My inspiration. My mentor. St. Seraphim of Sarov is an incredible follower of Christ and if only I could emulate his life even partially.
I came across a new book about him and am thoroughly enjoying it. It is incredibly rich with stories of his life.
You may recognize one of his most famous sayings “Acquire peace and thousands around you shall be saved.”
But the author of this book gives us the expanded version of the quote adding even more depth.
“Acquire peace and thousands around you shall be saved. If it is impossible not to become disturbed, then at least try to hold your tongue, according to the Psalmist, ‘I was troubled and spake not’ (76:4). In order to escape judgment, you should be attentive to yourself, and ask, ‘Where am I?'”
This fits perfectly with the Maxim from yesterday and the scripture references that went along with it.
I looked up the Psalm he is referencing. (The reference is the Septuagint numbering.) When I expanded the reading I found treasures.
My soul refused to be comforted; I remembered God and I was gladdened; I spake in idleness and my spirit became faint-hearted.
Mine eyes were wakeful before the watches; I was troubled and spake not.
Psalm 76(77):3-4
The treasures I found…what we should take notice of…
- When we remember God we are gladdened!
- Speaking idly makes us faint-hearted! (I’m going to touch more on idleness tomorrow.)
- When we are watchful, we are stronger and are able to hold our tongues.
I am so looking forward to finding more treasures in this book about St. Seraphim’s life. I hope to share more with you. He had given himself entirely to God and even in the stories in the book we can sense his love and devotion. I pray that I can learn from him. May you, too, be inspired.
Let us remember God today and be gladdened! And as the Psalmist says, “Let us rejoice and be glad!”
Kindler of Joy! 