In a message marking International Children’s Day, His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia emphasized the vital role of parents as models and “living icons” for their children.
His Eminence described children as “the most precious treasure of the Church and of the nation,” noting their “pure souls and luminous eyes.”
Quoting Saint Basil the Great, Metropolitan Petru reminded the faithful that “the soul of a child is like soft wax—it easily takes the shape of the seal impressed upon it.”
For this reason, he said, “all those who labor in the field of education—parents, grandparents, teachers, and priests—are called to sow in a child’s heart the fruits of love, faith, and hope.”
The metropolitan stressed that “a word spoken gently, a prayer said with the child, a self-giving gesture offered with joy—all become foundation stones for a life built in Christ.”
“In a time troubled by too many voices and too few pure ones, children need more than ever the icon of their parents,” he stated.
“We urge you, with a parental heart, to delight in your children, to be their light and guide, and to keep them close to the Church, to prayer, and to holiness. A childhood spent at Sunday Liturgy, in the scent of incense, the sound of church bells, and the embrace of a praying mother is a childhood that will bear fruit in holiness.”
Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia
