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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

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of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On January 2nd, 1833,

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monks observing the cell of a higher monk Seraphim

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in the Russian monastery of Sarov. They sensed

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a smoke coming out of the monk's dwelling. and

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determined that his cell is on fire. Coming into

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the cell, the monks quickly extinguished burning

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books and garments and found that Father Seraphim

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has reposed quietly in a kneeling position, kneeling

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before the icon of the Mother of God, kneeling

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in prayer. Today we remember the repose of this

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humble monk who became one of the most well -known

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saints in the Orthodox Church, our Venerable

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Father Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonder Worker.

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He predicted the manner of his death, saying

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that it will become known by means of fire, and

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it seemed appropriate. for his own name, Seraphim,

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meant fiery one, a fiery one, an ardent one.

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On one of the last occasions that he was seen

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alive at the liturgy for the Feast of St. Basil

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on January 1st, when he received the Holy Mysteries,

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and while he was leaving the liturgy, he said

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to those who heard him, encouraging them to seek

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salvation. not to despair, and be vigilant. St.

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Paul commands us in Epistle to the Romans, love

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one another with brotherly love, do not lag in

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zeal, be aglow, that is, ardent, fervent with

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the Spirit, and serve the Lord. And these, all

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of these, were characteristic of St. Seraphim's

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life. He showed zeal to the Lord when he entered

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the monastery, when he undertook the really very

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serious monastic ascetical endeavors. But most

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of all, what he showed to the people who came

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to him, he showed his love. He showed love and

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kindness and gentleness. Today we heard also

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St. Paul speaking in the Epistle to the Galatians,

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speaking of the fruit of the Spirit, which are

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love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,

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faithfulness. gentleness, and self -control.

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And Saint Seraphim, our Venerable Father, who

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lived his life as a monk faithfully, quietly,

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and sometimes getting in trouble with the monastery

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authorities, but not for anything that he did

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wrong, but everything that he did right. He was

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indeed ardent with these fruits of the Spirit,

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the fruits of the Spirit of God, especially gentleness

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and kindness to those who would seek his spiritual

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counsel and his blessing. Most of all, he urged

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the people who came to him, speaking to them

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directly, and even after his death, speaking

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to them through this. specific conversation which

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was recorded, the conversation with his spiritual

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child, which he became so widely known, he said

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to them that the goal of Christian life is to

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acquire the Spirit of God. And fasting, prayer,

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vigils, good works are but means for this goal,

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for the achievement, attainment of this goal.

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We all who are baptized in Christ received that

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Spirit. Those who have come into the Orthodox

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Church, we received the Spirit of God. And this

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Spirit of whom St. Paul speaks also, saying that

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if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the

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dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from

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the dead will give life to your mortal bodies.

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And through this Spirit, also through this Spirit

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that dwells in you. This Spirit is alive in us,

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Orthodox Christians. We just, what we need to

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follow the goal of the Christian life, Saint

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Seraphim said for us is to open our hearts to

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God, to realize who we are, to realize that we

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are the children of God, that our life is in

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God, our life is in Christ. And this goal, this

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is the path to what Saint Seraphim told us. in

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his famous conversation, to acquire the Spirit

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of God. And the fruits, this presence of the

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Spirit of God in us is manifest, has to be manifest

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through what we do. We are not all given, most

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of us are not given the gifts of healing. Most

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of us are not given the gifts of gifts of foreknowledge

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and seeing and clairvoyance but what is given

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to all of us in this way we can imitate we can

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follow the example of our venerable father seraphim

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is to be loving and kind to one another to be

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gentle with one another, to see in one another

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as the image of God. In the words of St. John

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Chrysostom, as the altar of God upon which we

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offer our daily sacrifice, our daily offering

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to God. The life of St. Seraphim has been this.

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offering of himself to God, complete surrender

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of himself, of his whole life to God in the spirit

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of gentleness and kindness and the quiet manner

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of his death, the quiet but fiery one, as reflected,

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fully consistent with the life that he led. This

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is the goal of Christian life, according to our

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venerable Father Seraphim, to acquire the Spirit

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of God, the Spirit which we already given, the

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Spirit which we already made part of through

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the sacraments of the Church, through the baptism,

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through the Eucharist, through our... our common

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identity as the members of the body of Christ,

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as the members of Christ, as the children, sons

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and daughters of God. May this quiet, gentle

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light of Christ, joyful light of Christ, which

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shone in Saint Seraphim, which shone through

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Saint Seraphim, and continues to shine through

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him when we look at his icon, when we seek his

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intercession. May this light, when we remember

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this light, and may this light also shine through

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us, through the works that we do, through the

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works of kindness, the works of gentleness, the

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works of love. For by this we will truly show

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that we have heard the gospel. By this we will

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truly show that we are not just those who kiss

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the icon of St. Seraphim, but those who are clearly

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become the disciples of Christ, the disciples

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of St. Seraphim, and who clearly want and clearly

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desire to follow his example. And this would

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be to venerate him truly. To follow his example

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would be to really and truly remember Saint Seraphim

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of Sarov as we do today. Amen.