St. Seraphim reminds us that the only way to rise up from the darkness that surrounds our world and us is through the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ, specifically in the Divine Liturgy. May we, as he exhorts us to do, cling with all our strength to our Lord Jesus Christ.
St. Seraphim lived during the Communist Revolution in Russia, a time of great upheaval and turmoil. He himself ended his life in martyrdom. Many misfortunes, plagues, and famines afflicted the Russian Empire as it was violently transformed into the Soviet Union. In light of all these afflictions, St. Seraphim calls upon Orthodox Christians to increase their prayer, most of all in the Divine Liturgy. He calls upon them (and us) to dedicate ourselves to greater faithfulness in our attendendance of the Divine Services. He soberly warns us, if the Divine Liturgy is stopped the vacancy will be filled with “another gift” this gift he calls the gift of antichrist and satan.
That you may stand more easily and without distraction during the Divine Liturgy, do the following: while the hours are being chanted, remember the living and departed in your prayers. These commemorations will rise to heaven together with the commemorations being offered by the priest during proskomedia and will bring great consolation to the souls of those remembered. Here it does not matter if the commemorations are made in the altar before the table of oblation, at the doors of the altar, or in the midst of the church, for the Lord is everywhere and hears everything. When the opening exclamation of the Liturgy is made, “Blessed is the Kingdom …” pray that the Lord would grant unto you the Heavenly Kingdom. At the offering of the first litany of peace,((The Great Litany)) pray that the Lord would give you His peace during this day.
That you may stand more easily and without distraction during the Divine Liturgy, do the following: while the hours are being chanted, remember the living and departed in your prayers. These commemorations will rise to heaven together with the commemorations being offered by the priest during proskomedia and will bring great consolation to the souls of those remembered. Here it does not matter if the commemorations are made in the altar before the table of oblation, at the doors of the altar, or in the midst of the church, for the Lord is everywhere and hears everything. When the opening exclamation of the Liturgy is made, “Blessed is the Kingdom …” pray that the Lord would grant unto you the Heavenly Kingdom. At the offering of the first litany of peace,((The Great Litany)) pray that the Lord would give you His peace during this day.
Below the reader will find my translation from the Russian of sermons 12 and 13 “On the Divine Liturgy,” by St. Seraphim (Zvezdenski). Previous sermons may be found here. All titles and footnotes are my own.
Below the reader will find my translation of sermon 11 in the series of sermons by St. Seraphim on the Div. Liturgy. May his inspired words of explanation on the Div. Liturgy continue to stir up in us a deeper love for God and a greater zeal to worship Him. (All titles are my own for the purposes of my blog). Previous sermons may be found here.
Below the reader will find a beautiful excerpt from a sermon by St. Sebastian (Dabovich) For Holy Communion. The excerpt is from an old Orthodox Word. In our times, and I would suspect in any times too, it is of great benefit to remind ourselves of the manner in which the Saints speak about the Holy Mysteries and the area in which they are offered. Indeed, it is more than evident that the almighty grace of God sanctifies not only the gifts of the Eucharist but also the place, the temple, in which they are offered. This sanctification, according to St. Sebastian, is greater than what transpired with Moses at the burning bush on Sinai.
The second part of the Divine Liturgy bears the name, “The Liturgy of the Catechumens.” It is named thus because catechumens – those preparing to receive holy baptism – are permitted to be present while it is served. Besides catechumens, Jews and pagans [unbelievers] could be present at this portion also, if they desired to hear the service. In ancient times this whole section of the Liturgy took place in the middle of the church [the nave]. In those days, there were not yet set prayers because from the mouths of the faithful worshippers sprang forth fiery hymns and brief prayerful sighs, from which later our [current] songs and litanies were composed.
Below the reader will find a sermon by one of the few American-born Orthodox saints, Sebastian Dabovich (1863-1940). The sermon was originally printed in the 1966 September – October issue of the Orthodox Word, pp. 129-132. All end notes are from the original article.V
My friends, if you are asked, “Who are you?” How would you answer? Answer in this way – a Christian! Yes – Christian – what an honorable name. For this name the first Christians did not spare even their own lives; for this name the martyrs received terrible sufferings, even unto death. What delineates a person with the title of Christian from everything else? [Communion in] the Life-creating Chalice. A Christian – out of all the peoples of the world – is one who receives of the Divine nature of Christ the Savior.((Cf. 2 Peter 1:4)) A Christian partakes of Communion at the Divine Liturgy – this is why he must treasure the Liturgy beyond measure. I tell you again, count the day as lost in which you were not able to be present at the Divine Service. For it is the Divine Lampada, lit by Christ the Savior Himself; it is the diamond purchased with His very Blood.
