Concerning a
Lenient Attitude Towards the Shortcomings of Our Fellow Men, with Examples
Given from the Lives of the Holy Fathers
St. Seraphim of
Sophia | January 2/15, 1947
Beloved Children in the Lord:
We heard these words of the great
Apostle (Galatians 6:2) today during the Divine Liturgy at the Epistle reading.
With these words our Holy Church calls us to a real and perfect love for our
fellow men. And this love finds its expression in the mutual and lenient
bearing of the burdens, namely the shortcomings, of our neighbors.
Blessed Augustine gives the
following explanation of the aforesaid words of the Apostle: "Nothing else
but our lenient attitude towards the shortcomings of our neighbors makes us
rise in God's eyes." Unfortunately, just the opposite is to be seen in our
mutual relations: not love for each other, but cruelty; not compassionate, but
condemnatory attitudes toward the weakness of our fellow men. Blame proves to
be the favorite subject of all of our conversations and very frequently they
are accompanied by calumny and feelings of malicious pleasure.
We should never forget the words
of the great pastor of the Russian land, Father John of Kronstadt. Once in his
presence someone abused a person well known to him. "Are you sure that all
that happened indeed?" he asked his interlocutor. "Of course I
am," was the answer. "Then," said Father John, "we shall
not talk about the sins of our fellow man. Ours are enough. And if we compare
our own sins with the sins of those people whom we condemn, it may turn out
that our sinfulness surpasses theirs."
The great Elder of Optina,
Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, had the same sensitive care for the souls of his
fellow men. When I was in Optina in 1910, one of the disciples most devoted to
this great Elder, Nun Maria, told me that according to her, of all the holy and
Godpleasing men three were the greatest: Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saint
Seraphim of Sarov, and Elder Ambrose. To my question why she numbered only
those three among the greatest Saints, Nun Maria answered: "Because of
their unusually great love for their fellow men, which revealed itself in their
lenient attitude towards the shortcomings of people."
Archbishop Antony of Voronezh,
contemporary to St. Seraphim of Sarov and similar to him in spirituality, was
notable for the same lenient attitude. In performing his archpastoral service
he had to reprove the vices of many people who visited him to confess their
sins and ask for spiritual advice. But he used to rebuke them in a way that the
reproved one did not feel the reproof right away and even thought that it had
nothing to do with him, but concerned someone else. Only later did the words of
the righteous and sagacious Archbishop, full of Grace, reveal their Divine
power, and the reproved man see that although Vladyka had stated his
words of correction indirectly, they concerned precisely his faults. Often
Archbishop Antony accompanied his edifying admonitions with an apology.
"Maybe," he would say to the reproved one, "I have hurt you. I
am afraid I have offended you with my words, so I beg your pardon for Christ's
sake."
But especially St. Seraphim of
Sarov, whose memory we celebrate today, was known for such a forbearing
attitude towards his fellow men. The way he treated those who came to him
revealed his great love. He often made prostrations before sinful men, and used
to kiss the hands of laymen, and called visitors "my joy." He treated
even obviously vicious people with love and compassion and persuaded others to
have the same attitude. One day a man came to him with his mother, who used to
drink excessively. He started complaining to St. Seraphim of her drinking, but
the great man put his hand on his mouth and said very seriously: "Children
should not reprove the shortcomings of their parents, for this is a great
sin." Then he ordered the miserable woman to open her mouth and he blew
into it three times. From that moment she was completely healed of her
drunkenness.
Today the Holy Orthodox Church
commemorates the repose of St. Seraphim. His blessed repose is quite edifying
for us. On the day before, the Saint attended Liturgy early in the morning. He
lit a candle before each Icon and made a prostration before each monk, begging
his pardon. Having received Holy Communion, he went to the Abbot and had a very
long talk with him. What was this talk about? It became known that just before
his death the Saint had been thoroughly engaged in caring for the salvation of
the younger brethren and the novices of the monastery. He was pleading with the
Abbot for a merciful, maternal attitude towards their shortcomings, and even
their falls. The love of St. Seraphim resembled the love of the Savior Himself,
Who did not condemn the fallen woman, found by the Pharisees and brought to Him
to be judged. For the great love that the righteous Elder of Sarov had for his
fellow men, the Lord vouchsafed him a blessed repose. When he came back to his
cell, St. Seraphim spent all the day singing victorious Paschal hymns. This
singing lasted until midnight. Then the great Saint became silent. He knelt in
prayer before his most beloved icon, the Mother of God Umileniye, put
his hands crosswise on his breast and fell asleep in the Lord. It is supposed
that he passed away at 3 a.m., for he appeared then to Archbishop Antony of
Voronezh and informed him of his death. At the same time the righteous Abbot of
the Glinsk Hermitage, Hieromonk Philaret, as he was going out of the Church
after Matins, was struck by an unusual light shining in the sky and saw Angels
ascending with the soul of St. Seraphim to the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity.
Let God help us, my beloved
children, to acquire this great love for our fellow men. As St. Paul the
Apostle testifies, when we acquire this love we shall fulfill the whole law of
Christ, all His saving commandments. Then the Lord will give us a glorious,
peaceful Christian death. Then we may hope that Angels will guard our souls
from the demons on our way through the aerial ordeals and will settle us in
Paradise for an eternal heavenly bliss, which may our Lord vouchsafe us for the
sake of the great intercession and prayers of St. Seraphim the Wonderworker.
Amen.
Source: Orthodox
Tradition, Vol. 12 (1995), No. 4, pp. 10-12.
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