September 30: Saint Jerome
Advice to Parents Wishing to Raise Children to Be Virgins
Thus must a soul be educated which is to be a temple of God. It must learn to hear nothing and to say nothing but what belongs to the fear of God. It must have no understanding of unclean words, and no knowledge of the world's songs. Its tongue must be steeped while still tender in the sweetness of the psalms. Boys with their wanton thoughts must be kept from Paula (the girl who is to be raised to be a virgin as was vowed by her parents to obtain her conception): even her maids and female attendants must be separated from worldly associates. For if they have learned some mischief they may teach more. Get for her a set of letters made of boxwood or of ivory and called each by its proper name. Let her play with these, so that even her play may teach her something. ... He goes on to give details of the education of a child. Let us remember that children should hear more about saints than about worldly and useless things, because we are to be raising them to be saints. PRAYER: Saint Jerome guide us to raise all children to be saints. Amen.
