.
Don't forget it, fathers and mothers. Find time for employment with children.
P.Shatrov
Mothers, pray for your children!
“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Lk. 11,9-10).
About one and a half thousand years ago loving mother Monika prayed for her son. She was mother of well-known Saint Augustine.
Augustine lived in sin. And heart of mother grieved day and night. She prayed for him many years, and the son continued to conduct dissolute life, and the precipice between him and God increased every year. But mother continued to appeal to the Lord and showed love to the son in everything in what only could. And when she despaired of the sufferings, she went to the bishop of local church and told about her grief. The bishop listened to her and told: «Go, live as you lived before, it is can't be, that the child of such tears and prayers was lost».
Heart of mother rose; she apprehended these words as words of the Lord. A lot of time passed after that. When her son was thirty three years, suddenly he was attacked by not explainable melancholy. He began to analyze his own life. And once he went in a far corner of a garden and opened his heart to Jesus, he cried before Him and repented.
There was no limit to happiness of mother, and in the pleasure she told to her son Augustine: «my Son, the most pleasure in this life for me is to know that you have known God now. I had one desire: to see you as a Christian before I will die. My Lord also generously awarded me. He granted to me to see you devoted entirely to service to Him».
There is nothing holier and more disinterested than love of mother; any attachment, any love, any passion either is weak, or is self-interested in comparison with it. Mother is more than the friend. Mother – the careful head of our life, and especially, if she is Christian. Person, who has God-fearing mother will never be poor. The parent prayer can lift you from a sea bottom. Mothers, pray; pray constantly for your children!
P.Shatrov
Mother’s love
“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Is. 49,15).
In the Alpine mountains there is a pass Saint Bernard which is very dangerous to the passing people. Snow storms happen even in the summer there; they arise sometimes absolutely unexpectedly in the winter. Travelers go astray and perish in snowdrifts.
At top of this pass there is the well-known Saint Bernard monastery which inhabitants always go after snow storms with the strong trained dogs to the aid of overtaken by a storm. They have rescued many, but many were found to bury only.
Once they have found a nude woman, and a tiny face of her child hardly looked out almost her clothes. Having gone astray and feeling that she is doomed to death, because of love to the child she took off from herself clothes and has wrapped the child in it, hoping that, maybe, it will be rescued. Rescuers found her, but, alas, the child was dead too.
Mother’s love is great and oblational. Mother wants to keep life to the child in spite of her own life. The love of mother is big, but love of God to the person is bigger.
Any mutual human love, is as though great it was, has a measure and a limit. God’s love to us has no limit. His love is Gift, and, on the contrary, His Gift is His love. Both that and another is so great that we can't imagine. God loved us not by any necessity, but through His grace; He loves without dependence from something. Think how can we answer this love.
Think that this love do not expect of any good from us, for God has in it no need.
P.Shatrov
Love of children to parents
“Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice”(Prov. 23,25) .
In China, in olden time, the person who has been convicted of theft, was chopped off hands. One grandee, the favourite of the emperor has got in theft. The emperor couldn't recede from the law and ordered to punish the criminal. In a court yard an executioner's block with rings was put, and next day early in the morning the executioner should chop off to the grandee of a hand. But here the girl, the daughter of the condemned grandee came to a palace, asking with tears, that she wants to see the emperor. With great difficulty, but the court complied with her request. The girl felt face downwards before the emperor.
“A great sovereign, – she has told, – my father is awarded to remain without hands; and so, chop off my hands, they are his too, but aren't able to support our big family as it is done by his hands”. The emperor had children, and it was pleasant to it that the little girl so loves the father.
“Let will be as you ask; but I will give to you will to refuse execution, at least the latest minute”.
On the next day girl was resulted in a court yard for execution. In the court yard center there was an executioner's block, perfused blood and near it – the executioner with a naked sword. The girl turned pale, was confused for a minute, but regained self-control soon, approached to an executioner's block and pushed hands in rings. The executioner adhered hands to an executioner's block with belts. The girl didn't say any word. The executioner lifted a sword, and closed eyes. The sword sparkled, without touching of edges of fingers.
«The emperor forgives your father for great your love», – the imperial confidant declared. They opened prison doors. The father ran out to the daughter, began to kiss her hands and to pour their with tears.
The next day people were declared to the decree about cancellation the cruel old law forever. And in a court yard for executions under the imperial order a column was made with a marble board and the words on it with gold letters were written that the daughter was ready to give the hands for hands of the father, and in the end there were words: “fathers, who have such children are happy, and the earth where there are such families is happy”. Children, love your fathers and mothers by word and deed!
P.Shatrov
