Infants are worthy of the blessings bestowed through Baptism, according to the faith of those who bring them to Baptism. An infant, of course, cannot yet believe on his own, but his godfather believes for him, his parents believe, the priest who performs the Sacrament believes, and according to their faith the grace of God sanctifies and regenerates the human soul.

Previously, in Russia, children were baptized on the 40th day after birth. But there were exceptions: if a child was born weak, sick, the priest baptized him as soon as possible. It was customary among the people to believe that after the Sacrament of Baptism was performed, a weak child would either soon depart to God (but he would depart as a member of the Church of Christ, and therefore into eternal life), or he would quickly recover and become stronger. In any case, during the performance of the Sacrament, the soul of the infant was entrusted to the Lord – to His Providence, at His discretion.

So it happened with little John Sergiev. As soon as he entered under God's protection during the Sacrament, he was immediately given the strength to survive and live on. This was the first sign that the Lord needed the boy who had been born, that he had been chosen.

John grew up as an unusual boy: he did not like noisy games, communicated little with his peers. He spent all his time in the parish church with his father or helped his mother around the house - in a large family it was necessary to work a lot.

In the first school years, John's studies were not given to him, and this greatly grieved him. Once, after another bad grade, he could not sleep at night. He got up from the bed, went to the home icon and, kneeling down, began to fervently ask the Lord to grant him the ability to study. "And suddenly," as John of Kronstadt later recalled, "my mind seemed to open, my memory was cleansed of some husk. The lesson set for tomorrow was revealed in every detail."

From then on, John began to study only "excellently". Later he was the first student and listener at the school, at the seminary, at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.

You will say: lucky! The lad prayed, and began to study well, his most cherished desire was fulfilled! And we pray and pray, but our desires are not fulfilled for some reason. Why?

Perhaps simply because there is no sincere faith in our prayers. We pray in the hope that we will receive what we ask for. In hope, not in confidence! Do you feel the difference? The Gospel says that true faith can make a mountain move. And if there is only hope that through our prayer the mountain will one day move, then prayer is in vain. It will not move.

When John Sergiev grew up and became a priest, many of his contemporaries noted that he always asked the Lord for the healing of people who turned to him for help very confidently, he did not ask – he demanded! Sounds blasphemous? No. He demanded because he did not doubt for a second that his prayer would be heard, that God's help would surely come. And she came. For it is quite rightly said: "According to your faith, let it be rewarded to you!"