Heavenly Realm

Description

From the back cover: This book offers an invaluable inspiration to the Orthodox Christian of these latter times, for, in making available the youthful "Lay Sermons" and selected later writings of the late Hieromonk Seraphim Rose, it presents a picture of an idealistic, earnest soul, a man of our own time and culture, thirsting for, struggling toward, and finally winning, that "Heavenly Realm" which is the aim of all Orthodox endeavor. Born Eugene Rose in 1934, Hieromonk Seraphim was the co-founder of the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery in the forested mountains of northern California, and for 17 years was co-editor of its missionary and theological journal, The Orthodox Word. Working by candle-light on a battered typewriter, he produced a torrent of articles and books penetrated by the patristic spirit of other-worldliness, thus providing a vital link to the Holy Fathers of past centuries. Table of contents is presented as printed in the book. There's an error where Chapter 10 is listed as chapter 10, "The Fear of God", is incorrectly numbered on its page as "11". This error does not continue for the next chapter (the true chapter 11) and onward. Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Introduction: Fr. Seraphim's Beginnings as an Orthodox writer . . . . . . . 13 Lay-Sermons: 1. The Great Fast, Our Exile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 2. Many are Called, but Few are Chosen . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 3. The Meaning of Affliction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 4. Christian Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5. God is Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 6. The Other-Worldliness of Holy Orthodoxy . . . . . . . . . . .33 7. The Veneration of Icons in Holy Orthodoxy . . . . . . . . . .35 8. The Prayer of the Good Thief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 9. The Ascension of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 10. The Fear of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 11. St. John of Kronstadt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 12. The Radiant Feast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 13. The Feast of Mid-Pentecost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 14. On the Transfiguration of Our Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 15. Archimandrite Sebastian Dobovich . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 16. The Transfiguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 17. St. John, A Prophet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 18. The Weeping Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 19. The Aims of the Orthodox World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 20. Tsar-Martyr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 21. The Future of Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 22. Heavenly Realm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101