Last night we heard the following from the wisdom
of Solomon. But the souls of the righteous are
in the hand of God in no torment. shall ever
touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seem
to have died, and their departure was thought
to be affliction, and their going from us to
be their destruction. But they are at peace.
For though in the sight of man they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality. Each time
I hear these words read at vigil, I'm reminded
of the words of Christ in the Gospel of John.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated
me before it hated you. If you were of the world,
the world would love its own. But because you
are not of the world, but I chose you out of
the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember
the word that I said to you. A servant is not
greater in honor than his master. If they persecuted
me, they will persecute you. Both these passages
touch upon an aspect of saintliness, of the character
of those who are so in tune with the kingdom
of God, they are, one might say, out of phase
with this present world. The saints walk about
in this sinful and fallen world as strangers,
the aspect and focus of their existence being
Christ. He and he alone is the reference point
of their lives. And as such, they do not fit
well into human society. The world and its corruption
cannot touch them. They appear to be foolish,
strange, and different because that which human
society considers to be important is of no importance
to them. what an odd man St. Seraphim was. He
left the company of other human beings to live
alone in the forest for five years. He abandoned
the path that other youths of his day followed
and entered a monastery at the age of 19. What
were you doing at 19? He stood for hours in prayer,
sometimes seeing angels. and even addressed others
in an odd manner, calling them, my joy, and greeting
those who encountered him all year long with
the possible greeting, Christ is risen. It was
as though he was out of sync with the culture
around him. We heard last Sunday, the lamp of
the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is
good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will
be full of darkness. If therefore the light that
is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.
I remember when I was about 32 living in Detroit.
I heard a commercial on the radio offering a
free eye exam. And even though my sight seemed
to be fine, I decided to go in and have a checkup
anyway. The optometrist did what optometrists
do with lenses and questions, trying this and
trying that. And at the end, I was presented
with a temporary pair of glasses. And to my astonishment,
I saw things more clearly. To be honest, I saw
things in focus and with clarity for the first
time in a long time. I had gradually lost the
vision in my eyes. but was totally unaware of
it. Those of us who live in the modern world
run the risk of allowing our inner vision to
become clouded and out of focus as well. Our
spiritual senses become dulled by the assaults
of the world around us. We fail to comprehend
the brokenness around us. We fail to detect the
distortion of God's created world by sin. Like
the rich man in the parable, we leave our homes
not even seeing our own personal Lazarus lying
at our door, covered in sores. We live our lives
as though poverty did not exist, as if children
in other parts of the world or even our own cities
did not go hungry. We become dulled with the
images around us. accustomed to things on television
that 20 years ago would not have even been allowed
on the air. Like a favorite kitchen knife is
dulled and gradually by youth, our senses too
become blunted, slowly and imperceptibly, by
our daily lives. The lamp of our bodies, our
spiritual eyes become blinded, and so our entire
being is darkened. And then, suddenly, we encounter
a gift from God in the person of someone like
St. Seraphim. Someone who, despite the darkness
of this world, nevertheless sees the light in
it and much more than that, radiates the light
like a beacon on a hill. This is the essential
truth of the famous encounter with Modavila.
The goal of St. Seraphim's asceticism was realized
not by obtaining a gold medal in the fasting
or vigil Olympics, but in becoming a lens through
which God could project himself into this world.
And such an encounter with God through the medium
of a holy person can be transforming and bring
healing to others. Do you remember the conversation
Madhavila said? I don't quite understand how
it is possible to be absolutely sure of living
in God's Spirit. How can this be proved? St.
Seraphim reiterated, Friend of God, I've already
told you that it's very easy. I've told you that
some men found themselves filled with the Holy
Spirit and were able to be convinced of His presence.
What more do you want? How long to understand
completely? Then Father Seraphim gripped me firmly
by the shoulders and said, My friend, both of
us at this moment are in the Holy Spirit, you
and I. Why don't you look at me? I can't look
at you, Father, because the light flashing from
your eyes and face is brighter than the sun and
I am dazzled. Don't be afraid, friend of God.
You, yourself, are shining just like I am. You
too are now in the fullness of the grace of the
Holy Spirit. Otherwise, you would not be able
to see me as you do. And leaning towards me,
Father Seraphim said quietly, Thank the Lord
for his ineffable goodness. You may have noticed
that I didn't even make the sign of the cross.
Only in my heart I said this prayer to the Lord.
of seeing clearly with the eyes of the flesh
that outpouring of your spirit which you vouchsafed
to your servants when you condescended to reveal
yourself to them in the revelation of your glory.
My friend, the Lord granted it instantly. Come,
look, friend, do not be afraid, for the Lord
is with us. The encounter ended with these words
of St. Therop. This is the peace, friend of God,
which the Lord promised to his disciples when
he said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
to you, not as the world gives do I give you.
It is that peace which the apostle calls the
peace which passes all understanding. It was
by the world's criteria an odd encounter with
a very odd man. But what the world considered
to be strange or foolish was really wise in God's
sight. To become such a beacon in this dark world
requires discipleship, discipline, and testing.
As Solomon said, God tested them, the righteous,
and found them worthy of himself. Like gold in
the furnace, he tried them. a sacrificial burnt
offering, he accepted them. In the time of their
visitation, they will shine forth and will run
like sparks through the stubble. And sparks running
through stubble, through sawdust, ignites it.
And a greater fire and a greater light results.
So it was with St. Seraphim. So it can be with
you and with me. In the eyes of the foolish,
they, the righteous ones like Seraphim, seem
to have died, and their departure was thought
to be an affliction, and their going from us
to be their destruction. This is how the world
regards them. That's nothing special. But Solomon
continues, but they are at peace. God tested
them and found them worthy of himself.