After having prayed together with you, I would like to leave you something to remember concerning your education.

In education, the most difficult thing is to orient the human freedom. Most often, especially in our times, educators cannot deal with this duty so educated people are disappearing because they cannot handle freedom. Obviously, here, the most responsible ones are the educated, for what can the educator do for a person who does not have the freedom to receive this good? Therefore, which of the conditions needed for the development of your freedom – freedom of which our future in this life and the following one depends – depend on us?

First of all, respect and attention towards your freedom is required, as it is a priceless gift of God, bestowed only upon man and of which he may not abuse.

Therefore, avoid taking hasty decisions concerning issues that usually make young people sin, and learn to balance every step you take. Repeating the law of God to the people of Israel, before they entered the Promised Land, he said “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30, 19). Therefore, test the ways that lie ahead of you before making a choice and take the path that leads to life and not to death.

It is difficult even for adults to decide on their own what the end of one or other choice is – so for a young person it will be even harder. God, Who gave man infinite freedom when He created Him as well as after his fall, has shown us the path of life under the form of a general law, meaning of a general principle, from which we need to start solving every particular situation in our life. And what are the principles of this law? “Love” continues Moises, “the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days.”

Therefore, the second condition or correct orientation of our freedom if that of carefully determining whether the choice we have made corresponds with the will of God. And because we cannot find a clear indication for all particular cases, Moses said “cleave unto Him”, meaning to be in a spiritual communion with God through prayer, through the longing of the heart, love, and He will reveal His will into your heart and will show you the path of life.

Avoid, young man, to let yourself free in the will of the noisy impulses, so popular now amongst your peers, who, whoever they may be, they are as inexperienced as you are. Do not give to no one your freedom, as you are the only responsible for it. In case of difficult situations, call in your heart the only advisor that will never fail – your God, and He will give you wisdom and teach you what to do and who to follow!

But this movement of the soul towards the communication with God will free your mind and heart from deception and your reasoning from passions. All the powers of your soul will return under your dominion and you will be able to turn them in the right direction.

(Translation from: Viaţa de familie, traducere din limba rusă de Adrian Tănăsescu-Vlas, Editura Sophia, Bucureşti, 2009, pp. 67-70)