Features of the spiritual life of children according to the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse

Abstract

Saint Theophan the Recluse and the publication of his works in the Tambov Diocesan Gazette from 1861 to 1894
The article is devoted to a pressing issue of modern Russian society – the education and upbringing of the younger generation based on domestic spiritual values. The destinies of the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church are closely linked. One of the exponents of the patristic heritage, a teacher of Christian morality is Saint Theophan the Recluse of Vyshensky (in the world Georgy Vasilyevich Govorov, 1815–1894) – an Orthodox theologian and thinker, a God-wise ascetic, offering the teachings of the holy fathers and personal experience of spiritual life for guidance. Considering the stages of development of a person's spiritual life according to the teachings of Saint Theophan, the author identifies three successive stages on the path to salvation, and then dwells in detail on the age stages of a child's spiritual life: infancy, adolescence and youth. The article pays special attention to some of the dangers that arise from the characteristics of adolescence. As a conclusion to the article, the author cites the words of Saint Theophan about what happiness it is for a child to receive a good, truly Christian upbringing, to enter with it into the years of youth and then in the same spirit to enter into adulthood.