Helping ourselves and our children to love Christ

[@audreydonovan6710]

Thank you Fr. Seraphim for your inspired advice . May God bless you. Love is the answer. Amen.

[@aidan4062]

Thank you for these reminders, Father. It’s easy to forget these truths of our children’s development when we as parents are “in the trenches” of working out our salvation and trying to guide our little ones.

[@oksanatulpa7984]

thank you Father . live in wonderful place .

[@vivienne4686]

Oh father you explained so clearly about our children. Pls pray for the youth as they are lost 💔

[@maryannbillis3936]

Thank you father. I needed to hear this. God bless. ♥️

[@mountynader646]

Thank you father, may our lord and savior Jesus Christ be with you always ☦

[@georgiasmyrniou9059]

Absolutely right about parenting. Sometimes I thought I was listening to a parent talking who has raised at least two kids. Thank you father. Pray for my child please to surrender to the love of Christ

[@nannettefreitag2055]

Thank you so much. This was so beautifully explained. True wisdom from above..

[@irina2549]

I can't thank you enough🙏

[@tylermullgrav9834]

Thanks for this talk. God bless

[@tgellidon]

Thank you Father, for the wisdom of Love, for reminding us the love and mercy that Christ has for us and that we too as parents, is asked to pray for our children and love them for who they are ♥️. God bless you Father and your mission.

[@octoberiris4815]

Oh my goodness Fr Seraphim, thank you so much for this! I have been feeling like a bit of a failure as a parent because my young adult children have fallen away from the church. But, they do have the most loving hearts for the weakest in life and all people. So I am so glad to hear you say this. I continue to pray for them and for you and the monastery as well.

[@mullmonastery]

The feeling of relief is mutual, dear one. I can only speak from the perspective of a child (even if I somehow ended up a grown up child), because I do not have my own children, and so I am always afraid that what I have to say is totally unhelpful. Glory be to God for everything and thank you so much for you prayers. May we all be blessed.

[@katkat2340]

Truer words

[@mariami2670]

💯❤❤❤

[@debbirhodes7185]

Thank you as always. I wasn’t baptized until my children were 11 and 13 and although even before then I tried to give them good spiritual values the world around them, their father and my extended family are atheist and materialistic and it’s a constant battle even now when they’re 22 and 24. But sometimes I see the good shining through them at times and I do trust that they are in God’s hands. He brought me through my own angry and anti-God childhood to truly knowing I am loved by God.

[@mullmonastery]

Hope, hope, hope against all reason, dear Debbi. Christ is Love, and the love in their hearts will one day search for its Divine Image. You keep praying, and keep hoping. Christ never fails us.

[@elioftheforest]

Thank you Father. Your blessing. My heart hurts because of the hate and violence going on in the US right now. We need your blessed prayers. Especially in Louisville

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Jacob, my heart suffers with yours. It is nightmarish what is happening to what was once the country which inspired the world with freedom, tolerance and creativity. I pray, of course I pray - for all the abused and all the abusers, that we may all find our way to Peace.

[@ЧашкаСтол]

Thank you, father, for the explanation. My sins have almost buried Christ in my heart and life. But now I have some hope.

[@paulwilliams9207]

Anastasia 🌹. Amin. So how can we ever really judge another person so much to learn, better to pray for someone than argue with them! 🙏☦️

[@mollieduval8142]

Thank you for explaining what to look for in a spiritual father, and the advice about children. Both are very timely for me as I am searching for a spiritual father, and as I prepare for the birth of my first child.

[@mullmonastery]

That is such beautiful news, dear Mollie. Congratulations and may Christ inundate your heart with love and respect for your baby - the love one feels for one's child, and the respect one feels for a new Creation of God. May we all be blessed.

[@jameskosch4052]

Thank you so much! Your example of coming closer to Christ reminded me of St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalavia who said that some were strong enough that, by great ascetic feats, they could confront evil head on. But for us weak ones it is simpler to increase our love for Christ. And regarding children, I find great comfort that my love for them, no matter how great, pales compared to the love God has for them. Christ is ascended, from earth to heaven!

[@mullmonastery]

Dear James, just the mention of St Porphyrios makes me miss the Holy Mountain so much, especially the desert area, where Kavsokalyvia is located. Thank you for the beautiful memories your words brought to my mind.

[@hdgskevdb]

Thank you Father for this. I'm not a Father to any children but I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers and I'm the oldest of them and I love them as my own children at times. You're reaching me out in Houston, Texas with this. May our Lord bless you with every good thing. Christ is ascended!

[@heatherheckmann5027]

Glory to God! Thank you for sharing your wisdom, teaching our children to have loving hearts above all else. I do not focus on this enough.

[@halabouabs6166]

“We are what we love” metropolitan Georges khodr

[@mullmonastery]

That is a beautiful perspective, dear Hala. Thank you for sharing it.

[@lc6941]

Thank you Father. Your words have put me at ease today. I can't describe it, but it's an almost otherworldly-calm. I needed that today

[@mullmonastery]

Glory be to God, the King of Peace, dear one. He brings peace to our hearts when we need it most. Do keep me and the Monastery in your prayers. May we all be blessed.

[@FearNoGrave]

Thank you for your continued encouragement, Father.

[@mullmonastery]

May we all be blessed and may we grow together in Christ, dear one.

[@danya1645]

Doamne ajută! Vă mulțumim, părinte!

[@Miribethbob]

Thank you so much for your words on children and their spiritual lives.

[@mullmonastery]

I speak with fear about children, dear Mary, although I have enough notes made during the years to write an entire booklet. But these are just notes, observations I have made during confession. I am grateful that you found this video helpful, it gives me a drop of confidence. May we all be blessed, dear one.

[@charliekovacs5088]

Trust in Providence, From the Letters of Saint Macarius of Optina "Listen! God Himself says, Call upon me in the time of trouble; so will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise me (Ps. 50:15-16). Afflictions confirm us in our faith, and teach us to set worldly glory at nought. Believe firmly that no suffering or sorrow can visit us-not a hair of our heads can fall-without God intending it. Although we are always inclined to put down our misfortunes to the ill-will or stupidity of other men, these are, in reality, only tools in the hand of God. Tools, used to fashion our salvation. Therefore take heart and pray to our Lord who is always at work for our salvation, using to this end both what we call happiness and what we call sorrow."

[@badger0888]

Love prevails- again and again. Thank you for emboldening our faith and reminding us to trust God with the children He has blessed us with. This has been better then all the parenting books I've read. Thank you Father for for making the time feed us. Christ has Risen!

[@mullmonastery]

That is so kind of you, dear one. I am grateful that you found something useful in this video - I feel it was recorded more from the 'wisdom' of the child in me, since I have no children of my own. May we all be blessed.

[@vidatas1552]

Dear Farther, thank you so much for your words of wisdom, so true what you say about children...God bless you!

[@2oleaves843]

Thank you for your hard work Father Seraphim and especially your love. Truly Christ is Risen!

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Philip and Samantha, thank you for taking the time to write these kind words. We all need them, we al need encouragement to keep going forward. The weaker we are (and I am the weakest of all) the more need need the support of those around us. Please keep me and the Monastery in your prayers. May we all be blessed.

[@larrychampion7964]

Thank you Father for the first part and especially for the second. You are right, LOVE is what our children need to learn most.

[@mullmonastery]

Thank you for your comment, dear Larry. It helps me enormously to understand what is on your heart, so I may talk about something that affects you - the last thing I want to so is to waste our time. May we all be blessed, dear one.

[@SpunFlame]

From earth to Heaven! Thank you, Father! ❤️

[@mullmonastery]

May God bless us all, dear Gabriella. The world is in such a dreadful state right now, we all need to come together and pray - not only for us, for our families, but for the world as one. Be blessed, dear one.

[@pineapplepeanuts]

This is timeless wisdom that doesn't get said enough. Stay well and have a good weekend.

[@mullmonastery]

Thank you for your care and for your kindness, dear one. May we all be blessed.

[@iliya3110]

Love covers a multitude of sins. I need more love, less fear in regards to my children, and more trust in our Blessed Lord. I really needed to hear this. Thanks, Father.

[@mullmonastery]

Dear Kurtis, raising a child into this world is a difficult process, and very often it is made even more difficult by the experience of our own childhood. We tend to project a great deal of our own past unto our children and we assume that their 'story' will enfold similarly to ours - that is useful to a degree, because it provides us with some experience, but it can be detrimental, too. I suppose what I'm saying is you are right - less fear, more love and trust will always do a lot of good. May we all be blessed, dear one

[@iliya3110]

@@mullmonastery Yes, that makes sense. Thank you, Father. Christ has ascended!

[@Michael_Binkley]

Thank you Father this was very timely advice for me. ☦

[@mullmonastery]

Thank God for all good things, dear Michael. We are grateful there is some good coming out of these videos, we put a lot of love in making them. Christ has ascended, dear one!

[@jamesmikkelson7636]

Wow! Thank you so much, dear Father, for this talk. It was so powerful on both topics. Everything you were saying about loving Christ more, focusing on the Source, rather than the sin, really helped me today, this hour! And then the talk about children-my two sons are grown so I wasn’t sure if it would speak to me-but the words were so sharp and accurate that they fit still, in the way I should try to deal with my sons. Thank you so much, Fr Seraphim. God bless you! You’re in my prayers, please pray for me.

[@bonniejohnstone]

Thank you dear Fr. Serifim... I’m a visual thinker so this was a most useful spiritual encouragement. If I Listen one more time, the visualization of drawing closer to Christ so that my sin is out of view will stick (and the scorpions in the jar). 💡

[@mullmonastery]

We are very similar in this, dear Photini. I need to see something, either physically or at least in my imagination, for it to stay with me. I remember images and concepts, but I am very slow with names, dates and the like. May God give you peace, dear one. I know this is a difficult time for all of you.

[@bonniejohnstone]

Mull Monastery More isolating than Covid 19 because the disease of heart and mind is so pervasive.

[@iulianat2651]

Adevărat s-a înălțat! Toate postarile sunt extraordinare si le astept cu nerabdare. Exista la un moment dat si o subtitrare in romana (foarte binevenita 🙂)... Oricum ar fi, voi continua sa va urmaresc. Dumnezeu sa va ajute!

[@mullmonastery]

Doamne ajuta. Ma bucur mult ca ati gasit ceva bun in postarile astea. Si noi ne-am dori sa avem subtitrari in romana, dar nu mai prididim cu timpul. Subtitlarile in rusa si in germana ni le fas niste prieteni ai Manastirii, dar cele in romana trebuie sa le facem noi si pur si simplu nu mai gasim timp. Pastrati-ne in rugaciune, iar Domnul sa ne binecuvinteze pe toti.

[@Laura-ps1fm]

🌞

[@mullmonastery]

We're trading some of our Scottish 🌧 for your 🌞 - God bless us all, dear Laura.

[@christaprice4090]

These videos on identity couldn’t have come at a better time. Having hit the lovely age of 40 ( I think we’re the same age) I have found myself searching psychology and personality theory to further understand who I am. And while this has been interesting and useful to a point, it can lead to me with my head closer to my sinful hand with my understanding of self out of balance. I struggle with what it looks like to move my head though, to be able to see myself as Christ does. A shame often takes over and leaves me feeling useless. I don’t really have a regular prayer rule other than morning and evening prayers with the children. Would you be comfortable suggesting a beginning practice for a mom of four kids all home together in this trying time? If not are there some resources you could point me to, we love books around here. Thank you for all of these videos and May God bless you and the monestary.

[@mullmonastery]

I really have no idea, dear one. There really is no recipe, and this sort of thing can only be developed face to face, in confession. You start with something, you see where it leads, you change what needs to be changed, keep what needs to be kept and so on, until you find the right rule for you. Now, the very meaning of what is 'right' for you is difficult to say, because it does not mean 'comfortable', that is not what we are aiming for. We are aiming to find that rule which address as many of your weaknesses as possible (in a certain order) - so, for instance, a purposely long rule of prayer can teach one humility (which would be necessary if, in confession, it became apparent that your struggled with pride). And so on. I think you are doing just fine, given where you are in your life. keep your head down before Christ, keep your heart up to Him and move forward - wait patiently, hope endlessly and He will give you exactly what is necessary for your salvation.

[@catechumen24]

Thank you for this :) What practical advice would you give to help us learn how to fall in love with Christ? How do we do this? What specific activities can foster this love? I loved hearing the birds in the background, I live in the city downtown and miss nature a lot :) I like to imagine it was a nest of chicks crying out for food, which would be very timely with your discussion of children :)

[@mullmonastery]

Dear one, I am glad you like the birds; I feel like strangling them :) They are actually oyster catchers and they are naturally... chattery :) even at 2 or 3 in the night, they are just as noisy! Unfortunately, the only practical thing one can do to grow in our love of Christ is to keep on living. Keep on living, keep on falling, keep on getting up, keep on fighting to hold on to the truth that we are all alike and we can judge no one - as you see more clearly the depth our your own hell and the hell of everyone else, and as you. learn by experience (which is why it takes time) that God's Love is STILL there, waiting for you, as this happens, your heart will slowly be filled with Love and Fear for Him. At the same time, as they are part of the same feeling.

[@catechumen24]

@@mullmonastery Lol! "I feel like strangling them" 🤣 I'm sorry to hear they're as noisy in the middle of the night! :( Thank you for your reply, I'll keep living to the best of my ability :)

[@Michael_Binkley]

Loving Christ and being thankful in every situation has been the only way I could progress in my life, if I am not thankful to Christ, then I am loving something more than Him, and I must stop and evaluate myself and readjust my priorities. Usually it is myself that I love more than Him. Even the evaluation and readjustment are frustrating and complex, because it can entail unraveling long held misconceptions.

[@SteveBedford]

Thank you Father for this video. I very much appreciate it. May I make a request? Is it possible to tone down the face tracking you have on your camera? I am getting motion sickness while watching. I will continue to listen regardless, but I am struggling to watch the videos lately.

[@Jsatchel2010]

How can an autistic adult understand about sin and holiness? My son, for instance will sin, say sorry, and repeat again and again.

[@aidan4062]

Forgive me for saying this if it’s not helpful, but...are we really any better? Many of us battle particular sins that sometimes last a lifetime in one capacity or another. But if we are giving all of ourselves to repentance before Christ out of love, then growth is still possible even in the midst of failure. Your son sounds like a fellow repentant soul, striving to rise each time he falls in the best way he knows how... and such souls are undoubtedly near to God. I have a sister-in-law with developmental disabilities and she often seems to know far more about the love of God than I. You may have heard the story... A person travels to the monastery, having never been to one before. They witness the monks attending the services day and night and even praying while attending to the smallest tasks. Finally the person stops one of the monks and asks them “What is it you all do here?” to which the monk quickly replies “We fall and we get up”.

[@PhoebeK]

Francesca, I have only just seen your comment. It might help you to look up Summer Kilnard, she is an Orthodox Sunday School teacher who has done a lot of work on helping Children with a range of disabilities including Autism of varying support need levels grow in faith. As an Autistic Adult I have found her work helpful in developing my own spiritual life. It is a journey for all of us to move away from Sin but as Father says in the video it is normally more helpful to focus on Christ than it is to try and avoid sin. There is a small but prayerful community of Autistic Orthodox adults about and a developing number of resources written by and for the community, over time this will increase as more autistic adults feel safe to talk about their way of praying and living the faith which can differ from the expected ways of doing it but are within the range of tradition. Modelling os also a thing which may help your son, in that if you try to live as well as you can in prayer then he will pick up on that and over time follow, we Autistic are sensitive to hypocrisy and tend to be very straightforward and truthful even if we make the same mistakes again and again.

[@papaunderwater3316]

so where is christ? not in my heart, that's for sure...

[@mullmonastery]

one day... not because of you, but because of Him