Diveyevo, Nizhny Novgorod Province, Russia, January 17, 2024
Photo: nne.ru
A dozen hierarchs, a host of clerics, and hundreds of Orthodox faithful gathered at Diveyevo Monastery on Sunday evening and Monday for the feast of the repose of the great St. Seraphim of Sarov.
Both the All-Night Vigil and the Divine Liturgy were led by His Eminence Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod, concelebrated by 11 other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and priests and deacons, reports the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis.
Monastics from several other monasteries also came to celebrate the beloved monastic saint.
At the end of the service, Abbess Sergia of Diveyevo thanked Met. Georgy and the other hierarchs for the Liturgy, and offered the hierarch a prosphora and icon of St. Seraphim.
Photo: nne.ru
The hierarch preached about:
Among the many spiritual feats of St. Seraphim of Sarov was his 1,000-day prayerful standing on a stone. He prayed for all people and for the future of our country, because the saint, thanks to the gift of foresight, knew what trials Russia would face many decades after the end of his earthly life. He knew that faith would wane in human hearts, tragic events would occur, and blood would be shed. Fr. Seraphim prayed that the Russian land would stand firm and that the Orthodox faith, which is the spiritual foundation for us, would be preserved on it. Having gone through many troubles and losses, Russia will be reborn for the future, the sprouts of spirituality will bear fruit over time. And we see how after decades of persecution of the Church, people are turning to the Lord, and this is the most important thing because if we do not strive to live in a Christian way, giving place in our life to the providence of God, then no matter how much we build and restore temples, all our efforts will be in vain. We will pray to St. Seraphim for sobriety of thought and strength in faith, and then, seeing our diligence, the Lord will show us His mercy.
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