Prologue in Sermons: May 14

The Great Lover of the Poor

May 14

(Word concerning the Elder Serapion.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Lord says: “Sell your possessions and give alms” (Luke 12:33). Sell your possessions and give everything to the poor — but then, you will say, what will remain for us? How shall we ourselves live? This is very difficult, even impossible.

What, brothers, should I answer you? I will answer that it is difficult — that is true. But that it is impossible — that cannot be said.

Once, during winter, the Venerable Serapion came to Alexandria. Seeing a beggar without clothing, trembling from the cold, he said to himself:

“Here you are, a faster and a doer of Christ’s commandments, and yet you wear clothing, while this poor man is dying from the cold. Cover him, otherwise you will be condemned as a murderer.”

With these words Serapion removed his last cloak and gave it to the beggar.

“Who has stripped you?” one of Serapion’s acquaintances asked him.

“It stripped me,” he replied, pointing to the Gospel.

Afterward Serapion saw a man being led to prison for unpaid debt. Moved with compassion for him, he sold his Gospel and with the money he received freed the debtor.

Seeing him naked, Serapion’s disciple asked:

“Father, where are your clothes?”

“I,” answered the Saint, “have sent them ahead to the place from which a better garment will be sent to me.”

“And where is your Gospel?” the disciple asked.

“Well,” Serapion replied, “it was constantly telling me: ‘Sell your possessions and give to the poor.’ So I obeyed it and did as it advised me: I sold it and gave the money to one in need, so that through this I might receive a reward from my Lord.”

Therefore, brethren, that it is difficult to sell one’s possessions for the Lord and give alms with them — that is true. But as you see, it is not impossible. Clearly the true servants of God firmly remembered the words of Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return,” and they gave everything to the Lord, not excluding even themselves.

Yes, strong faith and fervent love for God accomplished everything — and still can accomplish everything. Serapion possessed these, and he won the most glorious of victories — victory over himself. Neither hunger, nor nakedness, nor anything else could separate him from the love of God. And in him there stood before us a great lover of the poor, a great lover of God, an earthly angel, and a heavenly man.

Yes, this is what faith and love, spiritual devotion and self-denial can do for a person and to what spiritual perfection they can raise him. Let us constantly keep before our eyes the spiritual image of this great man and imitate, at least according to our strength, this great lover of the poor. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.