WEBVTT 00:00:00.810 --> 00:00:03.169 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:03.169 --> 00:00:07.929 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today, on this Sunday, 00:00:08.150 --> 00:00:11.570 the Day of the Lord, when we make our weekly 00:00:11.570 --> 00:00:13.929 commemoration of the Lord's death and resurrection, 00:00:14.470 --> 00:00:20.649 we also celebrate the memory of our Venerable 00:00:20.649 --> 00:00:24.730 Father, Seraphim of Sarov, one of the most venerated 00:00:24.730 --> 00:00:28.750 saints of the Orthodox Church, especially in 00:00:28.750 --> 00:00:31.339 the churches of the Russian tradition, including 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:35.719 our Orthodox Church in America. But one might 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:41.460 think, aside from this being a feast of the dedication 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:44.740 of this temple, patronal feast of this church, 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:48.899 what relevance does the memory of the Russian 00:00:48.899 --> 00:00:53.579 saint has for us Orthodox Christians in America? 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:01.840 In 1778, two young men entered and became novices 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:05.280 in a large and growing Russian monastery of the 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:09.420 time, the men's monastery of Sarov in central 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:13.939 Russia. One of them, most likely named Yegor 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:17.980 Popov, was from a peasant family, and another 00:01:17.980 --> 00:01:21.260 from a merchant family in Kursk, he was named 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:25.319 Prokhor Mashnin. The first of these young men 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:29.099 received in monasticism the name Herman. In a 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:31.739 few years, moved with his elder to the monastery 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:34.980 of Walaam up north, and then joined the first 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:38.019 Russian Orthodox mission in Alaska, becoming 00:01:38.019 --> 00:01:41.859 as a simple monk, a spiritual leader, the first 00:01:41.859 --> 00:01:45.040 missionary, defender and protector of the native 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.579 people of Alaska, the elder of Alaska and all 00:01:48.579 --> 00:01:52.420 America. And we know him as St. Herman, our venerable 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:56.640 Father Herman of Alaska. The second of these 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.079 young men. somewhat younger than Herman, received 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:05.920 the name Seraphim. In 1794, when Monk Herman 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.199 arrived in Kodiak as part of the first Russian 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:12.000 Orthodox mission in North America, in the same 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:15.539 year, higher Monk Seraphim, a little more than 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:20.219 a year after his ordination, after he has, as 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:23.860 a deacon, experienced the vision of God during 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:28.330 the Divine Liturgy. He departs to the forest 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:32.189 of Sarov and becomes a hermit, remaining in his 00:02:32.189 --> 00:02:36.090 hermitage until he is compelled to move back 00:02:36.090 --> 00:02:41.349 into the monastery. We do not know, we don't 00:02:41.349 --> 00:02:44.469 have evidence, whether St. Seraphim and St. Hermon 00:02:44.469 --> 00:02:48.349 ever met one another, except perhaps in passing, 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:52.169 even though they knew the same elder and the 00:02:52.169 --> 00:02:55.710 teacher of the Jesus prayer, Nazari of Sarov. 00:02:57.199 --> 00:03:01.360 Thus, one or another way, they were spiritually 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:06.719 connected. And also, not only by sharing in the 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:10.699 same tradition of prayer, not only in sharing 00:03:10.699 --> 00:03:16.240 in the same rich tradition of Orthodox monasticism 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:20.479 that produces saints, but they shared the same 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.979 immediate spiritual heritage. They were spiritually 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:28.419 related. And also for us, Orthodox Christians 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:32.580 in America, who venerate St. Herman as our own 00:03:32.580 --> 00:03:36.960 American Orthodox saints, the life of St. Seraphim 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:42.560 becomes directly relevant. As St. Paul calls 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:46.360 in his epistle today, having gifts that differ 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:49.599 according to the grace being given to us, let 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:55.229 us use them in proportion to our ability. but 00:03:55.229 --> 00:03:59.650 let love be genuine, without hypocrisy, without 00:03:59.650 --> 00:04:06.009 guile. The monastic saints heard this call. All 00:04:06.009 --> 00:04:09.409 Christians are aliens and strangers in this world, 00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:13.189 and this is especially visible in the lives of 00:04:13.189 --> 00:04:17.389 monastic saints, fleeing the world, seeking solitude, 00:04:17.389 --> 00:04:22.180 not only visibly and openly, but ultimately seeking 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:25.779 the journey into the solitude of one's own heart, 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:30.220 into the depths of their soul, building the temple 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:35.339 of their heart, calling out of these depths upon 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:39.240 the Lord's holy name, Lord Jesus Christ, Son 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:43.339 of God, have mercy on us. Saint Seraphim became 00:04:43.339 --> 00:04:47.800 a hermit and entered into solitude to seek the 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:54.000 inner prayer, But in continuation of his journey, 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:58.060 he is called out of his hermitage to give counsel 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:01.779 and spiritual guidance to great numbers of people 00:05:01.779 --> 00:05:05.240 who were lost, to his monastic disciples and 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:09.379 to laity, and now also to us, his spiritual children, 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:13.740 who study his words and his life to find guidance 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:18.139 in our own quest for salvation. The monks enter 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:21.009 into the hermitage. into the depths of their 00:05:21.009 --> 00:05:28.370 own heart, but not in search of self -fulfillment, 00:05:28.410 --> 00:05:32.569 self -gratification, but for the salvation of 00:05:32.569 --> 00:05:36.050 themselves, of their own souls, and for salvation 00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:40.870 of all. In the Gospel today, according to Luke, 00:05:40.930 --> 00:05:43.550 we have heard the Beatitudes, the commandments 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:46.470 of blessedness and happiness from the mouth of 00:05:46.470 --> 00:05:49.790 Christ himself. and in St. Luke's Gospel we hear 00:05:49.790 --> 00:05:52.910 them in a much more terse, pithy, and expressive 00:05:52.910 --> 00:05:56.910 version than in the Gospel of Matthew. We read 00:05:56.910 --> 00:05:59.810 those words for the feasts of all monastic saints, 00:06:00.170 --> 00:06:03.610 showing thus that all of these great saints were 00:06:03.610 --> 00:06:07.290 united in taking these words seriously, in fulfilling 00:06:07.290 --> 00:06:10.730 those new commandments of God to the best of 00:06:10.730 --> 00:06:14.009 their ability. Our Venerable Father Seraphim 00:06:14.009 --> 00:06:17.899 fulfilled those commandments precisely. The Lord 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:21.439 said, Blessed are the poor, since Seraphim lived 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.720 in his hermitage in abject poverty, and when 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:29.079 robbers attacked his cell and tortured him asking 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:34.759 for money, he forgave them and insisted that 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:41.420 they will not be punished. But most of all, first 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.879 of all, these robbers found that in his cell, 00:06:45.290 --> 00:06:47.730 in the cell of a higher monk who was visited 00:06:47.730 --> 00:06:50.470 by many people. There was in his cell, there 00:06:50.470 --> 00:06:55.290 was simply nothing to steal. The Lord said, Blessed 00:06:55.290 --> 00:06:58.589 are you that hunger now. For three years in his 00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:01.829 solitude, Saint Seraphim starved himself, feeding 00:07:01.829 --> 00:07:04.689 on a plant which the peasants of the time fed 00:07:04.689 --> 00:07:09.829 on during the time of famine, thus visibly identifying 00:07:09.829 --> 00:07:14.740 with those who are poor and hungry. Blessed are 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:18.600 that weep now. During his exile in the forest, 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:23.620 St. Seraphim became a stylite, exemplifying this 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:27.980 ultimate radical way of prayer, praying on a 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:31.860 rock for a thousand days and nights, unceasingly, 00:07:31.860 --> 00:07:35.800 until he had difficulty walking afterwards. St. 00:07:35.899 --> 00:07:38.660 Seraphim experienced hatred, misunderstanding, 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:42.850 and persecution. also from his own monastic brethren 00:07:42.850 --> 00:07:46.750 and superiors, who found his gifts and his popularity 00:07:46.750 --> 00:07:50.889 suspicious. And even after his death, there was 00:07:50.889 --> 00:07:53.589 great resistance in the Russian church to his 00:07:53.589 --> 00:07:57.709 canonization from important prominent members 00:07:57.709 --> 00:08:02.149 of the church's elite. And it is a direct intervention 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:07.189 of Tsar Nicholas II which ensured that St. Seraphim 00:08:07.189 --> 00:08:13.170 is canonized. And lastly, the Lord calls us, 00:08:13.269 --> 00:08:16.870 rejoice and leap for joy, for your reward is 00:08:16.870 --> 00:08:20.269 great in heaven. In the famous account of the 00:08:20.269 --> 00:08:23.649 conversation with his disciple, Matavilov, St. 00:08:23.730 --> 00:08:26.029 Seraphim tells us that the goal of Christian 00:08:26.029 --> 00:08:31.050 life is to acquire the Holy Spirit, to acquire 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:35.450 the peace, joy, and love of God dwelling in our 00:08:35.450 --> 00:08:40.710 hearts and filling all of our existence. St. 00:08:40.730 --> 00:08:44.350 Paul says, God's love has been poured into our 00:08:44.350 --> 00:08:47.990 hearts through the Holy Spirit that was given 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:51.929 to us. All that we do as Christians, fulfilling 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:55.009 the commandments, fasting, following the rules, 00:08:55.230 --> 00:09:00.490 is not an end in itself, but it is not a reason 00:09:00.490 --> 00:09:04.250 to pride and to be conceited about so many things 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:07.190 that we have done, that we have done successfully, 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:09.429 what we have achieved, what we have acquired. 00:09:10.409 --> 00:09:13.789 We are living a Christian life if we keep in 00:09:13.789 --> 00:09:17.529 mind the greatness of the mercy of God towards 00:09:17.529 --> 00:09:22.090 us, when we always keep our mind looking at Christ 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:25.470 our Savior, when we bear each other's burdens 00:09:25.470 --> 00:09:29.450 and pray unceasingly as much as we can, keeping 00:09:29.450 --> 00:09:34.990 the name of Christ in our mind. We may not experience 00:09:34.990 --> 00:09:38.580 hardship and suffering, in the same way that 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:41.980 St. Seraphim endured in his mission of bringing 00:09:41.980 --> 00:09:46.039 salvation to the people of God. We often have 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:50.000 our own share of hardship and suffering. But 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:53.379 we look at St. Seraphim as our guide because, 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:57.639 according to anyone who has met him, his life 00:09:57.639 --> 00:10:00.820 was filled, his countenance was filled with joy. 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:04.919 His life was filled with joy and peace, which 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:08.379 he shared with those he met. the peace and joy 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:12.539 in the Holy Spirit. If we seek to acquire this 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:15.679 peace, if we keep our mind and our heart directed 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:19.779 to God, if we seek to hear the life -giving words 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:23.559 of God and to do them, then we indeed become 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:27.980 closer to be the disciples of Christ, as was 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:31.639 our Venerable Father, St. Seraphim of Sarov. 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:35.100 Our Venerable Father, Seraphim, pray to God for 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:36.519 us. Amen.