Byzantine, Texas: On St. Seraphim (Chichagov) of Leningrad and Gdovsk

When I fly, I often listen to podcasts. Although a bit old by Internet standards (February of this year), I encourage a listen to this homily on the Russian New Martyrs in general and St. Seraphim (Chichagov) in particular. It's a good reminder of what the Russian Church has had to endure in living memory and the appalling bloodlust the Soviet regime had for Christians.

(AFR) - On the second Sunday in February, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of its innumerable martyrs who died in the 70 years of Communist oppression between 1917 and 1990.

More Orthodox Christians were killed for their faithfulness to Christ in the 70 years of Communist rule that in the two and a half centuries of persecution by the pagan Roman Empire. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. For that reason, the martyrs especially very recent ones, are held in greatest honour in our Orthodox Church and their memory plays an important role in all our parishes.

I shall speak about just one of the New Martyrs, because of his own importance but also because his life was intertwined with that of four other recent major Orthodox Saints.

Leonid Chichagov born in 1856 and martyred in 1937 was born 25 years after the death of St Seraphim of Sarov who was the most important influence on his life. The orphan son of a builder, St Seraphim of Sarov was raised by an energetic and warmhearted mother who took on and looked after many orphan girls. This motherly care of orphan girls was to be the model for St Seraphim’s dealings with the convent he guided from a distance for much of his life. From his childhood till his death St Seraphim was the beloved of the Mother of God who appear to him 12 times and healed him several times. For many years he lived by himself in a tiny hermitage in the deep forest. For 1000 days and nights he prayed kneeling on a stone. He saw almost no one. If people came he would hide in the tall grass. Almost beaten to death by thieves, he made sure they were pardoned. This most humble and sober saint was unusually aware of the closeness of Paradise. In his old age he was seen transfigured like Christ on Mount Thabor shining with a light brighter than the sun. He has left important teachings saying that the goal of human life is to acquire the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is received in exchange for good deeds done for the love of Christ. Prayer and kind actions are the means by which we make it possible for the Holy Spirit to come and abide in us. St Seraphim is a sure guide in Orthodoxy, and many of his disciples, all of them women, have been glorified as saints by the Orthodox Church. I shall come back later to the role of St Seraphim in the life of Leonid Chichagov.

The second influence on him was St John of Kronstadt, his confessor for 30 years. Together with St Seraphim, St John of Kronstadt is known as one of the two greatest pillars of Orthodox holiness in the last two centuries...