“Entrust me not, I pray, to any human protection”

by abbamoses

Monks at Holy Cross Hermitage

Q: Sometimes as Orthodox Christians, we feel that we are not of this world and that we are not relevant to it. How should we react to the changes that are happening around us, specifically the various and increasingly successful liberal and progressive movements, without losing ourselves and our inner spiritual peace?

A: I understand and share in your concern, but the only answer is the one St. Seraphim of Sarov gave: “Acquire the peace of God in your heart and a thousand souls around you will be saved.” You as an individual Orthodox Christian cannot change the course of the world, but you can change yourself. It is, in fact, easier to think about changing the world than to try to change ourselves. If we find the world around us increasingly filled with hatred, then we must try to love; if we find the world running after material goods and pleasure, then we must try to live a simpler life; if we find the world has become preoccupied with carnal things, then we must try to be pure and chaste.

The inner peace that Christ gives us is not the peace of the world. It is not dependent upon proper social conditions or environmental factors. The early Christians would walk into the arena peacefully singing hymns as the lions attacked them. In the lives of the early martyrs, we read over and over again how bystanders and even Roman soldiers were converted by witnessing the firm faith and peaceful resolve of these early martyrs.

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This is a fragment of an interview with Abbot Seraphim of Holy Cross Hermitage in Wayne, WV. It can be found in a beautiful book that the Hermitage has produced to commemorate its twenty-fifth anniversary.

The image is from the Hermitage’s web site. The title of this post is from the Paraklesis to the Theotokos.