www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology St Seraphim of Sarov

Well I finally found the best book, at least in my opinion on St. Seraphim. The title: "St. Seraphim of Sarov" A Spiritual Biography by Archimandrite Lazarus Moore, I know for sure you can purchase this from St. Seraphim's Bookstore, P.O. Box 1049, Blanco, TX 78606-1049. This beautiful book covers St. Seraphim's life to his last year, to miracles and the canonization in addition to at the time I purchased this book, photos prior to the Russian Revolution. I must say this is one book I constantly find myself referring to often. Good luck!

Dear Friends,

This site has all four Prayer Rules of St Seraphim of Sarov, including what in the West is called the "Rosary:"

http://www.geocities.com/orthodoxlife/prays/ser4.html

Alex

Dear Orthodox Catholic Alex,

Is there an english language version anywhere?

Nick

Is a monk buried that way, or is his own monastic veil or klobuk used to cover his face?

Nick

Dear Nicholas,


http://www.stjohndc.org/stjohndc/English/Fathers/9910d.htm

In the Risen Lord,
Alice

Thanks Alice!

Christ is Risen!

Nick

Nicholas, Christ is Risen!
A monk (or nun) is, indeed, buried with the klobuk on backwacks so that the veil covers his (or her) face; and a monk or nun of the great schema (which Saint Seraphim was not) has his mandyas torn into six pieces which are made into three crosses and wrapped around the body, one covering the face.

However, a monk who is ordained subdeacon or higher os also buried in some vestment and, for a deacon or higher, other artifact of his office; for a priest monk, he wears an epitrachilion and his face is covered with a chalice veil.

Christ is Risen!
Photius, Reader

Dear Photius,

Christ is Risen!

Thanks for the above information...It was very interesting.

In Christ,
Alice

I love how St Seraphim would greet those who came to him for spiritual direction: "Come along, my joys! Christ is Risen!"
He loved all of God's Creation and there is the story of the bear whom he befriended and tamed during his hermitage years in the forest.

Most important is his teaching on acquiring the Holy Spirit.

St Seraphim is my patron and I have always had great love for him!

Holy Father Seraphim, pray to God for us!!

Amen to Brian's comments. He would often anoint with the oil from his lamp which burned before the icon of the Theotokos, and many were healed from those anointings.

There is a beautiful Akathist to him in the Jordanville "Book of Akathists". St. Seraphim, wonderworker of Sarov, pray to God for us!

Dear Friends,

Well, I hope all those who say they love St Seraphim so much are fulfilling his Rule of Prayer to the Theotokos every day!

I really hope you are . . .

And, Brother Nicholas, I did do an English translation that is here somewhere.

But as I'm a techno-peasant, I don't know how to retrieve it.

Perhaps a techno-aristocrat here can do this?

Alex

Dear Friends,

I found the English version that I translated:

http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/OldWorldBasic/RuleofMotherofGod.htm

So now EVERYONE can say this prayer daily!

Alex
St Seraphim's Servant

Christ is Risen!
To prevent confusion, it should be piinted out that this thread is titled "St Seraphim of Sarov" while the below link is to a prayer rule by "St Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), Russian Orthodox Bishop of Dimitrov, martyred by the Soviets in 1937."

Photius

From the life of our Holy Father St. Seraphim:

"Everyone saw St. Seraphim as meek, joyful, pensively sincere. He greeted all with the words: "My joy!" To many he advised: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved." No matter who came to him, the starets bowed to the ground before all, and, in blessing, kissed their hands. He did not need the visitors to tell about themselves, as he could see what each had on their soul. He also said, "Cheerfulness is not a sin. It drives away weariness, for from weariness there is sometimes dejection, and there is nothing worse than that."

"Oh, if you only knew" he once said to a monk, "what joy, what sweetness awaits a righteous soul in Heaven! You would decide in this mortal life to bear any sorrows, persecutions and slander with gratitude."

Would that we take the words of our holy Father to heart and be the living icons of that joy, and cheerfulness.

By the way, Brian, July 19/August 1 isn't that far away...practice singing that Akathist...

Dear Photius,

Actually, the prayer Rule of St Seraphim Zvezdinsky is simply a slightly augmented version of St Seraphim of Sarov's prayer Rule.

And the way the prayers are established are based upon a Russian Orthodox nun's interpretation of St Seraphim Zvezdinsky's method of praying the Rule of St Seraphim of Sarov - in actual fact, the longer prayers that St Seraphim Zvezdinsky used at the end of each decade or "desiatka" are now lost.

There are many methods of praying the Prayer Rule of St Seraphim of Sarov to the Theotokos (again, not that he originated it, but handed it down to us in his own format as indicated on the Russian website I listed - it originated in the 8th century, according to that).

We can develop our own method, if we like, whatever proves helpful.

The Mother of God herself will teach us to pray her daily Rule as she would like us, as her children, to pray it.

(If you haven't been saying this Rule, will you do so now that you've read about it?)

Alex