St. Seraphim of Sarov
Born Prokhor Moshnin in Kursk in 1754, St. Seraphim entered the Sarov monastery in 1778 and, after ordination to the priesthood, spent many years as a hermit in the forest, including a thousand days and nights of prayer on a rock.
When beaten nearly to death by robbers, he forgave them and refused to have them punished. Emerging from seclusion in 1825, he received thousands of pilgrims, greeting each one with the words "Christ is risen, my joy!", and his conversation with Nicholas Motovilov on the acquisition of the Holy Spirit became one of the most treasured texts of Orthodox spirituality. He reposed in prayer before an icon of the Mother of God on January 2, 1833, and was glorified in 1903.
The true aim of our Christian life consists of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.
Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end.
Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.
God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts.
Christ is risen, my joy!
Troparion · Tone 4
You loved Christ from your youth, O blessed one, and longing to work for Him alone, you struggled in the wilderness in constant prayer and labor. With penitent heart and great love for Christ, you were favored by the Mother of God. Therefore, we cry to you: Save us by your prayers, Venerable Seraphim, our father.
Kontakion · Tone 2
Forsaking the beauty as well as the corruption of this world, you settled in the monastery of Sarov, O Saint. There you lived an angelic life, becoming for many the way to salvation. Therefore, Christ has glorified you, Father Seraphim, enriching you with abundant healing and miracles. So we cry to you: Rejoice, Seraphim, our venerable father.
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