Parintele Serghie a fost un om de o neasemanata curatie, simtita si laudata de toti marii barbati duhovnicesti care l-au cunoscut. Pentru ca era asa de curat si de smerit si cu adevarat izvor nesecat de rugaciune, Domnul i-a daruit inca si harul cunoasterii inimilor si l-a facut vas ales al luminii Sale necreate. Si toti vazandu-l se minunau de stralucirea ingereasca a fetei sale. (J-C Larchet)
This book is a treasure, at once deep and practical.
Elder Sergei (Shevich) was a Russian-emigre priest-monk who spend most of his life in France. Though in the spiritual lineage of the Optina Elders, he never lived in a monastery, but devoted himself to serving a parish. Jean-Claude Larchet has blessed us with this beautiful book about his life and counsels.
The book breaks down into three parts. Part One gives us the Elder's life, which is interesting partly because it reads like a Who's Who of the Russian Orthodox emigration in France during its 'golden age'. I learned that the great iconographer Fr. Gregory Kroug was a spiritual child of Elder Sergei, who helped him through more than one bout of severe mental illness. The Elder's concern and healing intercession for those with psychiatric problems seems to have been a keynote of his pastoral ministry.
Part Two, the real core of the book, organizes and summarizes the Elder's teaching. I found this section tremendously helpful and challenging. Elder Sergei rigorously avoided theological speculation and encouraged his followers to do the same, feeling that it often serves in our time as a substitute for prayer and authentic spirituality. Perhaps because he lived in the 'world' and dealt with Orthodox Christians living in the world, his teaching, while very demanding, is always concrete, specific and simply presented.
Part Three, entitled 'Words of Salvation', is a collection of quotes from the Elder, collected over many years by those who went to him for counsel or confession. I'm afraid this section was a problem for me: it's very repetitive, and most of its content, along with many direct quotes, is already contained in Part Two. I felt that could have benefited from much more editing and organization.
This is a spiritual gem, one that I'll be reading again and , I hope, applying.