St. Seraphim of Sarov

[88Devin07]

I've never read of anyone like him before except from that in scripture. St. Seraphim of Sarov was truly a great man. Being beaten down by an axe handle, then being beaten with a log, then being trampled over, and beaten to almost death, then the ppl who did this to him stole his icon of the Theotokos... When they were caught... I learned that he interceded on their behalf and forgave them... They crippled him for the rest of his life and he forgave them...

I only wished the lord could give me that kind of love...

He also saw Jesus and angels come in and bless people praying in the church he was at, he could not speak for a while afterwards. I don't ever see this happen, and this is the only instance i've heard of this happening, but does Jesus always come like this and bless those in the church though they can't see him?

Oh Lord Jesus, forgive me, I wished I could become as your humble servant, St. Seraphim of Sarov.
:bow: :cry:

[StChristopherofPalestine]

He really is an amazing saint. He's my priest's family's unofficial patron and will be my patron when I'm received into the Church.

[xristos.anesti]

Sometimes I am afraid to even think that I am expecting some mercy. Reading what the Saintly Fathers did and how, and then going and looking into mirror... it is just disgusting to even realise how sick and pathetic I am.

And it would end there! Everything would end there. In a realisation of my perverted nature and actions, will and thoughts I can not but think of just giving up, lifting my hands and cursing, as I did just recently, blaming God for doing this to me, blaming God for presenting me with the knowledge that we are surrounded by such a great a cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12, 1a.), blaming Him that I am such an evil man, unworthy of air I breathe, water I drink and bread I eat.

That would be the end.

And then, the realisation comes, from the deepest and most hidden secret chambers of my soul that exactly THAT REALISATION IS THE POINT of everything.

For, not even blessed Paul stopped after those words but continues: let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb 12, 1b.). And it comes to me the knock which presents to me why we have people like St. Seraphim. So that we can go and look in the mirror; doing the same thing that our fathers did before us. For as I look in the mirror reading about St. Seraphim, so did he reading about St. Gregory Palamas who did the same reading about St. John Damascene who did same reading about St. John Chrysostome... until we come to that bless Paul who point into our Salvation, that great Mystery of our lives, Son of God, the humble Carpenter, the Word (Logos), Incarnated God, Physician of our souls, Jesus Christ.

And in that the mystery of our faith become visible in that mirror of disgust and pain. The mystery of which the same blessed Paul speaks when he says:

And, really, great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.


Lord have mercy.

[MariaRegina]

St. Seraphim of Sarov was tranfigured like Christ ...

And he said something positively amazing ...

We are all called to be transfigured into Christ by theosis on this earth like he was.

But so few of us truly love God. So few of us really want to be faithful to our Rule of Prayer.

Lord have mercy on us and save us.

Most Holy Theotokos Save us.

[88Devin07]

Something else he said... Our goal as Christians here on Earth is not to pray, fast, repent, give alms, but to acquire the Holy Spirit and he says, those are just a means of acquiring it.

[Fotina]

And then, the realisation comes, from the deepest and most hidden secret chambers of my soul that exactly THAT REALISATION IS THE POINT of everything.

from here: http://www.pelagia.org/htm/b01.en.a_night_in_the_desert_of_the_holy_mountain.05.htm

– Holy father, I started in a low voice, a desire has taken hold of me very strongly lately. I believe that God has planted it. I want to be purified. I can see the passions unfurling within me. I think my heart is a jungle which feeds many wild beasts the devil is its master and does whatever he wants. I want to be free from this awful state. I would like to give my soul completely to God, I would like him to illumine me. The cunning devil has devastated it long enough. So, I want to be purified but I do not know how. Can you hear me, Gerondas! I want to be purified! Show me the way! I am ready to take it and obey without question whatever you tell me.

... I had started in a low voice but ended up crying out and weeping. My last words may have been heard like thunder in the ears of the hermit. So loud were they! He kept silent for a while. He looked at me with much love; only monks have this sort of love and know how to show it. He gave me the impression that I should not be troubled about this concern, for it was blessed.

– It is obvious, he said, that the Holy Spirit exists and acts within us when we experience such a state. We begin walking the way of the theoria (vision) of God. It is the first stage of theoria. If the perfect theoria (vision) of the uncreated Light is "enraptured light" the soul, repentance and the awareness of our sinfulness is "fire consuming" the soul. Then, repentance and the desire for the purification of the soul from the passions constitutes the time of grace. Only when grace enters within us can we see our desolation how far we are from God and we fight to be united with him. We are not able to have these thoughts and these desires if the grace of God does not visit us.

He was a wise director, an experienced spiritual father indeed a man full of grace. He knows, like the best doctor, how to calm you down, to give you peace, to give you a pacifying medicine not in order to leave you contented with your selfishness but in order to deliver you from it, to cure you.

– Having clarified this point, he went on, I must also show you some methods or rather a very simple method. Do not expect me to burden you with very heavy things. The prayer of Jesus, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me" the unceasing cry to God, our Saviour purifies our soul. All our salvation rests upon the invocation of Jesus and union with him. Let us cry to him to come and He will cure us by his coming. Let us moan like a sick man and He like a doctor will come lovingly to our aid . Let us cry like the one who fell among thieves, and the good Samaritan will come to clean our wounds and guide us to the Inn, that is to the theoria (vision) of the Light which consumes all our being. When God comes into our heart, He gains victory over the devil and cleanses the impurities which the evil one has created. The victory, therefore, over the devil is the victory of Christ in us. Let us do the human part, that is to invite Christ, and He will do the divine part, He will gain victory over the devil and cut him off. So we should not want to do the divine part ourselves and expect God to do the human one. We should understand this well, we do the human part, the prayer of Jesus, and God the divine part, our salvation. The entire work of the Church is the collaboration of divine and human.

[Vasya Davidovich]

How appropriate these themes for the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner.
Lord, make speed to save me. Lord, make haste to help me.

[Eusebios]

Axios!, Axios!, Axios!

[Photini]

Devin, it is so good to be reading about the lives of the Saints. :) There is so much to learn from them. And you can see, that each one of them had struggles and tribulations...so it is good to find a Saint that you can relate to in their struggle, and befriend them and learn from them.

[Shubunkin]

Something else he said... Our goal as Christians here on Earth is not to pray, fast, repent, give alms, but to acquire the Holy Spirit and he says, those are just a means of acquiring it.

Yes.
:crosseo:

[MariaRegina]

It is so easy to forget that this life is just a stop along the way to eternity.

Our existence here and now is only a temporary life given to us by God so that we may repent. And how do we repent: by prayer, fasting, almsgiving and charitable deeds.

The real life awaits us when we shall be with God for all eternity.

We cannot acquire the Holy Spirit without self-denial because we must die to ourselves (mortify our flesh) in order to rise with Christ and reach theosis through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Our whole purpose on earth is to repent and love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Then we will acquire the Holy Spirit and become transfigured even in this life like Saint Seraphim of Sarov.


Unfortunately, too many of us have bought into the comfortable life ... the warm fuzzy Christianity (with little or no fasting) that is preached by mainstream protestants.