“The chosen miracle-worker and the devoted servant of Christ ...” - this is how the akathist begins to sound pleasant to the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. The great prophet and miracle worker Seraphim of Sarov was glorified in the face of saints. He was a wise, humble guardian of the Law of God, a teacher and mentor of all the laity. A lot of akathists and laudatory prayers were added to the holy saint Seraphim of Sarov. Icons with his image are almost immediately recognizable and always revered.
Seraphim of Sarov akathist
Many prayers are constantly offered to our father Seraphim. Twice a year, the days of his memory are celebrated, these are January 15th (Transmission) and August 1st (Purchase of relics). These days, the blessed saint of God, Seraphim of Sarov, recites an akathist and troparion - laudatory hymns in order to glorify himself and honor his memory.
He prayed all his life and defended the whole human race from the wrath of God, but to this day he has been tirelessly praying for the salvation of the human soul and helping people. There is a lot of evidence that the akathist dedicated to Seraphim of Sarov contains great miraculous power. The elder possessed the gift of prophecy. The predictions of Seraphim of Sarov are still not in doubt.
Prokhor Moshnin
Prokhor Isidorovich Mashnin was born in the city of Kursk on July 19, 1754 into a prosperous merchant family of Isidor and Agafya Moshnin. His father had brick factories and was engaged in the construction of buildings and stone churches. At the end of his life, he took a contract for the construction of the cathedral in Kursk (today it is the Sergiev Kazan Cathedral, founded in 1752), but, unfortunately, he died in 1762 and his work remained incomplete. His wife, Agafia Moshnina, began to continue the construction of the cathedral.
It so happened that she took the seven-year-old Prokhor to a high belfry, and he, having stolen childish carelessness and injustice, fell from her. And to everyone's surprise, he remained unharmed, because the Lord had prepared for him a completely different fate. Today, in memory of this event, a monument with the image of the face of the Great Miracle Worker and Prophet Seraphim of Sarov is erected at the crash site in the lower church of the Sergiev Kazan Cathedral.
Young Prokhor attended church services, learned to read and write and often read the Holy Gospel and the Life of Saints to his peers.
Once Prokhor fell very ill, and he had a vision of the Mother of God, who promised to heal him. And when a religious procession was going through the Moshnin’s estate, the mother took her sick son and put his head to the Icon of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mother of the Virgin, after which the disease receded.
Novice of the monastery
Soon, Prokhor had a desire to leave as a novice in a monastery. His mother blessed him and presented him with a crucifix, which he wore on his chest until the end of his life. Then, together with other pilgrims, he makes a pilgrimage on foot from Kursk to the Kiev-Pechersk saints. There, the old schema-monk Dosifei blessed him to go to serve in the Holy Assumption Sarov Desert, founded in 1691, transformed in 1706 into the city of Sarov (Nizhny Novgorod Region).
Having said goodbye to his family and mother, in 1778 he went to the Sarov Desert, where he was kindly received by Father Pakhomiy, who assigned him the spiritual elder Joseph. Prokhor became his novice and performed all his duties with great diligence and zeal.
Following the example of other monks, he begins to retire to the forest for solitude and Jesus prayer, the elder gave him a blessing for this. But two years later, the young novice fell ill with dropsy and experienced terrible suffering, but did not complain. All the brethren, led by their father Joseph, tried to help him with everything they could.
The disease lasted three years, Prokhor did not want to see doctors, because he believed that he had given himself to the True Physician Jesus Christ. Once after the communion of the Holy Mysteries, the Mother of the Virgin appeared to him at night, accompanied by John the Theologian and the Apostle Peter. She poked her wand into the patient’s side, the fluid flowed out of him right away, and Prokhor got better. After some time, a church for the sick was built at the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, consecrated in the name of the holy reverend Zosima and Savvatiy of Solovetsky.
Monastic feat
After spending eight years in the Sarov monastery, young Prokhor accepted monastic tonsure, and was baptized by Seraphim. During church services, he saw several times the Holy Angels helping the ministry. But once, during another service in the church, the perspicacious miracle worker Seraphim of Sarov saw through the air the walking Jesus Christ surrounded by the Ethereal Heavenly Forces. The Lord blessed the worshipers and after that entered into the image near the royal gates. After such a vision, the monk Seraphim began to pray even more intensely. At the age of 39, he becomes a hieromonk. After the death of his father, Pachomius, having a blessing from him and from his father Isaiah for a new feat, he sets off for several kilometers to a deserted cell located in a forest.
He appeared in the monastery only on Saturdays for communion and acceptance of the Holy Mysteries. The Holy Gospel, along with other liturgical books, has always been with him. He turned his life into severe exploits.
Near the cell he had a small garden and a bee-keeper. He ate once a day, and on Wednesday and Friday he completely refused food.
Saint Seraphim of Sarov completely indulged in prayer, sometimes he could lie still for a long time. The brethren who visited him, having caught him in such a state, quietly retired, so as not to interfere with his contemplation. In addition to the fraternity, laymen reached for him.
But then he wanted to completely retire and with the blessing of the abbot stopped all receptions, the path overgrown with him, and the branches of centuries-old pine trees were closed with a cell. From now on, only wild animals visited him, whom he fed with bread.
Tricks of the Devil
Devil offspring did not like the deeds of Father Seraphim of Sarov, and they began to frighten him. But the fearless reverend father shielded himself with relentless prayers and the Power of the Life-giving Cross. Saint Seraphim of Sarov prayed on a stone for a thousand days and nights. Then the devil wanted to kill him and sent robbers to him. They came to him when he worked in the garden, and began to threaten to demand money.
The Monk Seraphim of Sarov was very physically strong and, holding an ax in his hands, could deal with them, but remembering the words from the Gospel: "Whoever took the sword from him and will die," he did not fight back.
Cruel bandits beat him very badly and broke his skull. Not finding money in the cell, ashamed of their act, they went away.
The next morning, the wounded Rev. Seraphim of Sarov barely made it to the monastery. The whole fraternity was horrified by what they saw and called the doctors, but the doctors were not useful to him. He had a vision - the Queen of Heaven appeared again with John and the Apostle Peter and touched his head, after which he was healed again.
Feat of silence
Five months later, Elder Seraphim again returned to the deserted cell. He walked, already leaning on his staff, left hunched after the robbers' attack. He forgave his offenders. After the death of Isaiah's father, a former friend of his since his youth, he takes a vow of silence for three years and even stops visiting the monastery. The new abbot was Father Nifont. He, along with the brethren, asked Elder Seraphim to return to the monastery. And after 15 years of seclusion, Seraphim returned to the deserts. But without interrupting silence and hermitage, he was constantly in Divine thought.
Father Seraphim was gifted with the special gift of wonderworking and insight and became a revered old man. In 1825, the Mother of God again appeared to him and ordered him to receive people who needed solace and instruction. Now he has become a healer of human souls and hearts. He turned to the visitor kindly and with emotion, only as “my treasure”, “my joy”. In the last years of his life, he took great care of his brainchild - the Diveevo women's monastery.
Once, one of the healed ones saw the praying reverend Elder Seraphim hanging in the air. But the saint forbade him to talk about this before his death. Almost two years before the death of the reverend, the Queen of Heaven again visited with the saints John the Baptist, John the Theologian and the twelve virgins-martyrs. She warned him that he would be with them soon. With this marvelous phenomenon, there was one old Diveyevo elder, for whom the reverend elder prayed.
Leaving this world
Saint Seraphim gradually began to weaken and began to prepare for his demise. In the hallway was the coffin he had prepared, and he often stood beside him. Then the miracle worker pointed to the place where he wanted to be buried - near the altar in the Assumption Cathedral. On January 1, 1833, having communed in the hospital Zosimo-Savvatievskaya church, he turned to the brethren with the words: “Save yourself, watch and do not lose heart, here we are getting crowns”.
He also warned that as long as he is alive, there will be no fire, but when his earthly life ends, a fire will occur. And so it happened. In his cell, his things and books began to smolder, and the reverend miracle worker himself was kneeling before the image of the Mother of God, but already lifeless. His soul was taken by angels during prayer and flew up to Heaven to the Throne of the Almighty King.
Holy relics of the saint
70 years after the death of Seraphim of Sarov, Sovereign Nicholas II raised the question of the canonization of the saint, which happened on August 1, 1903. His Grace Dmitry Tambovsky supervised this process.
The relics of Seraphim of Sarov were in a special burial vault where the vault was dug, and then everyone saw that the oak coffin was safe and sound.
This day was also accompanied by miraculous healings of many sick people who came to the city of Sarov to honor the memory of their beloved saint along with the memory of St. Elder Sergius of Radonezh. The seized imperishable relics of Seraphim of Sarov were placed in a special cancer.
The rule of Father Seraphim
Saint Seraphim of Sarov said that for the life of any person prayer is necessary as air. He asked his spiritual children to pray constantly. The rule of Seraphim of Sarov says that every Christian, waking up in the morning, must necessarily cross himself and read the prayer “Our Father” three times in a certain place and three times “Hail to the Virgin Mary,” and once “Symbol of Faith”. And only after that he should proceed to worldly affairs.
On the way or for some activity, you must read the prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." If there are people around, then briefly but wisely say "Lord, have mercy." And so on until lunch. Before lunch, repeat the morning prayers again . After lunch, quietly read “The Blessed Virgin Mary, save me a sinner” and pray throughout the day until night. And in solitude to read "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on the Virgin Mary to me a sinner." Before you go to bed, you must repeat the morning rule and, having crossed, you can go to bed.
The rule of Seraphim of Sarov does not require any special work and effort. However, according to the most reverend, prayers will serve as a reliable anchor in the waves of worldly fuss. By performing them daily, one can achieve high spirituality, since these prayers are the essence of the foundation of Christianity.
The first prayer is like the word of the King of Heaven itself, set in a pattern. The second archangel brought in greeting to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The latter is the dogma of faith.
Anyone who has time should read the Gospel (Apostle) akathists, canons and other prayers. The wise old man advised that if it is not possible to fulfill the prayer of a servant of a forced servant in a worthy manner, then this rule can be fulfilled when doing business, lying or walking. After all, the main thing is to remember the words of the Holy Gospel: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Temples of Seraphim of Sarov
Today, a huge number of temples have been built in honor of this holy miracle worker. People come to the church of Seraphim of Sarov to pray and ask the holy elder for help and protection. And they get it.
Visiting the church of Seraphim of Sarov, believers are absolutely sure that he will definitely help them. What are they asking for Seraphim of Sarov? Believers ask him literally about everything: about the granting of love, about the health of loved ones, about protection from enemies, about intercession from sinful circumstances and despondency. The temple of Seraphim of Sarov is constantly hearing human prayers. And he who truly believes that St. Seraphim will help him will surely find comfort and peace.
150 km from Voronezh, near the village of Novomakarovo in a picturesque place is the monastery of Seraphim of Sarov. There comes a huge number of pilgrims seeking salvation and intercession. The temple of Seraphim of Sarov preserves the graceful particles of relics, epitrachilos, the holy mantle and the sepulcher.
One cannot fail to mention the beloved Seraphim-Diveevo nunnery, where the relics of the saint still lie to this day.
The icon of Seraphim of Sarov, dear to the heart, “The Mother of God“ Tenderness ”, was always before his eyes, he prayed before her, the holy elder knelt before her in prayer and died. She was in this monastery for a long time. The priceless icon of Seraphim of Sarov was framed in a precious golden robe, which was presented by Emperor Nicholas II. Now it is stored in Moscow in the Patriarchal residence.
Prophecies of Seraphim of Sarov
The miracle worker Seraphim of Sarov could predict various events at the beginning of the 20th century. So, in his prophecies, he predicted the execution of the royal family, war and revolution. He said that soon the time would come when the souls of dying people would not have time to receive angels. He also predicted that a hundred years after his canonization (1903), since 2003 Russia has been awaiting a revival. As a result, all the prophecies of Seraphim of Sarov are reduced to the fact that, with all inhuman suffering, Russia will be a great and glorious power, since God loves the Slavic people, which to this day retains true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A more powerful state than the Russian-Slavic will no longer be on Earth. It will be it that will become the world leader, before which many nations will tremble. The predictions of Seraphim of Sarov are true, both as God holy and as two, two, four.