“If artists who make statues and paint portraits of kings are held in high esteem,
will not God bless ten thousand times more those who reveal and beautify His
royal image? For man is the image of God. When we teach our children to be
good, to be gentle, and to be forgiving – all attributes of God; to be generous,
to love their neighbor, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in
their souls, and reveal the image of God within them. This, then, is our task: to
educate both ourselves and our children in Godliness; otherwise what answer will
we have before Christ’s judgment seat? … St. John Chrysostom
My dad would repeat often, “Don’t get caught up in this world and in the things of this world, we are all passing through.” And once he determined that God was truly calling me to the priesthood, he said, “If this is what God is asking of you, I have no right to get in his way. I give you my blessing.” Thanks, Dad!!
