A sampling of the Patristic Orthodox wisdom of the reposed Blessed Hieromonk Fr. Seraphim (Rose). An American protestant, who was among the first of Western converts to Holy Orthodoxy on this continent. Blessed Seraphim, pray to God for us sinners.
Only struggle a little more. Carry your cross without complaining. Don't think you are anything special. Don't justify your sins and weaknesses but see yourself as you really are. And, especially, love one another.
Exiled from Paradise, we must become exiled from the world if we hope to return.
This we may do by spending our days in fasting, prayer, separation from the world, attendance at the services of the church, in tears of repentance, in preparation for the joyful Feast that is to end this time of exile. "The Great Fast - Our Exile" March 1965
The irreligious man is a mortal being with a rational nature, who of his own free will turns his back on life and thinks of his own Maker, the ever-existent, as non-existent. The lawless man is one who holds the law of God after his own depraved fashion, and thinks to combine faith in God with heresy that is directly opposed to Him. The Christian is one who imitates Christ in thought, word and deed, as far as is possible for human beings, believing rightly and blamelessly in the Holy Trinity.
The lover of God is he who lives in communion with all that is natural and sinless, and as far as he is able neglects nothing good.
The contented man is he who in the midst of temptations, snares and turmoil, strives with all his might to imitate the ways of Him who is free from such. The monk is he who within his earthly and soiled body toils towards the rank and state of the angelic incorporeal beings. A monk is he who strictly controls his nature and unceasingly watches over his senses. A monk is he who keeps his body in chastity, his mouth pure and his mind illumined. A monk is a mourning soul that both asleep and awake is unceasingly occupied with the remembrance of death.
Withdrawal from the world is voluntary hatred of vaunted material things and denial of nature for the attainment of what is above nature.
It is not enough to say that the young people are going back to church. We need to ask what they are getting in church, what they are taking away from church, and, if they are not making Orthodoxy a part of their whole life, then it really is not sufficient to say that they are going to church.
In our confused days, when a hundred conflicting voices claim to speak for Orthodoxy, it is essential to know whom one can trust as spokesmen for true Orthodoxy.
It is not enough to claim to 'speak' for true Orthodoxy, one must be in and living, the genuine tradition of the Holy Fathers, not merely 'rediscovering' them in a modern academy or seminary, but actually receiving their tradition from one's own fathers. A merely clever explainer of the Patristic doctrine is not in this tradition, but only one who, not trusting his own judgement or that of his peers, is constantly asking of his own fathers what is the proper approach to, and understanding of the Holy Fathers. May 1975
All of politics is heading in the direction of a one world government which cannot be anything but universal slavery.
Glory to Thee Our God.
+ Glory to Thee for All Things! +
Glory forever