October: Day 21: Teaching 2: The Day of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich

October: Day 21: Teaching 2:
The Day of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich
 
(The Sorrowful Fruits of Intellectual Education Without Religious and Moral Upbringing)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

“I do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:16-18).

I. On this solemn day, let us turn our attention to these words of the Holy Apostle Paul, written in his epistle to the Christians of Ephesus. The good will expressed by the Holy Apostle to the Ephesians is important for Christians of all times and peoples, as it indicates the spiritual powers Christians must cultivate in striving for ever greater perfection. For our time, this apostolic good will is especially significant, as the direction of our lives and our education has deviated from the path indicated by the Holy Apostle.

According to the Holy Apostle, an enlightened Christian is one who has formed and developed their mind comprehensively, directing it toward the study of not only visible nature but also the invisible God, known in the wisdom of creation and in His revelation. They have also enlightened their hearts, accustoming them to good and pure feelings, so that they may reverently comprehend the full magnitude of God's blessings for us and, throughout their lives, kindle in their hearts the holy fire of love for God and sincere goodwill toward our brothers and neighbors. A healthy human mind reasons in complete accordance with the teachings of the Holy Apostle. A well-developed and educated person is one in whom all the spiritual powers are harmoniously developed: mind, will, heart, and not one to the detriment of the others.

Who among us would praise a person with a developed intellect, possessing a wide range of knowledge, yet immoral and dishonest, deserving not the slightest trust or respect for their principles and behavior? Who among us would praise a person who is intelligent but heartless and cruel, ready to inflict any harm on their neighbor? Who among us does not know that for the peaceful and happy course of social life, people of impeccable honesty and modesty, incredible kindness and purity of heart, are more important than those with merely greater intelligence and broad knowledge? Who does not know that one-sided human development has never been approved by anyone, but, on the contrary, people have always advocated comprehensive development and have always expressed the desire that in every person, mind, will and heart be equally carefully developed? What, however, do we see in practice?

In fact, the pursuit of intellectual development has overshadowed the development of other spiritual powers, as if the only valuable human power is the mind, while all other spiritual powers are worthless and therefore require no attention to their development. Science has become the primary concern in children's education everywhere. Not only in schools, but even in families, teaching children various sciences has taken first place.

As for moral and religious development, many parents believe it best to give their children complete freedom, as if their will doesn't need to be exercised or directed — it will naturally find its way to goodness and truth. They consider religious development unnecessary, as children are still young and understand nothing. It is said that intelligence is the force that opens the doors to the sanctuary of higher learning, leading them to higher education and a broader worldview, to more honorable occupations and positions, even to fame and eternal memory in posterity.

II. The activity of the human mind would indeed be very fruitful if it were carried out under the banner of the Christian faith and the guidance of Christian law — when people were rich not only in knowledge, but also in love, goodness and honor. Our sorrow lies in the fact that the light of enlightenment pours broadly upon us, but it does not warm us: it illuminates our minds, excites them, sometimes spurring us to intense and exhausting work, but it does not warm our hearts with the life-giving warmth of love for the all-wise Creator and Provider, sympathy and compassion for our neighbor, sincere friendship and familial affection. Today, there is much intelligence among people, but little heart — it is dry and callous. There is much intelligence, but morality has not become any higher or purer; on the contrary, by general admission, morality, with the development of education, has fallen into greater decline. This is how it should be when all our efforts are directed toward developing a person's mind and their will and heart are neglected, left to develop with the winds of the general current, according to the principles of selfishness, and the demands of passions and lusts. The sad fruits of such a course are reflected in our lives with all clarity.

a) It is not for nothing that our time has been unflatteringly called the age of all kinds of falsehood. Wherever you turn, you will often encounter something counterfeit. Whether you eat food or drink various drinks, you know that much of it is adulterated and contaminated with harmful additives that are bound to harm your health. When you dress, there is fear that your clothes are often not what they seem. You even light a wax candle or a lampada before holy icons and know that this candle or this oil is not always free of impurities. And then there is counterfeiting everywhere and in everything: counterfeit money, some people with a false appearance, and sometimes even false feelings and speech haunt you at every step, constantly telling you to beware, do not trust, you are being deceived; people today have no conscience at all. And indeed, if good will and a noble heart were developed in people, if concern for the purity of morality were applied, would it really be possible for falsehood and deception to spread so widely among us?

b) Take a closer look at other ailments of our time, and they will reveal our one-sided development. Doubt and indifference in faith, lack of faith, and even unbelief — these are the ailments of some; these ailments cannot be hidden, for their existence among us is known to all. Who in our society will rise up to defend their faith and the Church with its statutes and rituals? Are we not likely to find those everywhere who are ready to share in the mockery and ridicule of them? Therefore, let any false teacher boldly come to us and preach whatever he pleases against our faith, its statutes, and rituals: those willing to listen to false teachings and follow them will always be found in our society. This means that our hearts are not established in the Lord, and our wills have been little immersed in His law.

c) Others are dissatisfied with everyone and everything; they condemn and criticize everything. It seems that the order we have established is bad; the people appointed to rule and govern are bad. It seems that everything needs to be redone and all existing orders changed. The dissatisfaction of such people sometimes reaches the point of bitterness and extreme embitterment. Prideful self-delusion leads them to the point where their hearts are devoid of any compassion or pity for others. Their hearts have become hardened.

d) Those of a third kind value only external goods and sensual pleasures. These people are indifferent and cold to everything in this world, except external goods and sensual pleasures. In pursuit of these, they are ready to sacrifice everything: their honor, their conscience, their family, their friendship, and their love. Such people lack higher, spiritual aspirations; everything has perished in the whirlpool of passions and vices. For such people, everything is sacrificed to the golden calf, and selfless service to it is considered modern, intelligent, and in no way shameful. The hearts of these people have become dull, and their spiritual eyes have closed to the higher spiritual world.

III. Thus, brethren, intellectual development in our society is growing and spreading, but at the same time, happiness and peace are slipping further and further away from people. Let us reflect on this and strive to heal this illness before it becomes chronic and incurable. Let us devote all our attention and all our efforts to ensuring that our children receive not only healthy and useful intellectual development, but also a deep and thorough religious and moral education, without which intellectual education alone cannot produce either good citizens for this earth or sons and heirs of the Kingdom of God in heaven. Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.