Читать книгу The Ascent - Людмила Князева - Страница 4

Our parents. Are we always able to properly understand the motives behind their actions? When we are young we often tend to be too quick to take offense at their actions but as we grow older we come to appreciate, if belatedly, their wisdom and righteousness. Indeed, what is at bottom, the meaning of life for each one of us? Is it not the embodiment of our parent plans, their will and desire to see us become what we in most cases eventually become thanks to their efforts? Do we not regret sometimes that our growing up and maturity often comes too late in life? Before we can bring joy to our parents with our successes and accomplishment while they are still living. Sometimes we become not only the embodiment of their victories, merits and services but can also become an expiation of their sins. Each one of us continues to bear our cross and has to pay the price for the mistakes made by our parents. And so it is from generation to later generation. We either add to the good things that our parents did or else we come to atone for and expiate their sins and leave something for our children to inherit. But what exactly is it?

That is my question to you. What do you think?

What “baton” will our children carry on in the “relay race” of their life, our spiritual gains or will they have to atone for our sins in their later life? What do you think?…

And what of Antony’s parents? What was it that they had wanted to leave for their sons?

Repentance for their sins or an ascent as a reward for the righteousness of their ways?… Judge for yourself.

In 1901, long before Antony was born, his father and grandfather on the mother’s side, once got on a steamer and sailed to Saratov on the Volga. In the city’s cathedral they had the good fortune to meet St. John of Kronstadt, who gave them his blessing to abandon their estate and all possessions, and flee from the tornado of revolutionary change. Telling his own children later about this fateful meeting Dmitri Fyodorovich quoted the words of St. John of Kronstadt: “Spare nothing but your life. Drop everything, flee from your village. Take your family with you and run!”