Below the reader will find my translation from the Russian of sermon number 22 by St. Seraphim (Zvezdenski), On the Divine Liturgy. This is the final sermon in the series. The preceding sermons may be found by clicking here.

I posted the first sermon on my blog in June of 2021. Now, about two years later I have, by God’s grace and the prayers of St. Seraphim, finished translating the entire series of sermons! Thank you to everyone who has been so encouraging and supportive in this endeavor. Thank you most of all for reading! Now, possibly, with the Lord’s help I may be able to find a way to get the sermons pubished in book form. The internet has some uses, but nothing beats a book. Please pray that this might come to pass!

The sermons speak for themselves, so I leave you, the reader, to be nourished on the words of this the last sermon on the Divine Liturgy by St. Seraphim. At the end the reader will find a prayer to the New Hieromartyr Seraphim.

All titles of the sermons are my own for purposes of this blog, in the original they are simply numbered. All footnotes are also mine.

Sermon 22

If a traveler in a scorching desert found a spring of water to quench his torturous thirst, about what do you think he would talk? Or if a person found a priceless pearl, of what do you think he would speak? Or if a sick person received healing from a deadly illness, about what do you think he would talk? The traveler will speak of the spring of water that quenched his thirst; the person who found the treasure will not cease to speak of what he has acquired; the healed person will praise the one who gave him the wondrous medicine. And so, having received the unspeakable mercy of God in the Divine Liturgy, of what can I speak but of this holy, mystical, great, and splendid Liturgy?

Today I will say a little bit about the forth portion of the Eucharistic canon, the consecration of the Holy Gifts. But I will only say a little bit because there is so much one could say, even the entire life of a person would not provide enough time to touch on it all. Even more so, it is impossible for our impoverished and weak tongues to speak of that which for the angels is a subject of amazement. The Seraphim contemplate it with trembling awe, and it is beyond the full understanding of the Cherubim. Such is the dread mystery of the transformation of the Holy Gifts, that is the change of the bread and wine into the Holy and Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ Himself.

It should be noted that the Catholics do not count a fourth portion in their Eucharistic canon. They consider that at the moment when the words, “Take, eat” are pronounced, on the altar is the Body of Christ. Our Orthodox Church holds that the transformation of the Holy Gifts happens at the time when the priest says the words, “And make this bread …” and the other holy words. This is the substance of the forth portion of the Eucharistic canon.

The priest having lifted the Gifts on high and exclaimed, “Thine own of Thine own,” then prays the sacred prayer, “Again we offer unto Thee this rational and bloodless worship …” as the choir sings “We praise Thee ….”

What remarkable words are said! “We supplicate Thee,”¹ that is, we make ourselves beloved² of the Lord, His close ones, His dear ones. Such is the boundless and great mercy³ of God. He allows us to count ourselves His beloved. Then the priest prays three times “O Lord, Who didst send down Thy Most Holy Spirit …”⁴ He then makes the sign of the cross over the bread while saying, “And make this bread …” and then signing the wine, he says, “And that which is in this Cup …” after which he blesses both the diskos and the cup, proclaiming, “Making the change by Thy Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen.” The pronouncement of these prayers indicates the very moment of the awesome transformation. From this moment, according to the teaching of the Church, on the altar is no longer bread and wine but the very Most Pure Body of Christ and the very Most Pure Blood of Christ. The priest then prostrates himself before the Holy Things.

With what trembling awe, with what reverence, must we stand at this moment before the face of God Himself. Think only of this, my dear ones! Because it is not one of the saints nor an angel of God, but the very Lord Himself Who is set before us, and before Him we offer our prayers. Before this miracle the Seraphim stand with awe and the Cherubim look on Him with amazement; the host of heavenly powers descends to the altar so to have only a glimpse of this gift, which mankind has received according to the unspeakable love of God.

This moment of the Divine Liturgy is the very foundation of all life on earth, it is the axis upon which the wheel of life turns. As a wheel cannot effectively move and will eventually fall over without an axis, so it is with our world – passion filled, sinful, all rotten from impurity and lawlessness – it would perish, disintegrate, and be destroyed if the great, mystical, and dread revelation of the Divine Redeemer was not consecrated in the temple on the altar. In that moment⁵ the altar is sanctified, and the temple, and the worshippers, and the grounds around the church, and all the homes of this parish and those living in them together with all their belongings, labors, and the fruit of their labors; the earth is sanctified and gives bread and wine for the Divine Sacrifice, and even the very air is sanctified. Nature serves a person and gives what is needed for living only because for him the Holy Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, is present on the diskos and in the chalice under the form of bread and wine.

How fearful is this moment – the whole existence of a person, all his feelings, thoughts, and all his being must prostrate before this manifestation of the Redeemer’s love and mercy for mankind. And our sinful and lawless world will continue to exist, and the earth will bring forth harvests of food for both people and animals, and the sun, moon, and stars will give light as long as the Divine Liturgy is offered on the face of the earth. But when, with the coming of the Antichrist, believers will be forced to go underground – there to offer the Divine Liturgy, there to lift up the Bloodless Sacrifice – at that time our world will perish; the heavenly lights will fade and fall, the springs of water will dry up, the the earth will wither and cease giving forth its fruit. Then that terrible time will come of which it is said that people will cry out for the mountains and hills to “fall on them.”⁶ But as long as the Most Pure Body is present in the temple, as long as people worship Him, let us not fear any woe or any adversity of this life. Death is not fearful because gazing on Jesus Christ present (on the altar) we may boldly hope for deliverance. The Lord, Who gives His very Self cannot but hear us when we cry to Him at the moment of His manifestation on the Holy Altar.

A prayer to the New Hieromartyr Seraphim

O glorious God-pleaser, hieromartyr Seraphim, a quick helper and intercessor on our behalf, with faith we run to thee! Having loved Christ from thy youth and following the monastic path, thou art revealed as a good shepherd. In the days of severe persecution against the Church in Russia, thou didst fearlessly take up the podvig of confession, while enduring persecution and suffering, and sealing thy faithfulness to Christ with thy blood, thereby receiving a martyrs crown. Therefore, we bend the knee of our hearts, as thy faithful children, and pray thee, strengthen us in love for the Lord so that we may stand steadfastly for the Orthodox Faith; guard us from schisms and false teachings; grant to our homeland peace and godliness. Help us, O confessor of Christ, to pass the time of our life on earth in virtue, righteousness, and godliness. Cover us with thy heavenly blessings and pray to the Lord on our behalf, that through thine intercessions and protection it will be given to us to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, where together with thee we may glorify God Who is wondrous in His saints, the Trinity, magnifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

1 In Slavonic, И мили ся деем

2 In Russian, Милый

3 In Russian,Милосердие

In the Russian there is a use of words that is difficult to convey in English, the words noted in the previous two footnotes all share a common root in Russian. Thus, in the Russian/Slavonic word translated as “supplicate” is contained the understanding of being beloved and receiving mercy. And so, supplicate, beloved, and mercy all share a common root in Russian. For to have the ability to truly supplicate means that such are ones who are beloved and dear. The Lord will hearken and give mercy unto those who are dear to Him.

4 This prayer is not used in Greek practice. This prayer is not for the Holy Gifts, rather it is for the priest who is about to offer the consecration of the Gifts. He begs the Lord to send down the Holy Spirt upon him and cleanse and renew him before he dares to consecrate the Gifts.

5 i.e. the moment of the consecration of the Holy Gifts.

6 cf. Rev. 6:16