In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On January 2nd, 1833,
monks observing the cell of a higher monk Seraphim
in the Russian monastery of Sarov. They sensed
a smoke coming out of the monk's dwelling. and
determined that his cell is on fire. Coming into
the cell, the monks quickly extinguished burning
books and garments and found that Father Seraphim
has reposed quietly in a kneeling position, kneeling
before the icon of the Mother of God, kneeling
in prayer. Today we remember the repose of this
humble monk who became one of the most well -known
saints in the Orthodox Church, our Venerable
Father Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonder Worker.
He predicted the manner of his death, saying
that it will become known by means of fire, and
it seemed appropriate. for his own name, Seraphim,
meant fiery one, a fiery one, an ardent one.
On one of the last occasions that he was seen
alive at the liturgy for the Feast of St. Basil
on January 1st, when he received the Holy Mysteries,
and while he was leaving the liturgy, he said
to those who heard him, encouraging them to seek
salvation. not to despair, and be vigilant. St.
Paul commands us in Epistle to the Romans, love
one another with brotherly love, do not lag in
zeal, be aglow, that is, ardent, fervent with
the Spirit, and serve the Lord. And these, all
of these, were characteristic of St. Seraphim's
life. He showed zeal to the Lord when he entered
the monastery, when he undertook the really very
serious monastic ascetical endeavors. But most
of all, what he showed to the people who came
to him, he showed his love. He showed love and
kindness and gentleness. Today we heard also
St. Paul speaking in the Epistle to the Galatians,
speaking of the fruit of the Spirit, which are
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness. gentleness, and self -control.
And Saint Seraphim, our Venerable Father, who
lived his life as a monk faithfully, quietly,
and sometimes getting in trouble with the monastery
authorities, but not for anything that he did
wrong, but everything that he did right. He was
indeed ardent with these fruits of the Spirit,
the fruits of the Spirit of God, especially gentleness
and kindness to those who would seek his spiritual
counsel and his blessing. Most of all, he urged
the people who came to him, speaking to them
directly, and even after his death, speaking
to them through this. specific conversation which
was recorded, the conversation with his spiritual
child, which he became so widely known, he said
to them that the goal of Christian life is to
acquire the Spirit of God. And fasting, prayer,
vigils, good works are but means for this goal,
for the achievement, attainment of this goal.
We all who are baptized in Christ received that
Spirit. Those who have come into the Orthodox
Church, we received the Spirit of God. And this
Spirit of whom St. Paul speaks also, saying that
if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from
the dead will give life to your mortal bodies.
And through this Spirit, also through this Spirit
that dwells in you. This Spirit is alive in us,
Orthodox Christians. We just, what we need to
follow the goal of the Christian life, Saint
Seraphim said for us is to open our hearts to
God, to realize who we are, to realize that we
are the children of God, that our life is in
God, our life is in Christ. And this goal, this
is the path to what Saint Seraphim told us. in
his famous conversation, to acquire the Spirit
of God. And the fruits, this presence of the
Spirit of God in us is manifest, has to be manifest
through what we do. We are not all given, most
of us are not given the gifts of healing. Most
of us are not given the gifts of gifts of foreknowledge
and seeing and clairvoyance but what is given
to all of us in this way we can imitate we can
follow the example of our venerable father seraphim
is to be loving and kind to one another to be
gentle with one another, to see in one another
as the image of God. In the words of St. John
Chrysostom, as the altar of God upon which we
offer our daily sacrifice, our daily offering
to God. The life of St. Seraphim has been this.
offering of himself to God, complete surrender
of himself, of his whole life to God in the spirit
of gentleness and kindness and the quiet manner
of his death, the quiet but fiery one, as reflected,
fully consistent with the life that he led. This
is the goal of Christian life, according to our
venerable Father Seraphim, to acquire the Spirit
of God, the Spirit which we already given, the
Spirit which we already made part of through
the sacraments of the Church, through the baptism,
through the Eucharist, through our... our common
identity as the members of the body of Christ,
as the members of Christ, as the children, sons
and daughters of God. May this quiet, gentle
light of Christ, joyful light of Christ, which
shone in Saint Seraphim, which shone through
Saint Seraphim, and continues to shine through
him when we look at his icon, when we seek his
intercession. May this light, when we remember
this light, and may this light also shine through
us, through the works that we do, through the
works of kindness, the works of gentleness, the
works of love. For by this we will truly show
that we have heard the gospel. By this we will
truly show that we are not just those who kiss
the icon of St. Seraphim, but those who are clearly
become the disciples of Christ, the disciples
of St. Seraphim, and who clearly want and clearly
desire to follow his example. And this would
be to venerate him truly. To follow his example
would be to really and truly remember Saint Seraphim
of Sarov as we do today. Amen.