Should we wear a face mask in Church?
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Our actions in the world are the incarnation of our Theology
03:05 Stick to Theology and stop talking about 'worldly' topics!
06:12 Our 'book of Theology' is our neighbour. We learn about God by loving His image
09:10 St Ambrose of Optina, the old peasant woman and her cow
13:07 How low should we bow to address the needs of our neighbour?
16:11 To wear or not to wear a face mask? The limits of our Theology are the limits of our Love
18:31 Churches could be opened tomorrow. We are the ones keeping them closed. We are the ones keeping everyone away from the Body and Blood of Christ
21:49 You seem upset 😊 I am, because I love you and I want you saved
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Should we wear a face mask or not? In particular, should we wear a face mask in Church?
Fr Seraphim, from the Orthodox Monastery of All Celtic Saints on the Isle of Mull in Scotland, talks about the need to expand our love for our neighbour in order to expand our love for God - this, in turn, will translate into living Theology, living 'knowledge of God'.
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Dear all, I have learnt how to split our videos into 'Chapters', so that you may skip between the different parts of the recording. I do this out of respect for your time, but I ask of you - out of respect for me - to listen to the entire video before leaving a comment. Otherwise, you will react to the end-result of a line of thought, without having heard the actual argument. As usual, we shall not publish abusive comments and comments that include links to other material (we do not have the time to check them). May God bless us all, dear ones.
I actually remember how helpful this story was to me as a young priest in my monastery in Moldavia, especially during the great fasts, when we listened to hundreds of confessions. Each time I felt overwhelmed and was tempted to hurry the person in front of me, I remember St Ambrose and I asked for his help and his prayer.
Thank you!!! I genuinely appreciate this new format. It's so helpful!
Thank you!
Are you eastern Catholics or Roman Catholics?
Rick AMC they are Eastern Orthodox
Greetings Father,
Are you advocating that we wear facemasks in Church in order to follow our Bishops' instructions in a display of humility or because it makes good sense for protecting our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ or both? My understanding is that the Bishops are simply following government guidelines.
If it makes good sense for the protection of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, then shouldn't we also be wearing gloves? However, if we are simply following our Bishops who are, in turn, following government guidelines, then it really doesn't matter as to whether it makes good sense. All that matters is following our Bishops who are, in turn, following governmental protocol.
IF JESUS WAS PHYSICALLY WITH US TODAY, WOULD HE HAVE FOLLOWED GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVES BY SHUTTING OUR CHURCHES DOWN DURING LENT, HOLY WEEK, HOLY PASCHA AND BEYOND?
To what extent are we compromising our faith in Christ by wearing face-masks?
To what extent are we compromising the image and likeness of God when we wear our face-masks in Church?
Should bishops themselves be following government guidelines without questioning when the "experts", whom the atheistic governments follow religiously, change their minds about basic issues such as the wearing of face-masks?
Please let me know if our Holy Fathers have left a precedent of mask-wearing in the history of the contemporary Church.
Yours in Christ, Nektarios.
To answer your question about gloves: no. I'm an RN and the instant you touch anything with your gloves you have contaminated them, so the only utility to wearing gloves - say, going into a grocery store- is to remind yourself not to touch your face. These "government guidelines" (as an aside, apart from whether you agree with them, render unto Caesar) are based on studies which have demonstrated that masks considerably reduce the frequency of transmission. You ask to what extent are we compromising our faith in Christ by wearing face masks. Is your faith so shaky that this is all it takes? Are we compromising the image and likeness of God by wearing clothes in church? Do you have so little faith in the leadership of the church - apart from whether our obedience depends on our own evaluation of motives - that you assume their decision was not based on prayer and love for the flock but rather was simply bowing to an "atheistic government"?
1. If you do not wear a mandated mask the health department can close down a church.
2. If you don’t wear a mask you may jeopardize the health of someone who has a health condition, not only the elderly but a child with asthma or a heart murmur.
Right now my Priest and his family are on quarantine because his daughter (18) has Covid-19.
Our Parish uses extreme caution (sanitation stations, masks, social distancing, no chairs, no touching, livecast services).
3.The false comments about how masks are harmful or an infringement on freedom is quackery! Do not believe self appointed ‘experts’ over real Covid science!
Doctors wear masks all day in a hospital without harm!
You are passing FALSE information that can cost someone’s life!
Don't be absurd! The Fathers did not have masks. Nor did they have scalpels or antibiotics. We do, and they are a gift from God.
We do have many examples of the Byzantine rulers closing churches during plagues.
@@MikhalisBramouell Do you check for vehicles before crossing the street?
Μιχάλης
The health department however, is the law right now and can shut us down. We choose to stay open, wear masks and sanitize so that we can go to Church. We can receive the Eucharist.
Would love to hear your thoughts about this now after 2 years and the information we have learned over that time.
‘Endangering people’ your words seem to have lost a lot of meaning, to me at least. The message is and was out of love, though when you have a family member lose their job because of their refusal to get vaccinated or kicked out and denied access to a church for not wearing a mask this video hits a bit different. This happened to my 55 year old dad and only 4 months ago did he get his old job back with a ‘heartfelt’ apology from his boss. He was also denied access to our church when lockdown was over for his refusal to wear a mask only to have the priest 6 months later not wear one. Not a single apology from him either. My dad has now lost his faith and sees our old church as a breeding ground for hatred and hypocrisy, he still prays every now and then but he doesn’t have the same passion and conviction he once did. I still go to church with my family but it pains me father that some people held such divisive opinions out of ‘love’ yet had no sense of compassion or guilt for the damage they did to people they thought of as dangerous.
Peace be with you father I do enjoy listening to and watching your videos, my only reason for commenting this is because remember the first priest I ever talked to when I was a child and you remind me a lot of the way he carried himself. I came to him with anything and even though we now as I am older disagree on a lot of social and political things, as people do, we still talk to this day and any question I have he will answer without judgment, which is the qualities I see in you especially in your newer videos.
Sorry for the wall of text but again, and what might seem like a mean comment, peace be with you father and all the brothers and sister in and around your monastery.
So glad to see someone with a balanced view in the comment section. I am so sorry to hear of your dad's experience. My immediate family all chose not to take the shot and this caused a huge break up with extended members of family. Now as more and more comes out about the harms it's causing (and the inefficacy of cloth masks) the silence from the masses is deafening. I am in true fear for the health and wellbeing of today's young generation especially. I am new to orthodoxy but I hope your dad finds peace in his heart and in time those who hurt him will reflect on what happened. God bless 🙏
Thank you Father for expressing the loving kindness our Lord has bestowed upon you. I must try to listen more closely to the lady's concern for her cow. Lord bless, and your continued prayers are appreciated.
I know what you say, dear James. I too am profoundly guilty of frequently wanting nothing more than to walk away from these small 'cows'. But I always remember St Ambrose and he always blesses me with strength.
Thank you Fr Seraphim. I never want to take action that might make my brother or sister fall. Thank you for reminding me that I could become a stumbling block, not just with regards to wearing a mask but in many ways. May God bless you and the tireless work of the Monastery.
Thank you father. It really struck home what you said about our neighbor is the book upon which our theology is based. Love (transitive verb). I now realize I must take a jack hammer to the hard pavement of my heart and break it up, crumble it to dust. My adamantine heart. Adam/Kadmon macadam heart.
Father, Thank you for sharing with us the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ, for showing us truly how much He Loves us and how much we should Love our neighbour. That's right, these are the most important commandments and out of our pride we are not practicing them as such!! We were told to outcompete each other in Love, our Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate role model, the Saints too are great examples, Thank you Father! We Love you, please pray for us that we may Love our neighbours as ourselves!!
Dumnezeu să vă binecuvânteze, părinte Serafim. Sunteți o adevărată frumoasă descoperire pentru mine.
Words of truth,words of wisdom ,words of true LOVE 🙏🙏. Thank you Fr.Seraphim and God bless you.
Gun ownership is not horrid. In fact there is a standing Orthodox practice of blessing weapons that are to be used to defend ones land, family, Church.
I am an old man, an old protestant born old man and my wish is to be a wiser old man. Your talk confirmed everything that God has been telling me for the past several years. For years I walked through sharp jagged rocks of the valley of the shadow until I came out and saw the sun rising over the far off mountain. Then I thought I had arrived but I was urged by the enemy into looking back at the valley I had passed through and before I knew it I was obsessed by it and not the sunrise. One day I realized that I was walking backwards towards the sun ever consumed by the terror of sin still I lost sight of the love. I had become a Calvinist. I knew a lot more of sin and evil than I did of beauty and love. Eventually I came to the foothills below the glorious sun lit mountains but thank God I could go no further - it was too hard to climb even a small hill backwards and I stopped and God turned me round. Now I climb on my knees and its slow but I am going the right way and ahead of me is beauty, peace and love. God bless you Father. Peace be on you. Bill Smith
Bless Father, I really do see in you the sword and fire of Christ. Your words are tough, direct, and almost sure to divide, but your words are true and stern. Please keep doing what you are doing, these truth bombs always give some perspective to my day.
Love love love you father, and completely agree with every word you've said. O Jesus Christ, Almighty physician, heal our souls and bodies, and save your world from every, evil, sickness and sorrow. My Orthodox Faith is my true Joy!☦️🕊
May we all be blessed, dear one. I am so grateful for your love and support, and for all your prayers. We all need prayer at this time.
Blessed are you Brother, for "your Righteousness [which is from Christ] has surpassed the 'righteousness' of the Pharisees" as our Lord commanded us.
Thank you Father as always. Thank you for loving us and thank you for fighting for us, in love. That was a lot to take in but honestly it should hit us right between the eyes and wake us up. LOVE God, LOVE your neighbor and yes, we should wear our masks. I don't think you can say enough about that. Thank you, thank you, and God bless you and God bless Mull monastery.
Thank you, father. Blessed clarity that is much needed. Amen and Amen!!
Thank you, Father, for this. It has changed my mind about how I view the Church and outside.
I was quite surprised to hear this Father, especially after hearing quite the opposite on mount Athos. Irrespective of the doubtfulness of the secular-media promoted science behind masking, (and the many alternative scientists being censored), this essentially secularly-founded directive of the covering of the face, seems to have all sorts of suspect connotations for the Fathers there -who cannot possibly seem to be able to reconcile the idea of any saint donning a mask for any reason and in any context, let alone in Church. Difficult to know what to make of such two diametrically opposite positions when both are respected. I am going to have to ask more explicitly.
a lot of judgment and opinion put in very academic language (that not everyone has learned to understand)
There is controversy, but listen to Bishops. The monks on Mt. Athos are not your shepherds or personal spiritual fathers or even confessors.
Monks in Russia, Georgia, the United States and other Countries wear masks.
Athos does not speak for the physical health of Orthodox Christians.
Why is a face covering disrespectful or unsaintly when used out of charity? Do you oppose brides wearing veils over their faces in Church? Or lay women? Or contemplative nuns who may cover their faces among male guests? St. Teresa of Avila once said, "God, deliver us from unhappy saints." I think we could readily add, "...and those without the common sense that the Good Lord gave us."
Dee Have you ever watched people smoke and noticed how far the smoke travels? That's how far your breath can travel. If you have COVID and you're either asymptomatic or you aren't yet displaying symptoms, then that's how far the virus can travel. If you wear a mask you radically reduce the distance the virus can travel and the possibility that you could infect someone else. Thus wearing a mask is a classical example of loving others as yourself. Is there any context in which that commandment _doesn't_ apply?
Thank you for your wise words - indeed what may seem trivial is very important and what may seem very important is trivial. That’s where we need discernment. Blessings for your work and prayers.
Thank you, Father, for your love in every word. Clear as crystal!
Dear Father, in my parish the priest doesn't enforce mask wearing, thus very, very few people wear a mask. I dont wear one either. In this case I suppose it's okay to not wear a mask in Church. Am I correct? Thank you very much.
Amen! to say..."Depending how we react etc.." - When we have all these topics in their proper perspective, they won't become a distraction. This is why at times they have to be discussed in order to keep them at a distance or closeness, but a safe, healthy and knowledgeable distance or closeness. Bearing in mind we have obedience to, and respect and consideration for others and ultimately Christ. The lady & the cow - reminded me of a song many years ago - "He ain't heavy; he's my brother." We may need help ourselves one day, so why not give it? God bless & thankyou!
Thank you Father for all your hard work on this problem today amen and everything I appreciate your time and consideration in this great news.god.bless.you me.
Thats right my Brother!
God Bless you!
Obedience is number one thing to do to be saved and save the brother and sister and the church!
Pray for us.
In Christ,
Aleksandar
Thank you, Fr. Seraphim, for speaking the truth in love with such clarity and forthrightness in your obedience to Christ.
Peace to you, beloved Father. May Christ give you all you need, also with regard not to get discouraged. Thank you.
May the Lord Allmighty bless you with holly joy and keep you in good health. Thank you for your meaningful guidance through these troubled times❤️🌹
This was amazing. We can all learn to slow down and love our neighbors and family. I often find that many put up with my griefs in life because Christ has given the other person the grace to listen to my problems. As such God has also lovingly helped me to listen to others' even if I'm annoyed, which shows I have a long way to go in following Christ.
Thank you father for continuing to speak the truth & Blessing us
With the Truth!!!
I believe when we have
Such opposition that we are usually angering the enemy for
Exposing his teaching!!! Thank you for being strong & speaking the truth!!!
Thank you for ALL your words. You help me to better know how to “not to be of this world”, but to also know to “be in this world “, completely as a partisan. Until I listen to this sermon, I have been very defiant by not wearing a mask, lacking the understanding i needed ! But now I do see the correct way to go. I have a change of heart as I have prayed to the Holy Spirit for guidance.....and He has sent you to me. I want to obey because I want to love God by respecting the rest of His children.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I thank GOD for you and your ministry. Keeping you in prayer!
Thank you, Father. We all need this reminder.
Amen Amen Amen
Disobeying God was our fall from the beginning. It did not make sense to eat of every plant but one.
Just because we may not understand our Bishops, it is still a chance for obedience in a little thing. Bless you father. Big hug from Texas. Peace be with you
Dear James, that is a wonderful point, I am so glad to hear you say it. Obedience is not 'filtered' through our logical thinking, obedience is HARD precisely because it cannot be founded on anything else except Faith. May we all be blessed, dear one.
I think you are completely right , if we seek the answers and as we seek Good and the Holy Spirit, God gives us the wisdom and the answers . God bless you 🙏🙏🙏
I love the story about St. Ambrose of Optima. It makes a superlatively important point about how we ought to treat others.
You are right to raise modern moral dilemmas. They are the subject-matter of moral theology. Without them no moral theologian could remain relevant for the people he is there to shepherd.
Father, I appreciate your message of humility.
I have some questions popping up in my head.
- How exactly do you receive communion in a 'protected way'?
- If your bishop does not implement any special rules whatsoever in this time, do you also recommend to go by that in the spirit of humility?
- If that is the case, are you responsible for the fear in someone else's heart when you are kissing an icon like normal in obedience to the bishop?
- Do you think we should wear face masks even when this pandemic is over so that we prevent such fears from other diseases, or should we simply obey the bishop's decision in all cases, no matter the situation? I can't help but think of the iconoclasm, where bishops were iconoclasts as well.
Thank you for your service.
Thanks father for the beautifull words you teling us I am sending this video to my son in England
Thank you, father! May God bless you!
You nailed it Father! Thank you!
Father Seraphim, I truly admire you beyond my words. God bless you. Lots of love. Thanks for all your videos. Pray I will be able to pay visit to you. ❤❤❤
Thank God for his mercy and love and economia.
Blessed Be, Blessing to Your works.... Thank you, and may Blessings be with you, the monastics and the monistary; with love from a catechumen in Texas.
Thank you, Father. Thank you for telling the truth with charity. God bless you 🙏
Thank you & with yr blessings
for this dynamic talk of the
lo❤e of God & our neighbour. .
May God keep you healthy & strong to continue His gracious works of salvation . We rec yr message about the masks loud & clear...Amen!🙏🏻❤
Your words are beautiful and so important. Thank you very much for this video.
Tha k you Fr., I really enjoyed your words. Well done and God bless you for your wonderful work. Best regards from Malta.
Thank you Father.
The more I hear both sides the more I feel my self whit Anger.the only one I know is Always right is God.help me to carry my cross and not feed my heart and mind with fear and lies.starting whit my own self. Pray for us Pray for us Pray for us Amen
Thank you Father! What you said resonated in my heart. I have a lot of repenting to do. I want everything I do to be motivated by love for God and for my bothers and sisters. Thank you for reminding us that to be in rebellion to ones bishop is to be alienated from Christ. St. Ignatius of Antioch echos in your words. God will not condemn us for loving too much and being faithful to our Bishops.
Thank you. Please pray for me, Father!
Im a new subscriber father & im glad I found your pod cast your teaching are very simple for someone like me whos struggling with sin may God bless you & thank you keep up the good work
Thank you father seraphim
From Australia
Your wisdom and speaking the truth in love touches our hearts 🙏🙏🙏
Father bless. Thank you, Fr. Serafim. My family and I have been really appreciating all your videos. We tend to watch them repeatedly. I can't thank you enough for doing this during this difficult time. I think it is a lonely time for a lot of Christians. It seems that it doesn't take much to divide us and categorize us in each other's responses to the coronavirus, racism, views of government and mask wearing. In your earliest video talking about how we have to be so careful about anger as a result of the shut down --- how true that is. I am so glad God is in control of all things and he has a plan for us in all this. Please continue to pray for us as we pray for you and the monastery. John Bohlin
Thank you for saying these things and not avoiding the difficult issues. That takes a lot of humility. As a very prideful person, I shy away from saying and doing things sometimes simply because I don't want to confront the idea that someone's opinion of me may be lesser because they disagree. I hope someday to stop doing this. Americans have a lot of confusion right now. For once, we are being told what to do, AND that if we are obedient, we still don't guarantee our own safety, only that of our neighbors. It's a simple, very Christian idea, but it seems to be causing this 'short circuit' because it goes against the usual spirit of self interest that I feel like I see everywhere here in the US, often even in the churches. I don't know if other countries are like this, but America definitely is. Add to that, we have different bishops operating within small areas - so if one doesn't like what the American bishop says, they just go to the Russian church or the Antiochian church. And many are very vocal about it. I know that it's a hot issue here, and I mention it only because I desperately struggled with it during Lent. Anyway, thank you for being an honest voice in the mires of the Orthodox Internet. It is inspiring, and I am sure I am not the only one who needs that!
God bless you, Father, for this honest, love-filled sermon.
You have many healing words that often soothe by troubled heart.
May God bless you father S!
thank you for sharing!
Thank you. Love is the language of God. I need to look up from the books. Thank you.
It seems the religious icon for this current moment is the mask. According the the modern secular religious order, If you wear a mask you are righteous and if you don’t you are unrighteous. I am glad you are passionate about your convictions. However, your convictions are just that and condemning or characterizing people who do not share them isn’t following the way of the Master. I am thankful for your perspective and passion, but my God isn’t any less real or self-fashioned because my lack of wearing a mask or because I carry a gun every day. I agree with much you say but our conclusions are different and I think there is room for that without assuming apostasy. Lord have mercy on all of us and thanks for your perspective. God bless!
He just means that the needs of those around us are more important than our ego. If not wearing a mask doesn't make the other feel unloved than it's not a problem.
His stance on guns is understandable. He grew up in Communist Romania. I personally think there's room for masculine strength and power to be expressed in a good way. God only truly knows what that looks like. I think Father Seraphim is coming from a place of love in trying to make us remember the gravity of that responsibility to be Meek and he understands most of us are incapable of that. We can stop a villain but should we really end his life in defense of another? I personally don't know how to answer that. Father S says it's bad to take his life.
@@anothercat1300 Yes! The others around us are more important than my fickle ego. Thanks for the reminder!
The virus is still so new/unknown no one knows if the masks even prevent transmission. Often there is some new advisory or change in how to approach COVID. I wear a mask at the liturgy so not to express unkindness to those around me. I do not think wearing a mask really does anything but I still wear one. We like to think we know so much and feel like the masks are helpful but really who knows? For many, the mask is a modern sign of morality. This modern Christ-less morality has nothing to do with God or the Church. I was in a park the other week and noticed many who were carrying signs that blasphemed God. They each were wearing masks and wearing other "modern religious symbols" that showed they were "righteous" by modern ethics. Truly, mankind is created to worship and they/I worship anything other than Christ. Guns, masks, environmentalism, or whatever aren't the issues we need to chide/judge each other over. I love Christ and have dozens of guns. I love Christ and wear a mask sometimes and sometimes I don't. I love Christ and I don't respect/honor the Earth at times. Father is passionate but he isn't Christ nor should he say that those who do not conform to his convictions are making their own Christ. That is my whole point. God bless!
You are absolutely and insightfully correct Curtis Overby. Many people are so oblivious to what you are respectfully saying. The mask is not a mask. It is a muzzle that is symbolic of the taking away of our freedom of speech. There is absolutely no need to wear a mask in Church. If there is no problem in wearing a mask to the Church of Consumerism (Walmart and Home Depot), then what is so wrong about not wearing it in Church? People are becoming scared and confused which is exactly what Satan wants. There is absolutely no room for fear in Christ. Remember that it is the priest who drinks the remaining Holy Communion after everyone else (we can assume that EVERYONE has COVID because ANYONE can be ASYMPTOMATIC!). Should the priest wear a mask himself??? Would Jesus Himself have worn the mask?
Bless you, Father.
THANK YOU. 🙏💜
multumesc, parinte!
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. People need to be more discerning when choosing whom to obey and why. We can't abandon common sense out of fear. All we have done is willingly open the door to those who seek to divide us and control us.
Greetings Father , I thought I may add my perspective.
The orthodox church I attend has instituted several preventive measures , per the request of our Bishop .
1. Anyone that is older , and more susceptible to catching covid to stay home and the priests will visit you .
2. Have more weekly liturgies to give oppurtunites for people to come and maintain proper social distance
3. No touch Temperature checks at the door , and hand sanitizer avaliable before entering the church
4. Every other pew is closed off
5. Everyone wears a mask , and it may be removed for communion.
I say all this , because everyone is doing their part without overt complaint, including me . These measures were conveyed in love , and things are running smoothly .
Thought I would share this positive story with the RUclips community .
Also they are setting a chrismation date for me soon , which I am excited about . 😊
Congratulations, dear Joshua! That IS indeed wonderful news! May God bless you and your family beyond your wildest hopes! Please keep me and the Monastery in your prayers, and do let us know (email would be best) when the Chrismation takes places, so we may pray for you too. Such wonderful news! Thank you, dear one.
My Parish has similar standards and is running smoothly!
We even worked with our health department and had a Vacation Church Camp with 50 children! NO illnesses!
Prayers for you, your coming Chrismation and you parish. The Church is in need of “reason endowed sheep.”
Thank you and God Bless you for this message. I have to tell you that you have kept me going this past year. My Father was a Roman Catholic and my Mother was a Protestant. She converted to the Roman Church before they married but there was a time when we went to the local Protestant Church until Dad took us all back to the Roman Church. Interestingly, I never heard of the Orthodox Christian Church until I met my husband. For a long time I would go to the Roman Church on Saturdays and then spend Sundays at the Russian Orthodox Church with my husband. What has impressed me about the Orthodox Church is that the people seem to want to learn as much as they can about God and his Church but even more interesting, Orthodoxy is much more loving than either the Roman Church or any of the many Protestant Churches I attended or have listened to radio sermons. With the Romans it is all about fear and with the Protestants while fear is a big part I found that they are big into prosperity teaching (ask and God will provide you with (you name it). But over this past year it seems that all Christians Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant are caught up it conspiracy theories related to the anti-Christ using this pandemic bring about the end and on and on. So hearing you talk about we wear masks because we love each other filled my heart with hope. THANK YOU for all you have done this past year.
May peace be with us all. I suppose that wearing a face mask in a church is no different from wearing a mask in public transport where it is mandatory (at least here in Europe). So, everyone wears one in order to simply avoid getting fined. I wouldn't really take this issue any further though... there is no guarantee that a simple face covering (especially a cloth mask) prevents the virus from spreading. So, please just avoid very harsh and definitive comments, like all those who don't wear a mask, don't care about other people's lives, etc. We have been urged by experts almost for 3 months since the start of the pandemic that masks were not useful. It is not surprising that people are having controversial views in light of so many controversial official comments and advices. I think one should wear it just because it's now mandatory, but it's not really fair or wise to draw any strong conclusions about whether they're lost sheep or not. Forgive me, but that sounds just too much.
Thank you
Amen!
Wow amazing🙏
Thank you Father from Canada
Thank you Father Seraphim for your wisdom and your courage to tell me what I did not want to hear but what I needed to hear.
I live on the road in my work and have rare opportunities to attend my Church. I left there in anger this summer at the sight of my priest giving Holy Communion with a mask and a face shield. The sight was too ugly and faithless for me to bare.
I must beg forgiveness and confess my false pride when I can be home again.
It seems like it takes a lifetime to peel away selfishness to truly look to the needs of others insted of my own. I imagine Jesus nealing beside a small child, praying for a sick person, having a conversation with the woman at the well. These actions seem mundane but people like me need truth. We as sheep always need the practical application. I guess thats why Doctors after they have learned all they can must apply all of their learning by hours and hours of stringent practical application, when they are through it becomes a second nature. I figure with me being a wife and mother it must start at home. Then to the body of believers. Love, is such a massive word it has taken me 63 years to understand just the basics and it has been a wonderful, trying, hart rending quest to be ever closer to my Father and deny myself. Thanks again for the good news..that Jesus cares.
Wonderful perspective Father ,harsh but wonderful and authentic; it is all about the way we live our convictions and our ideology . Theology is worthless if inot practiced . The best you said today is let Christ teach us how to love . I always pray the Lord for this , because i know that i am ignorant without his guidance and his grace . He is the teacher and we are the disciples ; only humility allows us to learn from him the right way to love, and there is no humility without obedience. Christ bless you .
Without Him, we can do nothing, dear one. Even our prayer, which we think we offer as our own sacrifice - if Christ had not already poured His grace in our hearts, we would not be able to say one word of prayer. All that is good comes from Him. Without Him, we are like branches cut from the Tree of Life. May we all be blessed, dear one.
Good Father, nobody is addressing these issues so fervently! Thank you, because this rebellion is really happening. I did not go to communion. I reverenced icons without kissing. It was so hard. As a child I was always confessing, "I disobeyed my parents." If we adults are disobeying our Bishop or the civil authorities, we sin. I pray for you. I am sad people are leaving hostile comments. Forgive.
Dear Patricia, I am only praying and talking about these things because I know they affect your lives. These things are not affecting us at the Monastery at all, but I hear the pain in the voices of the people with whom I speak. I do not decide on these topics myself. I try to listen to those whom I call and I then try my best to offer them some comfort. I pray God gives me this joy, of having helped them somehow. May we all be blessed, dear one.
I'm even more confused now.
Are you saying if I take communion, I am coming between the brethren?
If I take communion it is nothing to so with my Brother or Sister. He asked me to follow HIM. He asked me to take eat, for eternal life, not for Father to turn to the congregtion, then straight back to the altar.
You, as a priest, will still be taking the Holy Gifts and isolating yourselves, while His sheep are Hungry and Thirsty and exposed.
Where is that Love and Faith that walks through the valley of the shadow of death with them?
Sorry Father Seraphim. It just breaks my heart.
Katherine Cross I refuse to wear a mask. I want to go to Mass, but I believe God doesn’t want us to cover our face.
I’m not sure this message is consistent with what I am hearing from local bishops and monastics in my region...
- 20:14 “...when you enter the church in the name of your political belief, in the name of your human freedom (which is stupidly understood anyway), and you enter the church unprotected, and you kiss an icon unprotected, and you receive communion unprotected, you are the one who becomes a wall between your brother and Christ in the chalice. You, and no one else. And you are going to answer for that in the day of judgement.”
Thank you Father for the post. Its hard to talk to others about their "Cow". When I've talked to friends and family about different political or worldly opinions sometimes it created bad feelings and separation when I voiced my opinion. In this new and mixed up world I have been trying to voice Gods opinion and tell others we need to pray that God leads us and the ones in power or want to be in power to make the right decisions. I didn't want to wear a mask but I see how selfish that was of me. I pray that we can all try to follow the two greatest commandments "Love God and love your neighbor". What a different world we would live in.
Fr Seraphim, if I may be offtopic for a minute, can please remember me in prayer on the 18th of July. Thats when I will be baptized🙏🏻
Thank you for your videos Father.
🙏🏻
Hello Patrick, the Holy Spirit through your baptism and chrismation will give you strength and clarity in all, along with the forgiveness of your sins, through the Love of Christ. May God bless you and your dear ones, and congratulation for taking such an important decision of getting baptized in the name of The Holy Trinity. God bless!
Welcome HOME !!
@@MrIoanparaschiv thank you very much 🙏🏻
God bless you
@@katherinecross8059 thank you so much 🙏🏻
May God bless you, dear Patrick. May you find the strength to hold on to the grace you will be given until your entry into the Kingdom, and may Christ teach you how to grow into the full potential of that grace. You are under the Protection of the Mother of God - keep Her in your heart always, and you will be safe, dear one.
Thank you Father how wonderful and clearly you explained this topic. This was a question with a friend on Sunday how can we kiss the Icons with a mask on? Thank you I understand it very well now.
Thank you so very much Fr for these words around wearing mask.
Much needed and even late, as Church opens in the UK for coming together to worship God after many weeks of lockdown.
God bless us all.
With prayers and love in Christ
Thank you Father for these words. I see many comments on here singling out whether to wear masks or not as the message, but it is my understanding the message you are trying to bring is for us to obey our bishops (what ever their requirements are for attending Liturgy), and to not cause undue mental agony on our fellow man, especially if it's going to cause someone to not come to Liturgy and partake of the Holy Mysteries. Am I correct in this assumption?
Dear father will you please remember my son Pavlo in your prayers who has been very sick for 8 years. God bless you. I enjoy your messages.
I understand everything you are saying. But, father, do you believe disease can spread through the Holy Chalice? I think that is the only thing you needed not to mention.
Agree. I have great respect for the father and really hope that I misunderstood this part. If he is indeed implying that taking the holy communion is against love... well, that's is deeply sad. I am not against changing the way of taking the holy communion, e.g. receiving it on one's palm, just to avoid Government sanctions... but, how can we even dare to say that taking the holy communion is against love... I believe that the father didn't express his thought properly.
I’m a little late to comment, Fr Seraphim, but I deeply appreciate how the urgent tone and tenor of this talk reflects the importance of the truth you speak - So thank you! What you’ve communicated reminds me of a quote by Dorothy Day: “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” May the acknowledgement of this sober truth motivate us to love our neighbours and enemies at least a little more today than I did yesterday!
To wear or not to wear a mask? I honestly believe it is not a one size fits all answer and the actual answer varies from one person to the other or even for the same person in different circumstances, his/her attitude/intention when either refusing to wear a mask or always wearing/refusing to take down a mask. The whole picture, one's personal medical circumstances and the other people around, etc need to be taken into account and this requires discerning power. So any strong opinion on either side of the issue needs to be taken with a grain of salt :-) Father Seraphim is definitely right on the obedience matters, but we are all on our learning path, and as humans we make mistakes all the time, knowingly or unknowingly. Please forgive me.
I'm just listening to this now, but yes 100%. Hearing this is like a breath of fresh air. I wish more people could hear this message and take it to heart.
Thank you Father Seraphim,
One of your videos was shared in a group I'm in and truly when I was in need God has led me once again to the wisdom of one of his servants in the monastic order. I live in an area where there has been very public and aggressive pushes to disobey public health advice, to give some context our local health officials have received death threats when she said that face masks should be required for anyone in public spaces. Also within my local churches, both Orthodox and not there have been tremendous uproars about any measure meant to contain the virus as being an attacks on the church. To me this has all been extremely trying on my soul. I have many dear friends who work in the medical field and I fear daily for their safety, not only from the virus but from the people around me who seem convinced that they are part of some conspiracy. My mother was in the hospital last year and is still frail, my grandparents are at risk, I moved back to my hometown specifically to try and be closer to my family. And the thought of losing them now make it hard for me to breathe. Especially when it comes from fellow Christians, I cannot comprehend the heartlessness I see each day as people take no thought of how their actions put others in death's path.
I must confess that quickly I came to not just hate the ideas these anti-mask people stood for but I started to see them. Them as people, them existing as the problem and object of my hate. I felt done with the church, done with these people. I couldn't sleep at night because I was convinced that my neighbors wanted my mother dead. All because they couldn't find it in their hearts to consider cooking at home for a bit longer or the minor inconvenience of covering their mouths. I was in a dark place, I am in a dark place. But your words and Christ speaking through you give me hope and comfort. I still struggle daily to not return evil for evil, but your words and your prayers gives me hope. And for the first time in awhile I feel that I can continue this Christian journey and love my enemies and pray for them. I pray that the Lord blesses you and all of the monastics. Your work and your wisdom came to me at the time and place when it was needed most. If you can love those whom I feel I must hate, then I too can cool my tongue and try to love them too.
Perhaps your best homily yet, a practical catechism of living out the Christian faith.
Thank you for the blessing of your love.
No subject is separable from theology. Each one of our actions is determined by faith. Each one of our opinions testifies to or opposes that professed faith.
But some time ago, I saw that on every occasion we should replace the word 'Faith', with 'Knowledge', or 'Know'. 'Faith' expresses a doubt; a choice, of two possibilities, ie belief, or unbelief, as though it was a legally-permissable optional extra, or, a charming eccentricity. 'Knowledge', or to 'Know', states a certainty.
Fr. I have heard your challenge and I have heard it come from a heart of love for us. Sometime back I visited a church and every third row had signs that read " Do not kneel" I thought such nonsense and all within wanted to kneel. But in my heart was a whiisper.... "Your not kneeling because you know the Holy one is present...?. your wanting to kneel is coming from another source" and all within me realised that my motives were far from pure.....and listening to your insights....would It be fair to say....that it doesn't matter where this covid is coming from..? or regardless if its fabricated or its source is coming from untruths with the possibilities of another agenda....that one should listen to their shepherd's ....even though they too maybe lost...and I say that not in judgement or from a critical spirit but from observations that some of our shepherd's have made on other matters. I would be grateful for your reply, even its just for correction for myself.
I agree we are not capable of unconditional love.
Before we can love with all our hear and soul we must be circumcised of the Heart.,
Scripture promised that God would circumcise our hearts and the hearts of our seed that we might love God with all our hearts and soul and Live!
I believe that once this Circumcision takes place we can no longer live here in the world of the dead .. I believe Circumcision ( of the heart) preceded the death of every child of God . God bless you
When Jesus walked the earth he said we must obey God our father not the pharases, bishops, Not even mankind. And that there will be wolves in sheeps cloths deceiving many. We must get our theoligy from gods holy word, not mankind. Gods ways are not our ways. He only does what is good, righteous and holy. If we want to know God we must read his word and pray. For example; "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.". If you want to wear a mask, wear one. If you do not want to, do not. As christians we should not condemn our brothers and sisters on ether side. If you impose on your neighbor (which ever side that may be), You shall be imposed on. If you feel imposed on at a church. do not condemn your brother, Just go on your way and pray for them as you read and pray with God at home.
I ask you my bretheren to please Walk with him daily in prayer. Read the KJV translation and keep reading for yourselves. God will reveal his heart to you. Fill up your lamps with oil. the time is even more near.
But according to what you suggest, are you free to harm other people if you want to...
To take another similar example, maybe to my mind, would you say those should be able to smoke in the church if they want to...
Point is those who don t smoke cannot avoid inhaling, unless they move out...
Forgive me.
Bonjour,peut ont me dire si c l orthodoxie comme la foi chrétient grec et russe?Merci d avance
Thank you, Fr. Seraphim. As one who is watching a beloved relative suffer with covid-19, it is very hard to see so many not wearing masks. I do not wish to sin in my anger, but I do feel angry. Pray for me, please.
Who is the artist of the Christ picture behind you?
I have a REALLY hard time breathing in church due to the incense. When I wear a mask, I feel like I'm going to pass out, due to my lung issues. I end up gasping for air and getting asthmatic. So maybe I shouldn't go to church for regards to others? I have cancer, so I have very complicated health problems.
Diana Dallal, NCTM, RCMC
I don’t know if part of this will be helpful but some of the people who have chemical sensitivity or who get migraines from scent (I do) find that frankincense is the only incense we can handle.
Our Priest ONLY uses frankincense.
I have the same problem with masks and talked to my doctor.
I’m using a microfiber gator (easy to breathe) and sometimes I put a disposable mask under over my mouth but not my nose (keep the gator over my nose). I’m pretty comfortable. There are silicon masks.
You probably are better off staying home most of the time because you have compromised health.☦️
If all scientists were agreed that wearing a mask is helpful or harmful to oneself and others it would be easier to make a personal decision. As it stands, advising to wear or not wear seems to be politically rather than medically motivated as different countries impose different requirements.
As people stopped being careful and stopped wearing masks or social distancing what has happened?! We are in big trouble in the United States! Many thousands will die for what? They don’t want to wear a mask?
Well, why wear a seat belt or follow the speed limit then. Sell cigarettes to kids and allow people to drink and drive because it’s their body and their freedom.
Don’t you think, the lack of love for others is a sin?!
Me thinks you hit the nail on the head, Bonnie!@@bonniejohnstone
To be honest, I can't stand wearing these stifling masks that hider our humanity. However, to avoid the stumbling of my brother or sister is indeed an act of love I CAN carry out
with patience and love.
Thank you for reminding me!
In my rebellion, I have overlooked this very important point!!!
I had a nightmare this morning after playing this recording last night. With smaller population and low number of COVID cases in Idaho, our Bishop did not make the masks mandatory in IDAHO. Your message, I’m sure, spurred on my nightmare, where I saw the full body of Christ within me, shriveling away, and I couldn’t ask for help or speak because my teeth were falling out. It was dreadful to have the Holy Spirit leave the body. I have always had trust in Christ within and His Holy Spirit guiding me in everything I do. The Masks do not feel right within my soul as something we should be doing. Where it is mandated, yes, I would follow the rules. I tried wearing it out of love and the opposite reaction within me was apparent. I will confess tonight my reaction to this vid. I totally understand obedience and do my very best to obey. Getting the message from this vid that I could end up on the left side of Christ in His Kingdom has mortified me. I love your, dearly, Fr. Seraphim and pray for you and everyone at Mull Monastery in my daily prayers and so grateful for all of your love and beauty in your vids. Forgive me for not finding any peace from this one, it had the opposite effect on me.
Fr. Seraphim. I sincerely apologize for my original post. After confession, I had a much better outlook of physical and spiritual growth in our new world today - trusting wholly in God. We are all blessed to have our Lord Jesus Christ/Father in Heaven and Holy Spirit watching over us through these difficult challenges. All Glory to God!