Memory of Saint Gregory the Theologian

Bishop Seraphim : Homily
The Task of being a Shepherd
(Memory of Saint Gregory the Theologian)
[Bishop Seraphim’s 60th Birthday]
25 January, 2006
James 1:1-18 ; Mark 10:11-16
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ; John 10:9-16


In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The task of being a shepherd, especially the sort of shepherd that the Saviour is, is not an easy one, and it is certainly not one that I have ever been comfortable in undertaking, because the difference is so great between Him and me. Yet, according to the Scriptures this morning, according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit gives gifts, in accordance with the will of God, and in accordance with the needs of the people, the sheep. Therefore, regardless of what I think about myself, and whatever my inadequacies may be, my responsibility must be to try to be as well as I can a shepherd with the same motivation as that one Shepherd.

There is, in the end, only one Shepherd – our Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is only One who is in charge of the whole Church, and that is Jesus Christ. There is only One who is in charge of this diocese, and that is Jesus Christ. I have great hope and confidence in Him, that whatever are the shortcomings of me, as the bishop, and whatever are the shortcomings of any priest in the diocese (because we are all simply human beings, and we are all makers of mistakes), nevertheless, the Lord in His love for us will make up the difference between our lack and what is the need of the Church.

This has been the case, anyway, throughout all Christian history. There have been human beings who have failed greatly, who have been led astray greatly by the Tempter. Always the Saviour has been able (because He is the Creator of everything anyway, and because His love is so great) to bring things back into the correct focus and the right direction.

In the other reading for today, the Saviour is emphasising once again the importance of our being child-like. He says, as He accepts children to Himself, blesses them, and lays His hands upon them, that we all have to enter the Kingdom as children. The problem is that instead of being like children, child-like, we often behave childishly, and there is quite a difference, a very big difference.

It is very important for us to remember what sort of person Saint Gregory the Theologian was, and the few others, also, who like Saint John the Theologian, carried the title “Theologian”. It is necessary to remember that they came to this title, this appellation, because they were so full of the love of God. They were so full of the love of Jesus Christ, that, in fact, they became like children. They became like children because of their complete and utter trust in the love of Jesus Christ. Such people are persons who have actually grown up (this is one of the Orthodox paradoxes – we grow up to be a child). To be a truly adult Christian, we have to have child-like, pure faith. Such faith is not confused by fear, and especially not paralysed by fear. In order to arrive at such paradoxical purity, it is necessary that we open our hearts to the Saviour, and give ourselves over to Him. It is crucial that, because of love, we trust Him in everything.

My nephew gave me The Mountain of Silence to read, and I should have read it a long time ago. I am very grateful to my nephew for giving me this book, and pressing me to read it, too, because I have to give it back. He wants to make sure that I read it soon. In The Mountain of Silence there are many stories told about Athonite elders who have lived recently : Elder Paisios in particular, and Father Maximos, who is still living in Cyprus, and Archimandrite Sophrony and others like them. All these men (and women too, because the Eldress Gavrilia of Greece is also mentioned many times in this book), are people who, even though they may appear to be eccentric, have given their whole lives over to the Saviour, and are loving the Saviour completely. Some of them, like the Elder Porphyrios in particular, and the Elder Paisios in quite a similar way, were so full of the love of Jesus Christ that they were able to tell people all their problems, correct their problems, help them at a distance, phone them up and tell them what was the problem – that sort of thing. They are people who have managed to give themselves over so much to the love of Jesus Christ, that their hearts became like those of Adam and Eve before the Fall. Their hearts instantly respond to the love of God, and they know what God wants without having even to ask.

This is not the call of “specialists” only, because this Paisios, this Porphyrios, this Gavrilia and many others, even in the last century, who were of a similar devotion to the Saviour, are not different from you and me. They are human beings with the same sort of temptations and weaknesses, but they were ready to give themselves over to the Saviour, and trust Him with everything in their lives. This call is the call to everyone of us. The Saviour’s love is the same for each of us. He created each of us in His image, and we are supposed to be in His likeness. This likeness is love. This love is selfless. This love gives gifts, and allows the gifts of the Saviour to grow.

The Holy Spirit gives particular gifts to us all, according to who we are. He gives these gifts not for us alone, not at all. He gives these gifts for the sake of everyone else around us. That is why these elders, these Gavrilias, these Porphyrioses, and these Paisioses (if you can say it like that in English), gave themselves over to hours and hours and hours of people coming to them in confession, just as happened to Saint Seraphim. We have all probably read or heard about how many years he lived in the desert by himself (the desert of the forest, that is), and how, when the time came, Saint Seraphim, full of life, was in the monastery, and for hours on end was hearing people’s confessions, and hearing their heartbreaks.

Gifts are given to these people for the well-being of everyone else who is hungry, and thirsty, and lost. The good Shepherd who knows His sheep, knows us. He knows our needs. He knows all our weaknesses. It is, in fact, beyond my ability to comprehend what is the nature of His love, and how it works itself out in our lives. However, I do see, everywhere I go, the fruit of that love : in pastors feeding their sheep, in pastors teaching their sheep, in faithful people being nourished by these pastors. The sheep grow up and become strong believers, who are magnets of Christ’s love themselves, bringing people to the Saviour by their example. I see this more and more.

It is important that we all pay attention to the fact that the Saviour is so active amongst us because He loves us, because He is with us, because He cares for us. Even if we have all sorts of difficulties and troubles, He is still with us. He is still helping us out of all these things ; He is helping us through all these things and healing the pain of our hearts. He heals the scars of our hearts. He renews us. He makes us over into who we are supposed to be in the first place. He lifts us up, and gives us the ability to live in joy.

The characteristic of a Christian, par excellence, is to be able to live in joy : as did Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and the many Greek saints of the last century. It is the characteristic of the way of Christ : this peace and this joy which give life to everyone and everything around.

Glory to God that He has such concern for us, that He has such patience with our stubbornness and our blindness. Glory to God that He is so ready to heal our weaknesses, our fears, our fragilities, and to provide for the needs of His rational flock. Glory to God that we are able to be here together, glorifying our Saviour. Glory to God, also, that there are such Orthodox Christians who are interested in celebrating an obscure birthday of this relatively obscure bishop. Glory to God for your love, for your care, and for your faithful service to Christ, whom we glorify, together with the unoriginate Father, and the all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages.