St Seraphim is one of the most revered Russian saints. Everyone knows that we should imitate saints and learn from them. What is it that we can learn from St Seraphim and how should we do it? How can we imitate the multiple virtues of this holy man knowing of his perfection and spiritual height?
Of course, the virtues of the saints are innumerable, and it is impossible to imitate them all at once. However, one should also know that all the virtues of saints, no matter how abundant, come from one source. The name of this source is the Grace of the Holy Spirit. We acquire the virtues and perfections of saints inasmuch as we acquire Grace. Therefore, if we want to imitate saints, we must first of all take care of this single and most important thing — the acquisition of the Grace of God. We can learn this from the Venerable Seraphim like from no other saint, for he left us direct instructions on the acquisition of Grace in his well-known conversation with N. A. Motovilov. Let’s try to think about some of the words spoken by the venerable saint in this conversation.
St Seraphim says that the meaning of the Christian life lies in the acquisition of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. He compares acquiring it with commerce, i. e., with the acquisition of earthly wealth. Several interesting conclusions can be drawn from this comparison. In particular, the idea that the “scale” of the Grace acquired by Christians, may vary from small to great just as the size of our earthly wealth. There is a big difference between an ordinary person and an infinitely rich person. This difference can be seen in everything, from the way a person dresses to where he lives and what opportunities he has in life. Most people own little wealth and live from paycheck to paycheck. They are forced to constantly maintain their small wealth, under pain of poverty. However, the need for this disappears with the accumulation of material wealth, when a person reaches a certain level where it becomes possible to live only on income from capital. In this case, a person stays rich, regardless of the circumstances.
In light of this, saints that receive great gifts of Grace from God can be compared to people, who own a great, often incalculable fortune. Just as a rich person can help people, build churches or hospitals and donate large amounts to charity without becoming poorer, so the saints can render abundant grace-filled help to particular people and the whole world, while their Grace is not depleted. Saints are known to have healed incurable patients, resurrected the dead, delivered people from danger and death and helped them in all sorts of trials and misfortunes. They exude these gifts of God, like an inexhaustible spring gushing from the earth. Most people can relate to such a degree of Grace, as a beggar relates to a billionaire. Grace does not abide in us permanently, and only comes into our souls to a small extent from time to time. Needless to say, we are not able to provide grace-filled help to anyone.
Another descriptive comparison would be likening most Christians to small boats, sailing with difficulty on the waves of the sea of life, in which the saints are huge sea liners. Just as an aircraft carrier is a formidable force and a real floating fortress that cannot be overcome, so the saints are invincible for our enemies. With their prayers and with their holy life they strike and drive them far away. Without the protection of these ships, our small boats would easily and quickly be sunk by the enemy.
Saints send these great powers and gifts of God into the world, so that, in the words of Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, the devil is bound by these powers and can no longer do whatever he pleases in the world. Therefore, every saint who has acquired Grace is a priceless treasure for the world, although the world does not understand or recognize this. The world still stands only for the sake of the saints, “the salt of the earth”, not allowing it to turn into mold. They are the light of the world, not allowing it to plunge into darkness and perish.
By sending God’s infinite powers and energies into the world, the saints can even influence the course of world history. St Silouan the Athonite once said that during the time of St Seraphim, it was for his prayers that the Lord kept Russia from disasters and upheavals. For example, Russia was in mortal danger during the Decembrist uprising. It is known that the Decembrists had the darkest plans about Russia. “It becomes more and more clear from what horrors and abominations God has delivered us by strengthening the Emperor on December 14th.” St Philaret of Moscow wrote after the December uprising. These words make it clear that the revolution with its bloody nightmares may well have happened not in 1917, but almost a hundred years earlier, in 1825. It is very likely that it was for the prayers of St Seraphim of Sarov that the Lord saved Russia at that point.
Attaining the Grace of God, the saints received not only great powers and gifts, but, most importantly, kinship with God, something that all Christians are called to. The Church founded by Christ has all the necessary means for this. For example, through the Sacrament of Communion we truly and substantially become related to God. However, this kinship is only by blood, and besides it, a kinship in spirit is also required. Spiritual kinship with God and the saints is achieved only by acquiring the Grace of God. Only those who acquire His abundant Grace attain this heavenly kinship and become true children of God. The Queen of Heaven says about the Venerable Seraphim, “He is of our generation.” for he had the great Grace of the Holy Spirit.
So, as we can see, dear brothers and sisters, we should imitate St Seraphim in acquiring the Grace of God. This is what we should learn from him. Let us not be lazy and work hard to acquire it. Let us strive in the Christian life in order to obtain kinship with God and the saints. After all, this is how we can join them in their heavenly dwelling, entering into their wonderful assembly, into their great family of God. Amen.
Translated by The Catalogue of Good Deeds
In the Beginning Was the Word. One Hundred Selected Sermons
Source: https://azbyka.ru/propovedi/v-nachale-bylo-slovo-sto-izbrannykh-propovedej.shtml#15_prepodobnyj_serafim_sarovskij
