Greetings on the Anniversary of the Repose of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim Rose!
I was delighted to find in my email this morning a message from the YouTube channel, Orthodox Wisdom, announcing the Premiere of a new video, Experiences with Fr. Seraphim Rose, by Archpriest Paul Baba.
From the Orthodox Wisdom video description:
Archpriest Paul Baba shares his experiences with his spiritual father, Fr. Seraphim Rose, during his over 100 visits to Platina before Fr. Seraphim's repose in 1982. Also, he reveals the heavenly visitations from the great saint after his repose. We also hear about Fr. Paul's bookstore in San Francisco, St. John Maximovitch's miraculous help and visitations, and how Fr. Seraphim has influenced Fr. Paul's experience as a parish priest. Lastly, Fr. Paul tells us his thoughts on the anticipated canonization of Fr. Seraphim Rose and his significance for us today.
Unlike most videos from Orthodox Wisdom, this is an interview where you hear Fr. Paul himself, not the narration by Timothy Honeycutt as in other videos.
The complete description includes helpful, time-stamped headings. Other helpful links, including to Fr Paul's parish church, are included.
Fr. Paul's comments on Fr Seraphim's eventual glorification as a saint of the Orthodox Church are transcribed below the time stamps, and they are so edifying that I reproduce them here:
“I believe it’s time to glorify this holy, righteous man!... There are many saints, but here is one right here for us. It’s time, and the people are longing for it.
“Somehow, by God’s grace, the heavens came upon him and filled this man with wisdom. This Southern Californian, good looking man, who had all the attention. He could have been a famous actor, a celebrity. He opens up a bookstore on Geary Boulevard, because he found God and discovered the purpose of life. He acquires the Holy Spirit and spent his whole life doing it, and everyone’s jumping on that bandwagon with him. Arabs, Greeks, Russians, Serbians, you name it! Atheists are coming on board…atheists! ‘I read his writings and I could touch this man’s heart. I could see it, how pure… I want that!’”
My comments below the break:
My impressions, and a disclaimer:
I missed the first twenty minutes or so, but having now just checked the beginning, I was pleased to see a brief but helpful introduction to give us a sense of the amount of contact and interaction Fr Paul had with Fr Seraphim at Platina: over 100 visits between 1979 and 1982, to be specific! I need to watch the entire video, and get the full experience. My comments reflect the hour or so I did watch.
Based on the title, I hoped for a unique and personal reflection, and was immensely blessed by and thankful for Fr Paul's self-effacing and engaging recollections of his youthful personal interactions with Fr Seraphim and the Platina Monastery.
At just under an hour and a half, this is a banquet of spiritual riches, as virtually all of the stories and encounters Fr Paul relates were pivotal moments in his life, helping point the way forward on his journey to the priesthood. They are not simply charming moments, but instructional and edifying events which bring the saints closer to us.
Thank you, Fr Paul, and thank you Orthodox Wisdom, for this wonderful gift on the 41st anniversary of Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim's repose.