"The present world is like a field of wheat. The wheat started to sprout, but pigs came into the field and stomped all over it. And now the field looks like this: grass, earth, ears trampled in the dirt, and only in some places untouched ears of wheat stand at the edges. . ."
- Geronda, remember the girl who told you what she thought of becoming a nun? She told me that her classmate started pestering her about why she didn't go to the movies or go out with boys. What should she have told him?
- She should have told him, "Even my own brother doesn't ask me questions like that! Are you going to ask me that?"
- And he met her again a few days later outside the university and grabbed her by the shoulder. All she said to him was, "Hi," and then she walked right in.
- No, she had done wrong! In this case, she should have fought him back. She acted in such a way that he might have gotten the impression that she liked his prank, so that he would do it again. She was at a somewhat difficult age now, and so if she began to make friends with young men, it would not do her any good. And talking to them ostensibly to help them is not good for her either. If she meets a good and kind young man and decides to marry him, she should inform her parents.
They will see if the young man has the qualities necessary to create a good family. But now, when she has not yet decided which life path to take, it is not good for her to talk to young men, because it will just make her head spin and she will lose her peace. Unhappy boys and girls who are inattentive in this regard are in a very unbalanced state, constantly agitated and have no peace. Anxiety, restlessness are written on their faces and reflected in their eyes.
The attraction of the female to the male and vice versa is peculiar to human nature. But you tell this girl that now is not the time for that. Let her watch her studies. Young men and women who cultivate their attraction to the opposite sex from an early age press the "button," without waiting for the right time to do so. And then, when the auspicious hour comes, their "button" has already been pressed and they are not able to experience joy, because they have experienced it earlier - at the wrong time. But those young ones, who are attentive to themselves in this respect, wait for the auspicious time to rejoice more, and, until that time comes, they are at peace of mind. Look at those mothers who lived in chastity before marriage. They are at peace, even though they are burdened with a lot of worries.
I always emphasize that before marriage the young man should try to live as spiritually as possible and cherish his chastity, which provides him with double health. Spiritual life is the basic prerequisite for both family life and monastic life. The present world is like a field of wheat. The wheat started to sprout, but pigs came into the field and stomped all over it. And now the field looks like this: grass, earth, ears trampled in the dirt, and only in some places untouched ears of wheat stand at the edges.
The more spiritual work a person does in his youthful years, the easier it will be for him later, no matter what life he chooses. The better equipped he is before and prepared for battle, the easier it will be during the battle, when bullets and bombs are whizzing around. Until the girl decides whether to become a nun or a good and kind mother, she must live a life of chastity. Therefore, she must now try, as much as possible, to give her whole self to her studies.
If she is attentive to sight, to hearing, if she banishes bad thoughts, she will have less to throw out of herself later on than if she were inattentive. Or a young man, when he meets a beautiful girl, for example, should try to incorporate good thoughts. He should look at her as a living image of some saint. And when he meets a promiscuous girl, he should look at her as if she were his sister. We are all children of Adam. He should feel sorry for her, just as he would if his own sister had fallen to such a state.
- Geronda, however, there are many temptations in universities and other educational institutions today.
- We need to make friends with kids who live spiritually in order to help each other and be in a spiritual atmosphere. There is no need to exaggerate the colors. I know a lot of guys who go to university and live in chastity. They achieve this with a little effort of their own and the great help of God.
Source: 3rm.info (Russian)