Spiritual life according to St. Seraphim of Sarov
God is a spirit, and the life of the Divinity is spiritual. This spirituality is founded upon the essence of the Divine nature, in which unity is combined with diversity.
The Lord wished to have man, whom He had created, also live a spiritual life, and for this He gave him His own likeness as the basis of Godliness in spiritual life. The Lord created for man a body out of dust, but elevated it by life given through an act of creation. This body is essentially similar to the body of animals, but differs from it in its form and beauty, which are a symbol of perfection.
God gave man a soul, this conscious force that is like unto the soul of animals, which guides the instincts of nourishment and self-preservation, but is elevated above it by the capabilities of its vital manifestations.
Finally, the Lord gave man a spirit, one in essence with God’s spirit, but differing from It in its dependence and limitations.
This simultaneous unity and diversity of all parts permeated man’s entire nature. The body was subordinate to the soul and was tended by it, the soul was subordinate to the spirit which provided guidance for the soul, while the spirit was subordinate to the Lord God in His creative concern for all. Despite the diversity of his parts, man was nevertheless conscious of himself as a single entity. This unity in man’s nature was the first condition of his spiritual life. The diversity of the parts did not disturb this unity; on the contrary, it stimulated man to aspire upward to perfection for the sake of such unity.
The body, experiencing sweetness, found well-being and goodness in it, and thus aspired in its life to soulfulness and united with it. The soul found a certain spirituality in the pleasantness of life and thus elevated itself to the level of the spirit and united with it. The spirit, in its divergence from God, aspired towards Him and in the divineness of sensations elevated itself to union with Him. Aspiration towards perfection, founded upon diversity and motivated by a desire for unity, was the second condition of man’s spiritual life.
This aspiration was expressed in obedience to God. Man constantly had to coordinate his will with the will of God, which he knew directly from God and also from moral law. His accord with the will of God was always confirmed to him by his clear conscience. Necessary obedience to God was the third condition of spiritual life.
Finally, the Lord breathed into man the breath of life and animated him with the grace of the Holy Spirit. The power of Divine grace helped man maintain unity and accomplish this aspiration towards perfection through constant obedience to God. The state of being filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit was the last and major condition of spiritual life.
But, unfortunately, this spiritual life did not last long. Man sinned and in his sinfulness was deprived of the aid of the Holy Spirit, without which unity was destroyed, aspiration towards perfection ceased, and obedience vanished. Man fell, and in his fall he distanced himself from God, forgot Him, ceased to thank and glorify Him. Unity and obedience in nature were destroyed by the fact that the body ceased to be subordinate to the soul, the soul to the spirit, the spirit to God. Aspiration upwards, to perfection, was replaced by a pull downwards, to perdition. The spirit descended to the level of the soul, and the soul to the level of the body. Instead of aspiring towards God, the spirit took upon itself the functions of the soul and became worldly in its manifestations. The soul weakened in its awareness of its difference from animals and descended to their level. The body in its natural needs was reduced by a weakened spirit to a state of senselessness and was punished for natural and unnatural sins by grave illnesses.
Obedience was replaced by consistent defiance against God the Holy Spirit. Spiritual life ceased to exist and became replaced by spiritual distortion and physical depravity. Godliness also vanished, life became senseless and existence aimless. Man no longer wished for good, and even had he wished it, he did not do the good he wished, but committed the evil he did not wish.
Who could deliver him from such misery? Only the Creator, Who knew how much good was incorporated into man’s nature and how perfect man can be in union with Him. And thus this Creator, our Lord Jesus Christ, comes down to earth, takes upon Himself the image of man, and becomes like unto him in all but sin. He – the God-man – calls people to repentance and to union with God, in order to return them once again to the Kingdom of God. Through personal example, miracle-working, and Divine teaching He enlightens their minds with the light of truth and fills their hearts with belief in Him as the Redeemer and Saviour. Inspired by such faith, people draw near to Christ, and from God’s enemies they turn into His children, brothers, and friends. Christ’s compassionate love penetrates their hearts and evokes love for Christ in response, uniting them with Him in a single community of believers.
Christ passes through His life’s path by combating evil and ends by vanquishing it, for He does not sin, but ascends into heaven. Together with Him He elevates human nature, still pure and unmarred by sin: the angels are amazed at such a transformation of humanity and worship it in the person of the Godman – Christ.
The people remaining on earth do not sever their connection with Christ. Ardent faith elevates them into heaven, too, while love unites them with Christ in one unbroken whole – a living organism – the one Holy Church headed by Christ, in which they all are members. This church is spiritualized by the grace of the Holy Spirit and through its sacraments offers a holy and immortal life in constant unity with God. By confessing his Orthodox faith in Christ and making use of these sacraments, each member of the Church becomes a participant in this gracefilled life and is spiritually reborn.
Thus, in cleansing himself of the original sin through the sacrament of baptism, man restores his spiritual purity, while in the sacrament of anointment with myrrh he receives strength for a virtuous life and the attainment of perfection.
Personal sinfulness on the path to such perfection is cleansed by the grace of penitence, while in the sacrament of Holy Communion man unites with Christ and emerges a new creation. The original desire for good is revived in him, and he gathers strength for the realization of this desire in a virtuous life. Man becomes Christian, and shining thoughts, pure feelings, and lofty desires reappear within him. A new spiritual life is revived, and unity in his nature and in his attitude towards God and others is restored. In his obedience he acknowledges the will of God, while in fulfilling it he gradually draws near to Him and spiritually improves.
His entire life revolves around God; he lives for His sake and is constantly sanctified by the Holy Spirit. This power of the grace of the Holy Spirit fills his entire being, and makes him, while he is still here on earth, a participant in celestial joy and spiritual bliss. Such was the salvific spiritual life led by all our hierarchs and ascetics, such was the life led by St. Seraphim, and to such a life he called all those who came to him for guidance.
St. Seraphim believed that every Christian should maintain within himself this internal unity and establish spiritual orderliness. This is best achieved by fasting. Lent tames the body’s sensuality, restrains the soul’s worldly busyness, and provides the spirit with the freedom to pray. In this manner the subordination of the body to the soul, the soul to the spirit, and the spirit to God, which had been initially established by God, is restored and maintained in man’s nature.
Unity with people is maintained by manifesting love through deeds of charity. In each person we must see a creation of God similar to ourselves, filled with grace through the gifts of God’s love and mercy, and thus meriting also our own love and charity. Such commonality of God’s mercy should unite us with other people, while the only difference we should find between us is that we are sinful, while they are more virtuous. This will encourage us to be humble and meek, and will lead to unity with others in following the example of their virtuousness.
Unity with God, on St. Seraphim’s advice, is maintained through constant remembrance of Him. We should become used to having the Lord in our thoughts, and then we will grow close to Him and will love Him, and in loving Him we will become capable of self-sacrifice for Him. Constant remembrance of God is stimulated by prayer, which encourages the growth of the fear of God in our hearts for the sake of our love for Him, so that sin does not separate us from the Lord. Sincere prayer brings forth tears of repentance and remorse, and illuminates the heart with the rays of Christ’s truth. When encountering distraction in prayer, we must humble ourselves and ask God for forgiveness. A prayerful mood also comprises genuine Christian hope, when a person seeks the Kingdom of God and is convinced that all that is needful for salvation in this earthly life will be given to him; this differs from the hope of vanity, in which a person believes in his own powers and turns to God only in case of failure.
