January 2nd, 2026: St. Seraphim Day - Bp Vasily

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On January 2nd, 1833,

monks observing the cell of a higher monk Seraphim

in the Russian monastery of Sarov. They sensed

a smoke coming out of the monk's dwelling. and

determined that his cell is on fire. Coming into

the cell, the monks quickly extinguished burning

books and garments and found that Father Seraphim

has reposed quietly in a kneeling position, kneeling

before the icon of the Mother of God, kneeling

in prayer. Today we remember the repose of this

humble monk who became one of the most well -known

saints in the Orthodox Church, our Venerable

Father Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonder Worker.

He predicted the manner of his death, saying

that it will become known by means of fire, and

it seemed appropriate. for his own name, Seraphim,

meant fiery one, a fiery one, an ardent one.

On one of the last occasions that he was seen

alive at the liturgy for the Feast of St. Basil

on January 1st, when he received the Holy Mysteries,

and while he was leaving the liturgy, he said

to those who heard him, encouraging them to seek

salvation. not to despair, and be vigilant. St.

Paul commands us in Epistle to the Romans, love

one another with brotherly love, do not lag in

zeal, be aglow, that is, ardent, fervent with

the Spirit, and serve the Lord. And these, all

of these, were characteristic of St. Seraphim's

life. He showed zeal to the Lord when he entered

the monastery, when he undertook the really very

serious monastic ascetical endeavors. But most

of all, what he showed to the people who came

to him, he showed his love. He showed love and

kindness and gentleness. Today we heard also

St. Paul speaking in the Epistle to the Galatians,

speaking of the fruit of the Spirit, which are

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness. gentleness, and self -control.

And Saint Seraphim, our Venerable Father, who

lived his life as a monk faithfully, quietly,

and sometimes getting in trouble with the monastery

authorities, but not for anything that he did

wrong, but everything that he did right. He was

indeed ardent with these fruits of the Spirit,

the fruits of the Spirit of God, especially gentleness

and kindness to those who would seek his spiritual

counsel and his blessing. Most of all, he urged

the people who came to him, speaking to them

directly, and even after his death, speaking

to them through this. specific conversation which

was recorded, the conversation with his spiritual

child, which he became so widely known, he said

to them that the goal of Christian life is to

acquire the Spirit of God. And fasting, prayer,

vigils, good works are but means for this goal,

for the achievement, attainment of this goal.

We all who are baptized in Christ received that

Spirit. Those who have come into the Orthodox

Church, we received the Spirit of God. And this

Spirit of whom St. Paul speaks also, saying that

if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the

dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from

the dead will give life to your mortal bodies.

And through this Spirit, also through this Spirit

that dwells in you. This Spirit is alive in us,

Orthodox Christians. We just, what we need to

follow the goal of the Christian life, Saint

Seraphim said for us is to open our hearts to

God, to realize who we are, to realize that we

are the children of God, that our life is in

God, our life is in Christ. And this goal, this

is the path to what Saint Seraphim told us. in

his famous conversation, to acquire the Spirit

of God. And the fruits, this presence of the

Spirit of God in us is manifest, has to be manifest

through what we do. We are not all given, most

of us are not given the gifts of healing. Most

of us are not given the gifts of gifts of foreknowledge

and seeing and clairvoyance but what is given

to all of us in this way we can imitate we can

follow the example of our venerable father seraphim

is to be loving and kind to one another to be

gentle with one another, to see in one another

as the image of God. In the words of St. John

Chrysostom, as the altar of God upon which we

offer our daily sacrifice, our daily offering

to God. The life of St. Seraphim has been this.

offering of himself to God, complete surrender

of himself, of his whole life to God in the spirit

of gentleness and kindness and the quiet manner

of his death, the quiet but fiery one, as reflected,

fully consistent with the life that he led. This

is the goal of Christian life, according to our

venerable Father Seraphim, to acquire the Spirit

of God, the Spirit which we already given, the

Spirit which we already made part of through

the sacraments of the Church, through the baptism,

through the Eucharist, through our... our common

identity as the members of the body of Christ,

as the members of Christ, as the children, sons

and daughters of God. May this quiet, gentle

light of Christ, joyful light of Christ, which

shone in Saint Seraphim, which shone through

Saint Seraphim, and continues to shine through

him when we look at his icon, when we seek his

intercession. May this light, when we remember

this light, and may this light also shine through

us, through the works that we do, through the

works of kindness, the works of gentleness, the

works of love. For by this we will truly show

that we have heard the gospel. By this we will

truly show that we are not just those who kiss

the icon of St. Seraphim, but those who are clearly

become the disciples of Christ, the disciples

of St. Seraphim, and who clearly want and clearly

desire to follow his example. And this would

be to venerate him truly. To follow his example

would be to really and truly remember Saint Seraphim

of Sarov as we do today. Amen.