4: St. Seraphim of Sarov

The Podvig with Joel Dunn

A sermon by St. John Maximovich of Shanghai and San Francisco in Serbia in 1928 on St. Seraphim of Sarov. The sermon is as applicable to us today as it was then. As in the time of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, the royal martyrs, we too, find ourselves on some sort of precipice. Something in the world is changing around us such that we can sense, but cannot fully perceive. Strange alliances are forming, war is raging with no end in sight, egged on and funded by nations who seemingly have no appetite for peace, but for transformation by domination. Society is deteriorating at an ever-increasing rate. Perversions of every kind are celebrated publicly. Murderous rage spews at those who attempt to protect human life. Economies are failing. Livelihoods have been threatened or destroyed for refusal to participate in experimental biotechnology trials. Storms rage. Suffering and death are everywhere. But we must be faithful. We can control nothing, save for that which has been given to us for control: ourselves. We must, as St. Paul encourages in Romans 12:12, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and continue steadfastly in prayer….