– Not always. Often young people worry, thinking about how best to enter the chosen path and follow it, always being with God. This is a sign of [mental] health. If a young man does not think and does not worry about embarking on the chosen path, this first of all indicates that he is an indifferent person, and as a result, he will naturally not succeed. However, one must be careful that anxiety about marriage or monasticism does not become excessive, because the devil tries to distort this anxiety, turn it into spiritual anxiety and keep the minds of young men and women in constant confusion.

In order to remain peaceful, young people should entrust themselves to God. After all, the Good God, as a tender Father, acts where we can no longer do anything humanly. Young people should not rush and make immature decisions about which path they will take. I know young people who are very anxious and try to solve all their problems at once. Eventually, they get confused and drop out of school. For example, they have to graduate from university, and they are excessively worried about starting a family or going to a monastery. As a result, they fall behind in their studies and become even more confused. Everything cannot be done at once, and problems are not solved in this way. In order to help themselves, they must properly understand themselves and put everything on the shelves. First you need to get a diploma, then find a job (young men also need to serve in the army). And only after that, already being mature, can one make a decision and, with God's help, either marry and create a good family, or, if a person has chosen the monastic life, enter the monastery that he has chosen.

Therefore, I advise those young people who are studying and have similar anxiety to continue their studies, because they have not yet decided which path to take. I advise you to make the decision that will ripen in them later and will appeal to them. If they are kindly disposed, then with God's help, having slowly figured out how they should live – in marriage or celibacy, in a monastery – they will feel peace of mind.

We Must Help Young People Follow Their Calling

Each person has his own calling. The good God created man free. God is noble: He honors the freedom of man and leaves everyone free to follow the path that he likes. God does not line everyone up according to the laws of barracks discipline. Therefore, let the young leave themselves free in the spiritual space of God's freedom. If they look up to what kind of life so-and-so has chosen for himself, it will not benefit them. In choosing a life path, a person should not be subject to anyone's influence.

Родители, духовники, педагоги, не оказывая давления на юного человека, не наступая ему на горло, должны помочь ему избрать ту жизнь, которая ему по плечу, - и последовать своему призванию. Решение о выборе жизненного пути должно приниматься самими юными. Мы - все остальные - можем просто выражать своё мнение. Мы имеем право лишь на то, чтобы помочь душам юных [самим] найти свой путь.

Иногда, беседуя с юными, которые затрудняются в выборе жизненного пути, я вижу, в какую сторону склоняются весы, но не говорю им об этом, чтобы не повлиять на их собственный выбор. Я стараюсь сделать лишь одно: помочь им, насколько возможно, обрести правильный путь и внутренний мир. Из того, что приходится им по душе, я стараюсь исключить все вредное и оставить доброе, святое, чтобы уже в этой жизни они жили радостно, с Богом, а в жизни вечной радовались ещё больше. Говорю вам искренне: какую бы жизнь ни избрал тот или иной знакомый мне юноша, я в любом случае буду рад. Я буду одинаково заботиться о спасении его души - лишь бы он был со Христом, жил в Церкви. Я буду чувствовать себя его братом, потому что такой человек - чадо нашей Матери Церкви.