If our Monasteries bring value to your life, consider supporting us and our work this Christmas. This is how to make a donation from anywhere in the world: mullmonastery.com/donation/
Dearest Father. Again your words hold me in Christ, glued to your homily hanging on every word. Oh thankyou Father! God bless you, all in the monastery, all watching and our families and loved ones. 🙏🎄
Western Culture’s mindset does not understand paradoxes. The Eastern Church does understand paradoxes! God bless you as the Nativity Fast sharpens our spiritual life towards the remembrance of the Incarnation found in the events of the Nativity and the 12 Days ending In Epiphany and Theophany!
Forgive me everyone for not being able to reply to you this time. I am travelling to see my spiritual father and to make my confession before Christmas. I am reading all your comments and I am grateful for all your love and support. Please keep me in your prayers for safe travels. My love in Christ, fr seraphim
May the joy of Christmas fill your life father 🙏 your talk reminded me of the spiritual song “ Mary did you know that your baby boy … will one day walk on water “ so many mixed emotions of fear- awe- joy ….I feel like it’s such a lifelong struggle to find the balance between the love of Christ and his fearful judgment . 🙏🥰✝️
That really rocked me... I really felt that fear and love with how you described God the creator becoming creation, I've never heard it put that way. (I'm new to this) I was a simple nihilist only a month ago, though I grew up with an infantile dumbed down protestantism.
Oh Father you humble me. How do we cope with the dread of his judgement. Throughout my little under 2 years of experience the worst times of my life and what I think is my chiefest temptation has been the Fear of Hell. Whenever this happens to me it's like I'm actually there. All these terrible, terrible doubts and thoughts about God come into my head and to top it all of a most dreadful thought comes saying 'See, you stand no chance and will be damned forever, Go back to your old way of life and maybe you will have fulfilment in this life and the memory of it in hell will be your only pleasure.' I know the things I have done and the beyond stupid things I continue to do make me worthy of it, but it's like an instinct in my heart kicks in and my whole being feels under threat. My mind just cannot understand how he can condemn without hating, and the idea of being hated by God for me is worse than anything. The only thing I can do in these times is pray as the penitent thief, 'Doesn't not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss.... Remember me O Lord when thou comest into thy kingdom.' then trying to hold on to any faith I have to hear the reply 'Verily I tell you, this day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' But my faith is so abysmal, it is very hard for me. Please pray for me I am a wreck of a man. Also please remember my friend Lucas who died this day. God bless you.
Thank you Father Seraphim for this topic. Now i will start to mull over it for a long time, because I have a hard time seeing our Lord as the almighty God. It is a good reminder for me to fear Him too. Have a blessed Christmas time for you and your brothers and sisters at the monastery Maybe we can have a little Christmas Carol like last year?😃🙏🌷
This is exactly the problem I’ve been struggling with but could not sort it out in my post-COVID brain to know how to address it. Thank you, Father, for so clearly articulating this as ‘love of God’ vs. ‘fear of God’. When we’re commanded, as Orthodox Christians, to do both simultaneously, it feels impossible, so I am undoubtedly applying some sort of ‘Western’ meaning to love and fear here. And, of course, my ever-present Pride is telling me if it can’t be understood, then it has no value. 😔 Any advice for a lost sinner like me, Father?
If our Monasteries bring value to your life, consider supporting us and our work this Christmas.
This is how to make a donation from anywhere in the world: mullmonastery.com/donation/
Your blessings,needed them so,so much!Of course,true Joy is not of this world!Much Love,Dear Fr.!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
His Almighty Power is His Love: unconquerable and all-conquering! Praise Emmanuel! God is with us!
Thank you
Dearest Father. Again your words hold me in Christ, glued to your homily hanging on every word. Oh thankyou Father! God bless you, all in the monastery, all watching and our families and loved ones. 🙏🎄
Amen Amen Amen
God Bless you all in this Christmas season.
Thank you, father! May you and your fellow monastics on Mull and Iona be blessed as well.
Western Culture’s mindset does not understand paradoxes. The Eastern Church does understand paradoxes! God bless you as the Nativity Fast sharpens our spiritual life towards the remembrance of the Incarnation found in the events of the Nativity and the 12 Days ending In Epiphany and Theophany!
Forgive me everyone for not being able to reply to you this time. I am travelling to see my spiritual father and to make my confession before Christmas. I am reading all your comments and I am grateful for all your love and support. Please keep me in your prayers for safe travels. My love in Christ, fr seraphim
Much love and gratitude to you and everyone who reads this ! I appreciate all you do ♥️🙏
For me fear is not being affraid But is having respect!
Father , I got displaced from my family who are in Kuwait as I lost my job. Kindly remember us in the holy mass. Thanks ❤
Thank you father. It's better than medicine.
This is excellent! Thank you!!! ❤
Today is the feast of St Herman of Alaska!
May the joy of Christmas fill your life father 🙏 your talk reminded me of the spiritual song “ Mary did you know that your baby boy … will one day walk on water “ so many mixed emotions of fear- awe- joy ….I feel like it’s such a lifelong struggle to find the balance between the love of Christ and his fearful judgment . 🙏🥰✝️
Peace & love from the Netherlands. 🙏❤️🌹
That really rocked me... I really felt that fear and love with how you described God the creator becoming creation, I've never heard it put that way.
(I'm new to this) I was a simple nihilist only a month ago, though I grew up with an infantile dumbed down protestantism.
Oh Father you humble me. How do we cope with the dread of his judgement. Throughout my little under 2 years of experience the worst times of my life and what I think is my chiefest temptation has been the Fear of Hell. Whenever this happens to me it's like I'm actually there. All these terrible, terrible doubts and thoughts about God come into my head and to top it all of a most dreadful thought comes saying 'See, you stand no chance and will be damned forever, Go back to your old way of life and maybe you will have fulfilment in this life and the memory of it in hell will be your only pleasure.' I know the things I have done and the beyond stupid things I continue to do make me worthy of it, but it's like an instinct in my heart kicks in and my whole being feels under threat. My mind just cannot understand how he can condemn without hating, and the idea of being hated by God for me is worse than anything. The only thing I can do in these times is pray as the penitent thief, 'Doesn't not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss.... Remember me O Lord when thou comest into thy kingdom.' then trying to hold on to any faith I have to hear the reply 'Verily I tell you, this day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' But my faith is so abysmal, it is very hard for me. Please pray for me I am a wreck of a man. Also please remember my friend Lucas who died this day. God bless you.
❤ mulțumim pentru limba română!
Thank you Father Seraphim for this topic. Now i will start to mull over it for a long time, because I have a hard time seeing our Lord as the almighty God. It is a good reminder for me to fear Him too. Have a blessed Christmas time for you and your brothers and sisters at the monastery
Maybe we can have a little Christmas Carol like last year?😃🙏🌷
❤
This is exactly the problem I’ve been struggling with but could not sort it out in my post-COVID brain to know how to address it. Thank you, Father, for so clearly articulating this as ‘love of God’ vs. ‘fear of God’. When we’re commanded, as Orthodox Christians, to do both simultaneously, it feels impossible, so I am undoubtedly applying some sort of ‘Western’ meaning to love and fear here. And, of course, my ever-present Pride is telling me if it can’t be understood, then it has no value. 😔
Any advice for a lost sinner like me, Father?