I’ve found Fr. Seraphim Rose relevant to the points you mention as he constantly introduced the Saints to the audience of “The Orthodox Word” and through his larger writings such as his translations of the Vita Patrum and the first English writing on St. Paisius Velichkovsky. A close friend of his also contributed many monographs of the Saints – I.M. Kontzevitch.

As well, Fr. Seraphim’s first spiritual father was Archbishop (now Saint) John Maximovitch under whom he studied Orthodoxy and took courses that St. John had organized in San Francisco (they ended after Fr. Seraphim, then Eugene, graduated). He was also a dear friend to one of the last inheritors of the spirit of Optina, Bishop Nektary. From these two giants, but also through several more, he learned what true Orthodoxy is and was blessed to share this knowledge/life through the journal and various writings.

There are two prominent groups that grew out of his work – the St. Xenia Sisterhood and Death to The World – a “punks turned monks” group that is still active. His influence has been widespread but especially so in Russia where, during the Communist years, they were able to teach us about the sufferings of the Church under Communism and also to spread Orthodox literature into the USSR.

Many are the threads that weave their way throughout his works. We find the emphasis on the heart and compassion over against always having correct doctrine and making sure others do as well. He emphasizes that Western Christianity was Orthodox Christianity as shown in the Vita Patrum. This love for Western Saints he inherited from St. John Maximovitch who was singly responsible for the glorification of many Western Saints that we hadn’t been aware of. Most of all, though, he was very sober. Considering he was an American “convert”, trained in Far Eastern studies with a command of various Far Eastern languages and aware of the history of America which lacked an Orthodox “phronema” we can see his soberness in a reaction to a comment Fr. Herman posed to him. Observing Fr. Seraphim’s silent contemplation, Fr. Herman would tell him half-joking, “You’re a hesychast!” – meaning a “silent one” engaged in direct contemplation of Divinity. Fr. Seraphim, however, did not like this term applied to himself. He even became indignant, saying, “I don’t know what that means.” Of course he knew intellectually, but he did not want to pretend to understand it from experience. He detested posing and fakery of any kind. For him, spiritual life had to be first of all down to earth, filled with humility and sober awareness of one’s low spiritual state.

Thank you for the link to that site. It will be good reading.

The Prologue is a great thing to read, isn’t it? St Nikolai did a beautiful thing for us all. We’re all starving for these things, as our souls let us know, in various ways. This is one kind of feasting that is always permitted: the spiritual kind!

I agree with your above distinctions between St. Ephrem and St. Isaac. I lump them together only for the simple fact of being Syrian. I’ve always found St. Ephrem’s hymns beautiful during the Fasts and Feasts. Speaking of the Syrians, had you noted this – http://rocorunity.blogspot.com/2009/04/russian-orthodox-pick-oxford-educated.html

Thank-you for your kind and helpful reply. As always, you remain on my feed, and I’m still hungry.

I’m unfortunately almost entirely unfamiliar with the writings of Fr Seraphim Rose, though I know he is held in high esteem particularly among American readers who find in him a voice thoroughly familiar with US culture and many of the subtle wounds it inflicts upon souls, and how Orthodoxy is a healing balm in this context, as in every other. I have found, among my books, introductions by him, and such, but I haven’t read his lengthier works. I really don’t know enough to comment on his writing. I’m certain that some other people will be much better able to comment than I am.

I think that St Ephrem is in quite a different boat than what I describe above. Though St Ephrem may have himself been one of the ihidaya (kind of “civilian monks”), his writings, particularly his hymns, were all intended for a wider Christian audience. The hymns were sung in churches, and the writings were available to all who were literate. So these would fall into St Isaac’s category of writing which “indiscriminately instructs both you and ordinary people; or the sort that is of use for teaching all ranks of people equally.” Actually, The Evergetinos of St Paul of the Evergetidos Monastery falls into this category. St Nikodemos makes this clear in his Introduction to that enormous four-volume work, and it is indeed one of the most popular Patristic works among modern Greeks, as well, since it has been translated several times into modern Greek. There’s a fine English translation avaialble (volume one, two, three, four, or the full set in paperback or hardcover).

We have numerous sources for the lives of the Saints, as well. I’ve mentioned recently the excellent Modern Orthodox Saints series by Dr Constantine Cavarnos, of the Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. There are a number of other books on Saints published by the Institute. Likewise, I have obtained numerous other lives from St Nectarios Press, where they list many things available pages devoted to their available books (some are just small paper pamphlets of a few pages, but invaluable nonetheless) in Lives of Individual Saints, and Lives of Groups of Saints. Eastern Christian Supply has a number of Lives of Saints available, too, some of which you won’t find easily elsewhere.

A solid foundation in the lives of the Saints is necessary for us all, of any age. It is also, I think, particularly helpful for Americans. Our culture raises us to doubt the miraculous, to set aside faith for practicality, and sets us up to expect results at the push of a button. All three are contrary to Christianity, which is miraculous from beginning to end, requires faith and trust in God as a surrender of ourselves into the hands of our Creator, and establishes in us a desire to continue the struggle towards closer and closer union with God throughout the rest of our lives, something which is not achieved overnight or after listening to a forty-five minute lecture on theosis, or by treating an elder or spiritual father or mother as some kind of guru whose pithy sayings elicit a feeling of contentment and a serene smile, but if that’s as far as we go with it, we have done nothing. We are bombarded with various forms of “spirituality” these days, but our culture consciously shuts out the Holy Spirit, doing all it can to avoid repentance and transformation. Through the Lives of the Saints, some of which Lives are written by other Saints, we learn that conversion is a lifelong process, and that the successes of the Saints in their purity often came only after lengthy and difficult struggles to overcome the passions and bring their minds and bodies into line with the precepts of God. We learn in them that faith is a thing that is not subject to rationalization, and that we must indeed scorn rationalization when it attempts to undermine faith. It is indeed a good thing to begin with the Lives of the Saint, and never to stop reading them! And the humility of the Saints is something that is necessary for us to adapt and imitate until it is indeed a natural part of ourselves. Without humility, one only pretends at being a Christian. These are lessons we especially as Americans desperately need to learn.

For part two of what you reveal to us above, which, it seems to me to be a difficulty everywhere and has been so in my own life, is the right books to read. I cautiously say this because I don’t see much of it anywhere in blogdom or hear much mention of it anywhere but Fr. Seraphim Rose, as I have found his writings, has tried to approach this exact struggle as one can note from just a cursory glance of his books and journal articles. Instead of seeing any criticisms of him anywhere, with the exception of his writings on the toll-houses and perhaps on creation, there is only silence. Those that I’ve talked to about him that are familiar with his writings say that he has changed their lives through reading his work. I find that he has covered so much of the novitiate understanding and misconceptions in his works in trying to give them a firm foundation. We see this especially so in his “Orthodox Theological Academy” that he held every year for the last few years of his life. He directed his writings specifically to this goal of living the Orthodox life in the monastic life and as a lay person giving much advice on reading, prayer, the Jesus Prayer, jurisdictional differences, etc. He covered a lot.

I only mention this in order to look for some responses and to see if others have found the same thing and wonder what you yourself think of this Kevin.