St. John Chrysostom | ...as though you were intentionally destroying your children...

Chapter Nine. 

Lessons by Our Holy Father John Chrysostom on Education. Con’t.

29. For you, as though you were intentionally destroying your children, order them to do exactly those things which make it impossible to be saved. Look first of all (at what is written). Woe, it is said, unto you that laugh (Lk. 6:25), but you give your children a multitude of causes for laughter.

“Woe unto you that are rich” (Lk. 6:24), but it is your chief concern that they get rich. “Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you” (Lk. 6:26), but you often spend all your living for the sake of human glory.

Again, he who maligns his brother is in danger of hell fire (Mt. 5:22), but you consider anyone who silently bears offensive words from others to be weak and cowardly. Christ commands us to avoid fights and arguments, but you are constantly occupying your children with these evil affairs.

He commanded in many circumstances to pluck out your eye if it leads to evil (cf. Mt. 5:29), but you especially befriend those who can give you money, even though they may be teaching extreme depravity. He commanded not to put away one's wife unless it be for adultery (cf. Mt. 5:32), but when you see that money can be had, you order that this commandment be disdained. He absolutely forbade oaths (cf. Mt. 5:34), but you even laugh when you see that this ban is observed.

“He that loveth his life”, the Lord said, “shall lose it”, (Jn. 12:25), but you do all you can to draw children into this love. “If ye forgive not men their trespasses, He says, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6:15), but you even criticize your children when they do not want to take revenge upon their offenders, and try to bring them to a state where they will want to do this. Christ said that if you do anything out of vainglory — fasting, praying, or almsgiving — it is all done to no effect (cf. Mt. 6:1), but you only try to arrange that your children receive praise. But why enumerate everything?

If these vices already named are able not just collectively but even separately to prepare a thousand gehennas, and you, having gathered them together and laid this unbearably heavy bundle of sins on your children, send them with it to the lake of fire; how can they save themselves, carrying so much food for the fire?

St. Theophan the Recluse