#saint seraphim

[orthodoxadventure]

An Icon of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with his bear friend called Misha

[le-quai-des-brumes]

[yashayskahson]

St. Seraphim and his bear

[a-queer-seminarian]

Disabled St. Seraphim & his bear-friend, Misha

ID: photograph of a Playmobil brand log cabin with a bearded man in white robes and blue hat standing outside, beckoning to a brown bear. There is soil beneath the playmobil display, and a background of trees. / end ID

My friend Laura (they/them; of the Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast) creates art of various biblical figures & Saints using Playmobil — you can see all their work here. Their most recent creation features the Eastern Orthodox Saint Seraphim, a hermit monk who was friends with a bear he called Misha.

Seraphim lived in Russia relatively recently (1759-1833). He is a disabled saint: during his first 25 years as a hermit in the forest just outside Sarov, he experienced a swelling of the feet that limited his mobility; moreover, an attack by robbers left him with a hunchback for the remainder of his life. The robbers found no money in his cabin, only an icon of the Theotokos (Mary the God-bearer); and Seraphim pleaded mercy on their behalf at their trial.

One of the most famous quotes of St. Seraphim is "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved."

But what about the bear?? Well, according to legend, “All creatures obeyed him. Animals from the woods streamed to his cell, and he fed them bread. He was asked where he was able to get enough food for them all. He answered that there was always enough food for them in the basket.”

[ID: the same cabin with its bearded figure and bear outside. Now, a nun in black robes is also there; she has her arms raised in surprise. / end ID]

One day a nun named Matrona visited Seraphim and found him sitting next to a bear. She screamed, so Seraphim sent the bear away. She sat down with him to talk, and not long after, the bear returned. Matrona relates,

“I was as terrified as before, but when I saw Father Seraphim, quite unconcerned, treating the bear like a lamb, stroking him and giving him some bread, I calmed down. I looked at the father and was dazzled by the sight of his face which seemed to me full of light and like an angel’s. When I was wholly reassured the Staretz [spiritual teacher] gave me a piece of bread and said: ‘You needn’t be the least afraid of him, he won’t hurt you.’ So I held out the bread to the bear and, while he was eating it, it was such joy to be feeding him that I wanted to go on doing so. Seeing how much I was enjoying it, Father Seraphim said: ‘You remember the story of St Jerome feed­ing a lion in the desert? Well, here we’ve got a bear obeying us.’”

[ID: interior of the playmobil cabin; two nuns stand inside next to a table with food on it. The bearded figure stands between them and the doorway, where the bear is standing with a honeycomb in its mouth. / end ID]

Matrona was not the only nun to witness this friend of the hermit’s...

“Two nuns from a certain convent once came to visit Saint Seraphim. Suddenly a bear lumbered unexpectedly out of the woods and frightened the visitors with his appearance. ‘Misha,’ said the saint, ‘why do you frighten the poor orphans! Go back and bring us a treat, otherwise I have nothing to offer to my guests.’ Hearing these words, the bear went back into the woods, and two hours later he tumbled into the holy elder’s cell and gave him something covered with leaves. It was a fresh honeycomb of purest honey. Father Seraphim took a piece of bread from his bag, gave it to the bear, pointed to the door – and the bear left immediately.”

[byzantine-nectarine]

“One should nourish the soul with the word of God: for the word of God, as St. Gregory the Theologian says, is angelic bread, by which are nourished souls who hunger for God. Most of all, one should occupy oneself with reading the New Testament and the Psalter, which one should do standing up. From this there occurs an enlightenment in the mind, which is in the mind, which is changed by a Divine change.”      - Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Spiritual Instructions

[orthodoxadventure]

The Saints are not made from other material, they are humans just like us. In this they differ: they took seriously the question of their salvation.

Saint Seraphim of Sarov

[orthodoxadventure]

A statue of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with a little bearcub statue

[orthodoxadventure]

The Liturgy bears witness to the Everlasting Love of God, it testifies above all else to this supreme sacrifice. How can one not cherish it? How could one not come to this supper of the love of God?

Saint Seraphim Zvezdinsky