Father Seraphim Rose, when he became Orthodox, came under the archepiscopacy of St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco. (Archbishop John was canonized in 1994.) St. John was a combination of various types of saints that one rarely sees in the hagiography of the Church: a theologian, an administrator, and a fool-for-Christ. Father Seraphim said of St. John:
"He himself taught that, for all the 'mysticism' of our Orthodox Church that is found in the Lives of the Saints and the writings of the Holy Fathers, the truly Orthodox person always has both feet firmly on the ground, facing whatever situation is right in front of him. It is in accepting given situations, which requires a loving heart, that one encouters God."
--Not of this World, p. 200
Posted by Clifton at June 2, 2004 05:03 AM | TrackBack