Podcasts about st seraphim

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Best podcasts about st seraphim

Latest podcast episodes about st seraphim

Saint of the Day
St Seraphim of Sarov (1833)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025


"Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday he was counted worthy of a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.   "In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most Holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered these awesome words, 'This is one of my kind.'   "In 1810, at the age of fifty, weakened by his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse, until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his reclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became, like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins martyrs and monastic saints with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19." (Great Horologion)   July 19 is the commemoration of the uncovering of St Seraphim's holy relics, which was attended by Tsar Nicholas II.   Saint Seraphim's life became a perpetual celebration of Pascha: in his later years he dressed in a white garment, greeted everyone, regardless of the season, with "Christ is Risen!" and chanted the Pascha service every day of the year

Saint of the Day
Repose of Archimandrite Lazarus (Moore) (1992) (Nov. 14 OC)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024


Though he has not been glorified by the Church, Fr Lazarus was a pioneer and exemplar of Orthodoxy in the West.   He was born in England in 1902. In his early manhood he moved to western Canada, where he worked as a farm laborer for several years. While working in Alberta, he sensed a call to become a missionary and went to an English missionary college for five years.   Sad to say, our sources are unclear about how he came to the Orthodox faith from this unlikely beginning. But in 1934 he spent seven weeks on Mt Athos, then lived as a monk in Yugoslavia. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Theophan (Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), then sent to Palestine to serve the Russian Mission in Jerusalem.   In 1948, the new State of Israel gave the Mission's property to the Soviet Union and the mission was left dispossessed. Fr Lazarus served as priest to the Russian Convent in Aïn Karim and Transjordan, then was sent to India in 1952, where he helped in Orthodox missionary work for twenty years. Several of his books and translations, such as his biography/study of St Seraphim of Sarov, were written while he lived in India. While there, he met Mother Gavrilia of Greece, whose beautiful biography Ascetic of Love includes good descriptions of him during his life in India. Though very strict in his Orthodoxy, he was flexible in externals: in India he wore a white rather than a black cassock, because black clothing had offensive connotations to the Indian people.   In 1972 Fr Lazarus was called to Greece, then in 1974 to Australia, where he served for nine years. In 1983 he moved to California in answer to call from Fr Peter Gillquist to assist members of the former 'Evangelical Orthodox Church' in their move to Orthodoxy. In 1989 he moved to Alaska, where he continued this work. He reposed in Eagle River, Alaska in 1992. Following is an excerpt from an account of his last days by members of his community in Eagle River:   "Father always signed his name with TWA, "Traveling With Angels". A few days before his death, after battling cancer many years, faithfully using the Jesus Prayer as the medicine for his affliction, the Archangel Michael appeared to help him. His final journey homeward had begun, TWA... 'the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' (2 Timothy 4: 6-8)."

Daily Philokalia
Metr. Anthony Bloom: St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2024 6:53


FOR LINKS to all our podcasts, visit the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN TEACHING PODCAST DIRECTORY:ON APPLE PODCASTS APP: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/orthodox-christian-teaching-podcast-directory/id1680765527ON SPOTIFY APP: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ALQ9YkJ0hhZ20GGZv7MH9?si=hVv_aqKtSrypyTLr1YZQIQ

bloom metr sarov st seraphim
Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki
How to Move a Mountain | The Surrender Novena Day 1 (Advanced)

Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 18:18


"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - Matthew 17:20 My new book, 'Wake Up to Love' is a lifetime in the making (and now a Top New Release, thanks to you!). Divinely inspired. Love led. And WILL bring forth the ‘more' in you. ❤️‍

Daily Saints of the Orthodox Church
Audio-Book: Spiritual Counsels of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Saints of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2024 94:56


Daily Philokalia
Audio-Book: Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2024 94:56


SHARE this podcast: https://anchor.fm/words-of-life-daily — LINKS to all our podcasts: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-christian-teaching

Daily Saints of the Orthodox Church
Metr. Anthony Bloom: Feast of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Saints of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2024 6:53


SHARE this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ministry-of-the-word-uk — LINKS for all our podcasts: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-christian-teaching — A CONFERENCE HOMILY of Metr. Anthony Bloom of Sourozh, of blessed memory.

The Ministry of the Word U.S.A.
Spiritual Counsels of St Seraphim of Sarov

The Ministry of the Word U.S.A.

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2024 94:56


SHARE this link to share the podcast: https://anchor.fm/ministry-of-the-word — LINKS to all our podcasts: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-christian-teaching

Orthodox Wisdom
On the Freemasonic Roots of the Ecumenical Movement - St. Seraphim of Sofia

Orthodox Wisdom

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024 18:19


St. Seraphim of Sofia discusses an important aspect of the Ecumenical Movement in the 20th century: Freemasonry. Presenting to the Moscow Pan-Orthodox Congress of 1948, which included representatives from nearly all autocephalous Orthodox churches, St. Seraphim highlights the well-known Freemason, John Raleigh Mott, the main promoter of "unity" among separate Christian groups. Mott spearheaded the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh and the first meeting of the World Council of Churches in 1948. Mott helped send Protestant student missionaries with the YMCA to evangelize Orthodox countries and for his ecumenical efforts won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. St. Seraphim understands that ecumenical efforts only serve to blur the boundaries between the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (the Orthodox Church) and other sects claiming to be part of the Church. Such blurring draws people away from the only place, as St. Seraphim teaches, men can become saints: the Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, despite St. Seraphim's warning of the sinister nature and dreadful consequences of the Ecumenical Movement for Holy Orthodoxy, the Patriarchate of Moscow joined the World Council of Churches at its Third Assembly in New Delhi in 1961 and has been one of its most active members ever since. -READ St. Seraphim's full address to the 1948 Moscow Pan-Orthodox Congress: http://www.dep.church/downloads/StSeraphimEcumenism.pdf -READ the book of his life and works: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/saint-seraphim-of-sofia-his-life-teachings-miracles-and-glorification/ -READ a brief account of St. Seraphim's life here: https://blog.obitel-minsk.com/2021/02/adapt-your-life-to-your-faith-not-the-other-way-around-st-seraphim-sobolev.html -RESOURCE to help laity write respectful letters to their hierarchs: https://www.voiceoforthodoxlaity.com/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ This recording is an excerpt from "Does the Russian Orthodox Church Need to Participate in the Ecumenical Movement? (Part II/II)": https://youtu.be/P2w0hvEgE6Q TEXTS on Freemasonry and Orthodoxy: -Freemasonry: Official Statement of the Church of Greece (1933): http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/masonry.aspx -Freemasonry and the Orthodox Church. This article details, among other things, that Ecumenical Patriarchs Meletios (+1935) and Athenagoras (+1972) were Freemasons: https://orthodoxhistory.org/2023/09/27/freemasonry-and-the-orthodox-church/ VIDEOS on Freemasonry from an Orthodox viewpoint: -Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios on Revelation https://youtu.be/u6y0a4kx58s?si=LN1tb5iYaKSAa4hH -Freemasonry: Today's Satanic Gnosticism by Fr. Peter Heers (analyzing the teachings of Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios) https://youtu.be/kUv6jfzRcts?si=uhoR9694xoQSflpU BOOKS/ARTICLES on Ecclesiology and Ecumenism: --Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future by Fr. Seraphim Rose https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/product-p/orf.htm --The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism by St. Justin Popovic https://lazarica.co.uk/bookshop/ --The Missionary Origins of Modern Ecumenism by Fr. Peter Heers https://uncutmountainpress.com/shop/product/the-missionary-origins-of-modern-ecumenism/ --A Confession of Faith Against Ecumenism (signed by saints, elders, hierarchs, priests, and laity around the world): https://www.impantokratoros.gr/FA9AF77F.en.aspx --On Common Prayer with the Heterodox According to the Canons of the Church by Fr. Anastasios Gotsopoulos https://uncutmountainpress.com/shop/product/on-common-prayer-with-the-heterodox/ _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/orthodox-wisdom/message

The Ministry of the Word U.S.A.
Audio-Book: The Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

The Ministry of the Word U.S.A.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2024 94:56


SHARE this link to share the podcast: https://anchor.fm/ministry-of-the-word — LINKS to all our podcasts: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-christian-teaching

Saint of the Day
St Seraphim of Sarov (1833)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2024


"Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday he was counted worthy of a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.   "In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most Holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered these awesome words, 'This is one of my kind.'   "In 1810, at the age of fifty, weakened by his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse, until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his reclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became, like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins martyrs and monastic saints with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19." (Great Horologion)   July 19 is the commemoration of the uncovering of St Seraphim's holy relics, which was attended by Tsar Nicholas II.   Saint Seraphim's life became a perpetual celebration of Pascha: in his later years he dressed in a white garment, greeted everyone, regardless of the season, with "Christ is Risen!" and chanted the Pascha service every day of the year

Saint of the Day
St Seraphim of Sarov (1833)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2024 3:32


"Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday he was counted worthy of a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.   "In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most Holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered these awesome words, 'This is one of my kind.'   "In 1810, at the age of fifty, weakened by his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse, until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his reclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became, like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins martyrs and monastic saints with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19." (Great Horologion)   July 19 is the commemoration of the uncovering of St Seraphim's holy relics, which was attended by Tsar Nicholas II.   Saint Seraphim's life became a perpetual celebration of Pascha: in his later years he dressed in a white garment, greeted everyone, regardless of the season, with "Christ is Risen!" and chanted the Pascha service every day of the year

Saint of the Day
Repose of Archimandrite Lazarus (Moore) (1992) (Nov. 14 OC)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2023


Though he has not been glorified by the Church, Fr Lazarus was a pioneer and exemplar of Orthodoxy in the West.   He was born in England in 1902. In his early manhood he moved to western Canada, where he worked as a farm laborer for several years. While working in Alberta, he sensed a call to become a missionary and went to an English missionary college for five years.   Sad to say, our sources are unclear about how he came to the Orthodox faith from this unlikely beginning. But in 1934 he spent seven weeks on Mt Athos, then lived as a monk in Yugoslavia. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Theophan (Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), then sent to Palestine to serve the Russian Mission in Jerusalem.   In 1948, the new State of Israel gave the Mission's property to the Soviet Union and the mission was left dispossessed. Fr Lazarus served as priest to the Russian Convent in Aïn Karim and Transjordan, then was sent to India in 1952, where he helped in Orthodox missionary work for twenty years. Several of his books and translations, such as his biography/study of St Seraphim of Sarov, were written while he lived in India. While there, he met Mother Gavrilia of Greece, whose beautiful biography Ascetic of Love includes good descriptions of him during his life in India. Though very strict in his Orthodoxy, he was flexible in externals: in India he wore a white rather than a black cassock, because black clothing had offensive connotations to the Indian people.   In 1972 Fr Lazarus was called to Greece, then in 1974 to Australia, where he served for nine years. In 1983 he moved to California in answer to call from Fr Peter Gillquist to assist members of the former 'Evangelical Orthodox Church' in their move to Orthodoxy. In 1989 he moved to Alaska, where he continued this work. He reposed in Eagle River, Alaska in 1992. Following is an excerpt from an account of his last days by members of his community in Eagle River:   "Father always signed his name with TWA, "Traveling With Angels". A few days before his death, after battling cancer many years, faithfully using the Jesus Prayer as the medicine for his affliction, the Archangel Michael appeared to help him. His final journey homeward had begun, TWA... 'the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' (2 Timothy 4: 6-8)."

Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki
You Still Don't Know Me. #GMweekend

Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2023 9:14


Original airdate: 4/23/2023 You read about Me. You share about Me. Sometimes you even believe in Me, but you still don't trust Me. What you call faith is often just distraction, from the appearances, with other appearances. True Faith is when you face the problem, the appearance, and all you see is My Face, all you hear is My Voice, all you feel is My Promise. That's the difference between yesterday and today- LOVE, sustained. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His Love endures forever." -Psalm 136:1 ******** Today's Practice: Instead of Where's Waldo, keep asking, 'where's Jesus'? Where's the Christ? And keep seeing It shining through appearances, as appearances, as you.  I Love you, Nik To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com!  Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम Today's Quotes:  "God, may I focus more on what I'm trying to get to, than on where I'm trying to get away from." -@Dayal.gauranga "Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy." -St. Augustine "When the Lord God, the Holy Spirit, visits us [he says] and comes to us in the fuliness of his ineffable goodness, then we have to stop praying and refrain from prayer itself. The praying soul speaks and offers up words, but at the descent of the Holy Spirit it must be utterly silent so that it can clearly hear and truly understand the words of eternal life which the Spirit condescends to bring to it." -St Seraphim of Sarov  "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God won't sustain you." -Unknown  "We live in a Christ-soaked universe that is pulling us into the abundant, resurrection life of Jesus. We can either let go and trust the process or we can resist and suffer. Either way, death is the inevitable entryway into resurrection life." -Brandy Anderson "Just because something hasn't manifested, doesn't mean it can't. You are not miles away from what you want, and you are not years, or hours, or months, or weeks away from what you want. You're only vibrations away from what you want." - Esther Hicks "If you can recognize and accept your pain without running away from it, you will discover that although pain is there, joy can also be there at the same time." - Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus "God desires to give us everything we just have to be empty enough to receive it." -Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  Support the show Beginning Aug 7, 2023 - 'GoOD Mornings with CurlyNikki' will host pre and post roll ads within the back catalogue.

Daily Orthodox Christian Bible-Study
Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Orthodox Christian Bible-Study

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2023 94:56


Share this link to share the podcast: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-bible-study — Links to all our podcasts: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-christian-teaching

Daily Philokalia
Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2023 94:56


Share this link to share the podcast: https://anchor.fm/words-of-life-daily - Links to all our podcasts: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-christian-teaching

Daily Philokalia
St Seraphim of Sarov: You Will Have No Time

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2023 0:33


Share this link to share the podcast: https://anchor.fm/words-of-life-daily — Listen on TELEGRAM: https://t.me/+CzJrx8IbTxUxN — Links to all our podcasts: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/orthodox-christian-teaching

Daily Philokalia
St Seraphim of Sarov: Careful Study of the Word of God

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 0:54


Share this link to share the podcast: https://anchor.fm/words-of-life-daily — Links to all our podcasts: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/orthodox-christian-teaching

Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki
You still don't know Me.

Go(o)d Mornings with CurlyNikki

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2023 9:14


You read about Me. You share about Me. Sometimes you even believe in Me, but you still don't trust Me.What you call faith is often just distraction, from the appearances,with other appearances. True Faith is when you face the problem, the appearance, and all you see is My Face, all you hear is My Voice, all you feel is My Promise.That's the difference between yesterday and today-LOVE, sustained. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His Love endures forever."-Psalm 136:1 ********Today's Practice:Instead of Where's Waldo, keep asking, 'where's Jesus'? Where's the Christ?And keep seeing It shining through appearances, as appearances, as you.  I Love you, Niknikki@curlynikki.comPlease help me keep the show ad free + Get Merch!▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmornings________________________________Today's Quotes: "God, may I focus more on what I'm trying to get to, than on where I'm trying to get away from."-@Dayal.gauranga"Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy.Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy.Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy.Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy.Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy."-St. Augustine"When the Lord God, the Holy Spirit, visits us [he says] and comes to us in the fuliness of his ineffable goodness, then we have to stop praying and refrain from prayer itself. The praying soul speaks and offers up words, but at the descent of the Holy Spirit it must be utterly silent so that it can clearly hear and truly understand the words of eternal life which the Spirit condescends to bring to it."-St Seraphim of Sarov "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God won't sustain you."-Unknown "We live in a Christ-soaked universe that is pulling us into the abundant, resurrection life of Jesus. We can either let go and trust the process or we can resist and suffer. Either way, death is the inevitable entryway into resurrection life."-Brandy Anderson"Just because something hasn't manifested, doesn't mean it can't. You are not miles away from what you want, and you are not years, or hours, or months, or weeks away from what you want. You're only vibrations away from what you want."- Esther Hicks"If you can recognize and accept your pain without running away from it, you will discover that although pain is there, joy can also be there at the same time."- Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus"God desires to give us everything we just have to be empty enough to receive it."-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Support the show

Through a Monk's Eyes
Embracing the Impossible through Lent

Through a Monk's Eyes

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023


This video is part of a Lenten Retreat at St Seraphim's Cathedral in Santa Rosa, California. As we prepare to enter Great Lent, we might ponder on the impossible height to which we are being called—to be perfect with the Father's perfection—an impossibility that becomes possible in Christ, as we open up to His presence. This paradox and the tension it creates in us keep our spiritual life safe from being reduced to empty piety and religiosity.

Through a Monk's Eyes
Embracing the Impossible through Lent

Through a Monk's Eyes

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023


This video is part of a Lenten Retreat at St Seraphim's Cathedral in Santa Rosa, California. As we prepare to enter Great Lent, we might ponder on the impossible height to which we are being called—to be perfect with the Father's perfection—an impossibility that becomes possible in Christ, as we open up to His presence. This paradox and the tension it creates in us keep our spiritual life safe from being reduced to empty piety and religiosity.

Daily Philokalia
St Seraphim of Sarov: Silence Will Enter Into Your Heart

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2023 0:37


Share this link to share the podcast: www.anchor.fm/words-of-life-daily

silence sarov st seraphim
Daily Philokalia
How Pitiful - St Seraphim Zvesdinski

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2023 0:52


Share this link to share the podcast: www.anchor.fm/words-of-life-daily

pitiful st seraphim
Daily Philokalia
No Time to Judge Others - St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2023 0:38


Words of Life for our life in Christ today.

Saint of the Day
St Seraphim of Sarov (1833) - January 2nd

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2023


"Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday he was counted worthy of a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.   "In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most Holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered these awesome words, 'This is one of my kind.'   "In 1810, at the age of fifty, weakened by his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse, until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his reclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became, like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins martyrs and monastic saints with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19." (Great Horologion)   July 19 is the commemoration of the uncovering of St Seraphim's holy relics, which was attended by Tsar Nicholas II.   Saint Seraphim's life became a perpetual celebration of Pascha: in his later years he dressed in a white garment, greeted everyone, regardless of the season, with "Christ is Risen!" and chanted the Pascha service every day of the year.

Saint of the Day
St Seraphim of Sarov (1833)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2023 3:32


"Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday he was counted worthy of a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.   "In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most Holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered these awesome words, 'This is one of my kind.'   "In 1810, at the age of fifty, weakened by his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse, until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his reclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became, like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins martyrs and monastic saints with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19." (Great Horologion)   July 19 is the commemoration of the uncovering of St Seraphim's holy relics, which was attended by Tsar Nicholas II.   Saint Seraphim's life became a perpetual celebration of Pascha: in his later years he dressed in a white garment, greeted everyone, regardless of the season, with "Christ is Risen!" and chanted the Pascha service every day of the year.

Daily Philokalia
Filled to Overflowing - St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Philokalia

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2022 0:45


A Word of Life for our life in Christ today.

Saint of the Day
Repose of Archimandrite Lazarus (Moore) (1992) (Nov. 14 OC) - November 27th

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2022


Though he has not been glorified by the Church, Fr Lazarus was a pioneer and exemplar of Orthodoxy in the West.   He was born in England in 1902. In his early manhood he moved to western Canada, where he worked as a farm laborer for several years. While working in Alberta, he sensed a call to become a missionary and went to an English missionary college for five years.   Sad to say, our sources are unclear about how he came to the Orthodox faith from this unlikely beginning. But in 1934 he spent seven weeks on Mt Athos, then lived as a monk in Yugoslavia. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Theophan (Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), then sent to Palestine to serve the Russian Mission in Jerusalem.   In 1948, the new State of Israel gave the Mission's property to the Soviet Union and the mission was left dispossessed. Fr Lazarus served as priest to the Russian Convent in Aïn Karim and Transjordan, then was sent to India in 1952, where he helped in Orthodox missionary work for twenty years. Several of his books and translations, such as his biography/study of St Seraphim of Sarov, were written while he lived in India. While there, he met Mother Gavrilia of Greece, whose beautiful biography Ascetic of Love includes good descriptions of him during his life in India. Though very strict in his Orthodoxy, he was flexible in externals: in India he wore a white rather than a black cassock, because black clothing had offensive connotations to the Indian people.   In 1972 Fr Lazarus was called to Greece, then in 1974 to Australia, where he served for nine years. In 1983 he moved to California in answer to call from Fr Peter Gillquist to assist members of the former 'Evangelical Orthodox Church' in their move to Orthodoxy. In 1989 he moved to Alaska, where he continued this work. He reposed in Eagle River, Alaska in 1992. Following is an excerpt from an account of his last days by members of his community in Eagle River:   "Father always signed his name with TWA, "Traveling With Angels". A few days before his death, after battling cancer many years, faithfully using the Jesus Prayer as the medicine for his affliction, the Archangel Michael appeared to help him. His final journey homeward had begun, TWA... 'the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' (2 Timothy 4: 6-8)."

Spiritual Teachings With Shunyamurti
St. Seraphim's Method of Attaining Supreme Power - Shunyamurti Teaching

Spiritual Teachings With Shunyamurti

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2022 12:29


In this classic teaching, Shunyamurti uses the teaching of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, (a great Russian Saint), alongside other traditions, to reveal the true aim of spiritual seekers: To get out of ignorance and remember you are free, so you can pass through the illusion into the Ultimate Reality. The contemplation of consciousness precipitates Presence, and this activates the realization that returns consciousness to stillness. If you aim to know the Truth, be still. Recorded on the evening of Thursday, June 28, 2012.

The Podvig with Joel Dunn
4: St. Seraphim of Sarov

The Podvig with Joel Dunn

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2022 9:40


A sermon by St. John Maximovich of Shanghai and San Francisco in Serbia in 1928 on St. Seraphim of Sarov. The sermon is as applicable to us today as it was then. As in the time of Tsar Nicholas II and his family,  the royal martyrs, we too, find ourselves on some sort of precipice. Something in the world is changing around us such that we can sense, but cannot fully perceive. Strange alliances are forming, war is raging with no end in sight, egged on and funded by nations who seemingly have no appetite for peace, but for transformation by domination.  Society is deteriorating at an ever-increasing rate. Perversions of every kind are celebrated publicly. Murderous rage spews at those who attempt to protect human life. Economies are failing. Livelihoods have been threatened or destroyed for refusal to participate in experimental biotechnology trials. Storms rage. Suffering and death are everywhere. But we must be faithful. We can control nothing, save for that which has been given to us for control: ourselves. We must, as St. Paul encourages in Romans 12:12, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and continue steadfastly in prayer…. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepodvigpod/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepodvigpod/support

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Spiritual Counsels of St Seraphim of Sarov (Complete)

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 95:43


Teaching of St Seraphim of Sarov on Christian faith, life and service. Listeners should also hear St Seraphim's teaching on 'The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit, which is also available on this podcast channel.

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
On The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit - St Seraphim of Sarov (Complete)

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 79:52


The conversation of St Seraphim of Sarov with Nicholas Motovilov on the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 42. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 2:39


Part 43 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 41. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2022 2:36


Part 41 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 40. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2022 2:49


Part 41 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 39. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2022 6:01


Texts on Discernment of Passions and Thoughts

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 38. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 6:01


Part 39 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 37. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2022 1:38


Part 38 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 36. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2022 3:25


Part 37 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 35. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 1:41


Part 36 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 34. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2022 1:08


Part 35 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 33. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2022 3:47


Part 34 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 32. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 3:58


Part 33 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 31. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2022 2:22


Part 32 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 30. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2022 1:55


Part 31 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 29. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2022 3:37


Part 30 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 28. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2022 1:04


Part 29 of 43

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church
Special 27. Spiritual Instructions of St Seraphim of Sarov

Daily Catechism of the Orthodox Church

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2022 2:24


Part 28 of 43

Dad Devotionals: Advice for Christian Fathers, Husbands and Men of Faith
89 - Man Up: Power of Prayer | St. Seraphim Snatches A Sinful Soul Out of Hell

Dad Devotionals: Advice for Christian Fathers, Husbands and Men of Faith

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 7:20


On this Man Up Monday, Dave talks about the power of prayer and how developing a prayer life will strengthen you as a man. You'll also hear a powerful story about the effects of prayer from St. Seraphim's life. You can check out the post from the Sayings and Stories from the Holy Fathers Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/570496233738944/permalink/1125590361562859. Check out more episodes at https://daddevotionals.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-domzalski/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/david-domzalski/support

Saint of the Day
St Seraphim of Sarov (1833)

Saint of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2022


"Saint Seraphim was born in the town of Kursk in 1759. From tender childhood he was under the protection of the most holy Mother of God, who, when he was nine years old, appeared to him in a vision, and through her icon of Kursk, healed him from a grave sickness from which he had not been expected to recover. At the age of nineteen he entered the monastery of Sarov, where he amazed all with his obedience, his lofty asceticism, and his great humility. In 1780 the Saint was stricken with a sickness which he manfully endured for three years, until our Lady the Theotokos healed him, appearing to him with the Apostles Peter and John. He was tonsured a monk in 1786, being named for the holy Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Phanarion (Dec. 4), and was ordained deacon a year later. In his unquenchable love for God, he continually added labours to labours, increasing in virtue and prayer with titan strides. Once, during the Divine Liturgy of Holy and Great Thursday he was counted worthy of a vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who appeared encompassed by the heavenly hosts. After this dread vision, he gave himself over to greater labours.   "In 1794, Saint Seraphim took up the solitary life in a cell in the forest. This period of extreme asceticism lasted some fifteen years, until 1810. It was at this time that he took upon himself one of the greatest feats of his life. Assailed with despondency and a storm of contrary thoughts raised by the enemy of our salvation, the Saint passed a thousand nights on a rock, continuing in prayer until God gave him complete victory over the enemy. On another occasion, he was assaulted by robbers, who broke his chest and his head with their blows, leaving him almost dead. Here again, he began to recover after an appearance of the most Holy Theotokos, who came to him with the Apostles Peter and John, and pointing to Saint Seraphim, uttered these awesome words, 'This is one of my kind.'   "In 1810, at the age of fifty, weakened by his more than human struggles, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery for the third part of his ascetical labours, in which he lived as a recluse, until 1825. For the first five years of his reclusion, he spoke to no one at all, and little is known of this period. After five years, he began receiving visitors little by little, giving counsel and consolation to ailing souls. In 1825, the most holy Theotokos appeared to the Saint and revealed to him that it was pleasing to God that he fully end his reclusion; from this time the number of people who came to see him grew daily. It was also at the command of the holy Virgin that he undertook the spiritual direction of the Diveyevo Convent. He healed bodily ailments, foretold things to come, brought hardened sinners to repentance, and saw clearly the secrets of the heart of those who came to him. Through his utter humility and childlike simplicity, his unrivalled ascetical travails, and his angel-like love for God, he ascended to the holiness and greatness of the ancient God-bearing Fathers and became, like Anthony for Egypt, the physician for the whole Russian land. In all, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him twelve times in his life. The last was on Annunciation, 1831, to announce to him that he would soon enter into his rest. She appeared to him accompanied by twelve virgins martyrs and monastic saints with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian. With a body ailing and broken from innumerable hardships, and an unspotted soul shining with the light of Heaven, the Saint lived less than two years after this, falling asleep in peace on January 2, 1833, chanting Paschal hymns. On the night of his repose, the righteous Philaret of the Glinsk Hermitage beheld his soul ascending to Heaven in light. Because of the universal testimony to the singular holiness of his life, and the seas of miracles that he performed both in life and after death, his veneration quickly spread beyond the boundaries of the Russian Empire to every corner of the earth. See also July 19." (Great Horologion)   July 19 is the commemoration of the uncovering of St Seraphim's holy relics, which was attended by Tsar Nicholas II.   Saint Seraphim's life became a perpetual celebration of Pascha: in his later years he dressed in a white garment, greeted everyone, regardless of the season, with "Christ is Risen!" and chanted the Pascha service every day of the year.