“Thus the light minded youth was taken in by the deceitful glitter of the world’s pleasures and decided to cast off the yoke of obedience and depart from his parent’s home. Today many are inspired by similar impulses, and if they do not leave their parents’ house, do they not depart from the house of their Heavenly Father, from obedience to the Holy Church?
The yoke of Christ and his commandments seem difficult for immature minds. They imagine that it is not entirely necessary to follow what God and His Holy Church commands. It seems to them that they can serve both God and the world at the same time. They say, “We are already strong enough to withstand destructive temptations and attractions. We can, by ourselves, hold on to the truth and correct teachings. Allow us to improve our minds by many kinds of knowledge. Let us strengthen our wills amid temptations and pitfalls. Through experience our senses will be convinced of the foulness of vice!” Such desires are not better than the ill considered request of the younger son to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”
Today we have light minded youths who cease to heed the commandments and suggestions of the Holy Church. They stop studying the Word of God and the teachings of the holy fathers, and turn their attention to the ‘wisdom’ of false teachers, thus ruining the better part of their lives. They go to church less frequently or attend without attention, distracted. There is no time to be pious and practice virtues since they are too busy attending movies, going to parties, etc. In short, they give themselves up to the world more and more each day, and, finally, depart into a far country.
What is the result of such parting from the Holy Church? It is the same as the result of the prodigal son’s parting from his parents’ house. Light minded youths waste their excellent energies and the talents of their soul and body very quickly, ruining for this life and eternity all the good they have done. Meanwhile there appears a mighty famine in that land — emptiness and dissatisfaction – a necessary result of wild pleasures.”
– Homily on the Prodigal Son