To support our Monasteries on Mull and Iona, join our Online Community here mullmonastery.com/our-online-community/ Sign up for our 2025 Summer Pilgrimages to the Celtic Isles here mullmonastery.com/the-celtic-islands-pilgrimage/ May God bless us all!
I was a Christian for 57 years before becoming Orthodox, three years ago. One of the unusual effects of becoming Orthodox is the feeling that I don't really know Jesus any more, at least, not how i used to think I did before. How much of my relationship with Christ was real, how much was pious delusion? I don't know, it's hard to tell.
My dear one, it is almost irrelevant if you ever knew Him, because He obviously knew you and loved you enough to keep knocking at the doors of your heart until you finally heard Him. There must have been something of Him in you, otherwise you would not have recognised Him. Be glad and rejoice in who you are today, do not allow the past to take away this joy. And please remember us in your prayers.
I've heard people say that submission to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church can be difficult, especially for protestant converts such as myself. It wasn't hard for me. It was a great relief.
Thank you for giving voice to this message, Fr. I’ve been listening to your videos for a few years and two weeks ago became an Orthodox catechumen, glory to God. These videos have been a great help on journey so far, thank you.
Glory be to God for finding a way to use us as He guides you on your path, dear one. Please keep us in your prayers and may we all be saved in His Holy Name.
This teaching is exactly why our family left protestant church for the Orthodox. I cannot express the exhaustion we felt going from church to church trying to discern...does this one teach the correct truths about Christ? It was so refreshing, TRULY, to come into a church where I could find unaltered truth taught. At the same time, it deeply saddens my heart to see also that many Orthodox people...especially those from birth (who have known nothing else) approach their faith with great apathy. They have held onto the truth but they have lost their first love of Christ. This is why I pray for the church....there are so many ways we can separate ourselves from Christ. Lord have mercy on us all!
You are so right about us cradle Orthodox. I’m 55 and only in the last 4 years have I learned what it is to be Orthodox. I thank God for the guidance of Fr. Seraphim and my new parish priest and for our catechumens, whom I’ve watched enter Orthodoxy with the Faith and Love and zeal I should have had all my life.
Glory be to God on high. Everything you said is true. I ache for the world , as for myself and hope that we never have to hear those dreaded words, "I know you not". Please pray for me and all the world that He may have mercy on us all.
May no one hear those words, dear one. May those dreaded words never again come out of Christ's mouth. May they exist solely as a warning to the horror that may be, but may that horror never come into being. Let us pray for each other, and may Christ save us for this mutual sacrifice of love.
I’m definitely going to need to listen to this video regularly. This is a question I had in my heart and mind for many years. As I am waking up to the true interpretations of the bible, I do believe that there are lots of complex theories out there that do lead us astray. Your guidance is always driven by common sense and clarity driven by the essence of love. Thank you Fr Seraphim
I, too, am terrified by that very same thing, Father. I honestly worry about it often, so much that it may not be very healthy. I honestly thought I was kind of alone in being scared of this. Thank you sincerely for this.
Yes, only the teachings of Christ are fresh and original. I just wish I could know Christ. I feel sometimes I may be one of those who succumbs to banal worldly truths and is unaware and unwilling to admit that Christ is the Truth. Please pray for me.
It’s so much easier to teach tolerance and relatives truth ie nonsense than to teach Christ as the only way and Truth. Although we do not judge anyone ourselves , relaying the message that it is only in accepting and living with Christ that you will have eternal life and not condemnation is NOT an easily accepted doctrine at all… Thank God for real churches that speak the truth in courage and faith without seeking the approval of everyone !
That 'Christ is the Way, Truth and Life' should be the central message of His Church, dear one. All else flows from this and is only good if it is founded on this foundation. Even good things can become evil if they replace Christ in the life of His people.
Thank you Fr. Seraphim, again and again , from the depths of my darkened but hopeful heart! This, and your last podcast have been such a blessing, and for me so very timely and necessary. Asking your continued prayers for each and every one of us truly struggling for Truth and Love. ❤
Thank you Father. I converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1977, from the Western Roman Church. Since then I have gone to a couple weddings in the Catholic Church. I truly had no idea where i was, it was very foreign to me. God Bless the Eastern Orthodox Church and may she be protected by the likes of Kryill who have created deep division.
Dear Father Seraphim, This is going to be a bit long. Thank you so much for your words. This exact video is what was needed in my life. You put into words what I couldn't. In the past few months, I was found by our Great Shepard. In the past few weeks, I became alianeted from my past self. I don't even rocegnize my past self in some pictures and the things I did. I see the error in my old ways, and became a stranger to my addictions. Currently, I'm in the process of looking for a church that you just described. Where I can put our Lord Jesus Christ number one in my life learn about him and know him. Currently, I'm attending a local Roman Catholic Church, and what weirded me out that they don't publicly preach. I also did dip my feet in the occult, didn't get really far, but still, it's a big mistake. When I talked to the parish priest, he told me that I might need an exorcism. I said ok, and when I wanted to talk about what I did in the occult, he turned me to another priest because he's more spiritual. Mind that this talk was nearing the end of public consulting hours. The other priest I got to talk to for two times did put huge emphasis on that. "The girls are pretty, about your age, and you should get to know them." You might have just saved me from a false Church. May I borrow some of your words and questions to confirm?
May Christ have immense patience with us all, may He wait for all of us to grow spiritually and may He judge everyone with unspeakable love and mercy, dear one.
Our Fathers have spoken the same things of God Who is Christ for the last two thousand years; and have not shape-shifted over the past five centuries ☦️⚓❤️
You answered my question I emailed I was baptized yesterday and yes this is the power of God I don't know if you read my email thank you Christ I searched a long time thank you so much God have mercy on me please pray for me I love you everyone these questions raised and I found orthodoxy I love you so much pray for everyone I love you, you have answered my question father even if you did not read my email Christ has risen Lord have mercy on all of us
Travel safely, dear one. Thank you for all the little signs of love and support - we are quiet about them, but we do give glory to God for them. May your guardian angel work overtime to keep you safe and joyous.
Glory be to God for all good things, dear one. He always finds ways to speak in the world, we just need the humility of mind and openness of heart to hear His words. Please keep us in your prayers.
Thank you Father, the world needs to hear many more Holy Sermons likes this and the one you posted previous to this one.✝️ God’s continuing Blessings and Strength always. 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for providing a frame of reference on what church to look out for. I pray and ask God and Christ every day to know if I truthfully know Christ and if He knows me every day. One obvious thing to look out for is the rainbow flag.
The sole vocation of the Church as an institution is to preserve a complete, unaltered understanding of Christ and to pass it on from generation to generation by giving witness to this Truth, teaching it and helping people to receive it by administering the Sacraments to them. All else ends in the grave.
Father I believe this teaching is truly from God, may He be gloried in the highest. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. May the Lord bless you, your people, your teachings and this teaching.
Many thanks for this difficult but necessary message. The increasing apostasy of the many mainstream denominations (not to mention others) is the source of bottomless grief that, as you say, heightens our fear for ourselves. God have mercy, Christ have mercy on all and for all, and may we cleave in our hearts to the one Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
May we all grow together, dear one. We can all learn from each other, we can carry each other through our difficult moments - all we need is the humility to hear, the love not to judge and the faith that Christ can cover all, heal all, forgive all.
@@mullmonastery each of these three things are being increased in me, in spite of myself. It seems my strength to maintain my pride is finally too old and weakened! Which I am grateful for.
We’re doing the best we can to plant seeds a little at a time. I call it bread crumbing, because if you try to shove the whole loaf of truth to someone they’ll choke (probably). If you know a way to perpetuate someone’s eagerness towards seeking Christ then I am all ears brother, but as far as I’m concerned you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. Ultimately it’s up to them to choose to accept Him at the end of the day, yes?
It is a beautiful icon of the Mother of God witnessing the Crucifixion of Her Son. Romanian peasants four centuries ago had a stronger instinct to focus on love and sacrifice than most of us have today. May we all be blessed, dear one.
But how do we come to realise our delusion? How do we "test" whether we know what is The True Christ? The Orthodox claim they have the truth but so do the Catholics?
I feel like i abandoned Christ as well, i dont care to pray, pray became u important to me, i dont ready Bible scriptures, like the spirtual habits and So as life is slovely dying or meaby I should Say being eated by everything else, empty phone screening, resting, lasyness etc. Can I actually do smthg??????
You wrote this comment. This proves that your heart is alive and that your instincts are right. Christ alone can renew life in you, but you need to be open to His presence. What is your name, so we may pray for you?
Here in the US we have a lot of churches like this. Almost every protestant denomination has at least one church like you describe, and then there is at least one other of the same tradition that tries to have some basis in the teachings of the early church, and tries to stick by those principles. Sadly, what we don't have in my area, and what we need, is an Orthodox Church.
So if a church avoids teaching the salvific message of Christ (or waters it down), then I suppose it's not wrong to think that particular church has been infiltrated by the enemy, even if unwittingly. After all, what better tactic for the devil to use than to steer people away from the most important (salvific) message into other ones that seem important to human reasoning but which, in the end, don't save your soul?
Thank you for your hard work in Christ. What is the picture behind you? I thought it was an icon but the images are strange somehow. Can you please explain this to me.
Glory be to God for all good things, dear one. It is indeed an icon of the Mother of God, specific to the churches and monasteries in the North - West of Romania (an area called Maramures). Unlike icons painted on wood boards, these ones are painted on glass, with a completely different technique. They are some of my favourite icons and we have a lot of the at our Monastery on Iona.
Father, I highly recommend you make a video addressing protestantism. I believe you are one of the few who could do it lovingly. Many of the people in my life are deluded by the many "truths" you talked about, but I am not great at teaching. Thank you
How can I be forgiven for the depth of my sins that I am only now realizing. I am a repeat offender. The only success I have had is to see my own sins so clearly.
John 21:5So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me...☦️☦️☦️ Eyxaristo Pater I needed to hear this
To support our Monasteries on Mull and Iona, join our Online Community here mullmonastery.com/our-online-community/
Sign up for our 2025 Summer Pilgrimages to the Celtic Isles here mullmonastery.com/the-celtic-islands-pilgrimage/
May God bless us all!
Im in iraq it's hard for me but I live by grace of god , Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on us we are sinner's
May Christ shield and protect you, dear one. May He be your fortress and may His Holy Mother keep you in Her embrace.
May God bless and protect you brother from Tennessee USA.
@@mullmonastery Amen Father Amen
I was a Christian for 57 years before becoming Orthodox, three years ago. One of the unusual effects of becoming Orthodox is the feeling that I don't really know Jesus any more, at least, not how i used to think I did before. How much of my relationship with Christ was real, how much was pious delusion? I don't know, it's hard to tell.
My dear one, it is almost irrelevant if you ever knew Him, because He obviously knew you and loved you enough to keep knocking at the doors of your heart until you finally heard Him. There must have been something of Him in you, otherwise you would not have recognised Him. Be glad and rejoice in who you are today, do not allow the past to take away this joy. And please remember us in your prayers.
@@mullmonastery Thank you! ❤️
I've heard people say that submission to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church can be difficult, especially for protestant converts such as myself. It wasn't hard for me. It was a great relief.
Same here.
Thank you for giving voice to this message, Fr. I’ve been listening to your videos for a few years and two weeks ago became an Orthodox catechumen, glory to God. These videos have been a great help on journey so far, thank you.
God bless you!!!
Glory be to God for finding a way to use us as He guides you on your path, dear one. Please keep us in your prayers and may we all be saved in His Holy Name.
This teaching is exactly why our family left protestant church for the Orthodox. I cannot express the exhaustion we felt going from church to church trying to discern...does this one teach the correct truths about Christ? It was so refreshing, TRULY, to come into a church where I could find unaltered truth taught. At the same time, it deeply saddens my heart to see also that many Orthodox people...especially those from birth (who have known nothing else) approach their faith with great apathy. They have held onto the truth but they have lost their first love of Christ. This is why I pray for the church....there are so many ways we can separate ourselves from Christ. Lord have mercy on us all!
You are so right about us cradle Orthodox. I’m 55 and only in the last 4 years have I learned what it is to be Orthodox. I thank God for the guidance of Fr. Seraphim and my new parish priest and for our catechumens, whom I’ve watched enter Orthodoxy with the Faith and Love and zeal I should have had all my life.
Glory be to God on high. Everything you said is true. I ache for the world , as for myself and hope that we never have to hear those dreaded words, "I know you not". Please pray for me and all the world that He may have mercy on us all.
May no one hear those words, dear one. May those dreaded words never again come out of Christ's mouth. May they exist solely as a warning to the horror that may be, but may that horror never come into being. Let us pray for each other, and may Christ save us for this mutual sacrifice of love.
I’m definitely going to need to listen to this video regularly. This is a question I had in my heart and mind for many years. As I am waking up to the true interpretations of the bible, I do believe that there are lots of complex theories out there that do lead us astray. Your guidance is always driven by common sense and clarity driven by the essence of love. Thank you Fr Seraphim
Phenomenal message! Thank you so much.❤🙏🏻 Peace of Christ be with you all. 🕊
Glory be to God for all good things, dear one. Thank you for your prayers, may Christ bless us all.
I, too, am terrified by that very same thing, Father. I honestly worry about it often, so much that it may not be very healthy. I honestly thought I was kind of alone in being scared of this. Thank you sincerely for this.
BE KNOWN BY HIM . Staying strong in FAITH & TRUST in His L❤️🔥VE !
Thank you Father. Excellent message. Next year God willing I'd love to come on a pilgrimage to your monastery. Love and blessings from South Africa 🙏🏼
May God bless you, and may the Catholic and Orthodox churches achieve the unity for which Jesus prayed.
father, your passion on this is palpable. may the lord illumine us all. ❤❤❤
So well stated. Thank you. Truely, the most horrific of words... Jesus Christ saying unto you "Depart, I do not know you".
As a protestant who wants to get deeper in faith. Thank you for this word.
NoSoul.. YOU ARE ON A WONDERFUL JOURNEY. !!
Glory to God! ☦📿💝📿☦
Yes, only the teachings of Christ are fresh and original. I just wish I could know Christ. I feel sometimes I may be one of those who succumbs to banal worldly truths and is unaware and unwilling to admit that Christ is the Truth. Please pray for me.
It’s so much easier to teach tolerance and relatives truth ie nonsense than to teach Christ as the only way and Truth. Although we do not judge anyone ourselves , relaying the message that it is only in accepting and living with Christ that you will have eternal life and not condemnation is NOT an easily accepted doctrine at all… Thank God for real churches that speak the truth in courage and faith without seeking the approval of everyone !
That 'Christ is the Way, Truth and Life' should be the central message of His Church, dear one. All else flows from this and is only good if it is founded on this foundation. Even good things can become evil if they replace Christ in the life of His people.
Thank you Fr. Seraphim, again and again , from the depths of my darkened but hopeful heart! This, and your last podcast have been such a blessing, and for me so very timely and necessary. Asking your continued prayers for each and every one of us truly struggling for Truth and Love. ❤
Thank you Father. I converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1977, from the Western Roman Church. Since then I have gone to a couple weddings in the Catholic Church. I truly had no idea where i was, it was very foreign to me. God Bless the Eastern Orthodox Church and may she be protected by the likes of Kryill who have created deep division.
Dear Father Seraphim, This is going to be a bit long. Thank you so much for your words. This exact video is what was needed in my life. You put into words what I couldn't. In the past few months, I was found by our Great Shepard. In the past few weeks, I became alianeted from my past self. I don't even rocegnize my past self in some pictures and the things I did. I see the error in my old ways, and became a stranger to my addictions. Currently, I'm in the process of looking for a church that you just described. Where I can put our Lord Jesus Christ number one in my life learn about him and know him. Currently, I'm attending a local Roman Catholic Church, and what weirded me out that they don't publicly preach. I also did dip my feet in the occult, didn't get really far, but still, it's a big mistake. When I talked to the parish priest, he told me that I might need an exorcism. I said ok, and when I wanted to talk about what I did in the occult, he turned me to another priest because he's more spiritual. Mind that this talk was nearing the end of public consulting hours. The other priest I got to talk to for two times did put huge emphasis on that. "The girls are pretty, about your age, and you should get to know them."
You might have just saved me from a false Church.
May I borrow some of your words and questions to confirm?
So true that social justice is not,more important then truth of salvation
Father God will not be mocked anymore
I give him all the glory to bring his judgment with no mercy
You have a blessed day father you guys stay safe 🙏🕎
May Christ have immense patience with us all, may He wait for all of us to grow spiritually and may He judge everyone with unspeakable love and mercy, dear one.
Thank you we need this! 😊@@mullmonastery
@@mullmonastery Wowwwwwww!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for always focusing on Christ.
Our Fathers have spoken the same things of God Who is Christ for the last two thousand years; and have not shape-shifted over the past five centuries ☦️⚓❤️
You answered my question I emailed I was baptized yesterday and yes this is the power of God I don't know if you read my email thank you Christ I searched a long time thank you so much God have mercy on me please pray for me I love you everyone these questions raised and I found orthodoxy I love you so much pray for everyone I love you, you have answered my question father even if you did not read my email Christ has risen Lord have mercy on all of us
pookie, (which is MOST ASSUREDLY NOT YOUR NEW ORTHODOX NAME! 💝💝) GLORY TO GOD, 0:19 newly-illumined one!
Such wonderful news..
☦📿💝📿☦
Thank you for covering such an important topic!
Please keep us in your prayers, dear one.
Amen ❤
Excellent and very strong talk. Thank you Father.
I am getting ready to go to Tokyo for the summer. So goodbye from me for a little while ❤️.
Travel safely, dear one. Thank you for all the little signs of love and support - we are quiet about them, but we do give glory to God for them. May your guardian angel work overtime to keep you safe and joyous.
Thank you father, what an important and powerful message. Thank you so much.
Glory be to God for all good things, dear one. He always finds ways to speak in the world, we just need the humility of mind and openness of heart to hear His words. Please keep us in your prayers.
Thank you for these amazing videos!
Thank you Father, the world needs to hear many more Holy Sermons likes this and the one you posted previous to this one.✝️
God’s continuing Blessings and Strength always.
🙏🙏🙏
Thank you.
Thank you, Fr. Seraphim.
THANK YOU! AMEN!!!
Wonderful advice. Praise the Lord. 🙏🙏
Thank you for providing a frame of reference on what church to look out for. I pray and ask God and Christ every day to know if I truthfully know Christ and if He knows me every day.
One obvious thing to look out for is the rainbow flag.
The sole vocation of the Church as an institution is to preserve a complete, unaltered understanding of Christ and to pass it on from generation to generation by giving witness to this Truth, teaching it and helping people to receive it by administering the Sacraments to them. All else ends in the grave.
Beautiful video! God bless you sir for speaking the Truth
Father I believe this teaching is truly from God, may He be gloried in the highest. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. May the Lord bless you, your people, your teachings and this teaching.
Many thanks for this difficult but necessary message. The increasing apostasy of the many mainstream denominations (not to mention others) is the source of bottomless grief that, as you say, heightens our fear for ourselves. God have mercy, Christ have mercy on all and for all, and may we cleave in our hearts to the one Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Yeah that pretty much describes the denomination that im part of in Scotland.
This is the right message
Thank you for the clarification, father. I hope I can grow in understanding of what you have said.
May we all grow together, dear one. We can all learn from each other, we can carry each other through our difficult moments - all we need is the humility to hear, the love not to judge and the faith that Christ can cover all, heal all, forgive all.
@@mullmonastery each of these three things are being increased in me, in spite of myself. It seems my strength to maintain my pride is finally too old and weakened! Which I am grateful for.
Well said.
We’re doing the best we can to plant seeds a little at a time. I call it bread crumbing, because if you try to shove the whole loaf of truth to someone they’ll choke (probably). If you know a way to perpetuate someone’s eagerness towards seeking Christ then I am all ears brother, but as far as I’m concerned you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. Ultimately it’s up to them to choose to accept Him at the end of the day, yes?
❤Amen! Thank you father!
Much love,Fr.!I m so sorry!🥺🙏🫶I so love the glass Icon of the Crucifixion!🥹💔Hugs!
It is a beautiful icon of the Mother of God witnessing the Crucifixion of Her Son. Romanian peasants four centuries ago had a stronger instinct to focus on love and sacrifice than most of us have today. May we all be blessed, dear one.
@mullmonastery Thank You so much,Dear Fr.!God bless!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
But how do we come to realise our delusion? How do we "test" whether we know what is The True Christ? The Orthodox claim they have the truth but so do the Catholics?
I feel like i abandoned Christ as well, i dont care to pray, pray became u important to me, i dont ready Bible scriptures, like the spirtual habits and So as life is slovely dying or meaby I should Say being eated by everything else, empty phone screening, resting, lasyness etc.
Can I actually do smthg??????
Wish I could help you, but I'm just like you right now...
You wrote this comment. This proves that your heart is alive and that your instincts are right. Christ alone can renew life in you, but you need to be open to His presence. What is your name, so we may pray for you?
❤❤❤
🙏
Here in the US we have a lot of churches like this. Almost every protestant denomination has at least one church like you describe, and then there is at least one other of the same tradition that tries to have some basis in the teachings of the early church, and tries to stick by those principles.
Sadly, what we don't have in my area, and what we need, is an Orthodox Church.
Amazing word father, is there a specific prayer we can say for those who departed from Orthodoxy?
❤
☦️🙏❤️🕊
So if a church avoids teaching the salvific message of Christ (or waters it down), then I suppose it's not wrong to think that particular church has been infiltrated by the enemy, even if unwittingly. After all, what better tactic for the devil to use than to steer people away from the most important (salvific) message into other ones that seem important to human reasoning but which, in the end, don't save your soul?
Thank you for your hard work in Christ.
What is the picture behind you? I thought it was an icon but the images are strange somehow. Can you please explain this to me.
Glory be to God for all good things, dear one. It is indeed an icon of the Mother of God, specific to the churches and monasteries in the North - West of Romania (an area called Maramures). Unlike icons painted on wood boards, these ones are painted on glass, with a completely different technique. They are some of my favourite icons and we have a lot of the at our Monastery on Iona.
Father, I highly recommend you make a video addressing protestantism. I believe you are one of the few who could do it lovingly. Many of the people in my life are deluded by the many "truths" you talked about, but I am not great at teaching. Thank you
Matthew 5 to 7.
How can I be forgiven for the depth of my sins that I am only now realizing. I am a repeat offender. The only success I have had is to see my own sins so clearly.
How can one become Orthodox in Sweden?
John 21:5So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me...☦️☦️☦️ Eyxaristo Pater I needed to hear this
when they accept trinity