Written in 1972, Fr. Seraphim Rose draws attention to the significance of St. Paisius Velichkovsky (+1794) for us today, stating, "...for Orthodox Christians of the 20th century there is no more important Holy Father of recent times than Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky."A reading of Fr. Seraphim Rose's Introduction to: "Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky: The Man Behind the Philokalia" by Schema-monk Metrophanes📖 Read the Introduction here:https://jordanville.org/news_121129_2http://orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/intro_bpv.aspx📖 Currently available books by Fr. Seraphim:https://www.sainthermanmonastery.com/Fr-Seraphim-s/1817.htm🎧 On Prelest (Spiritual Deception) - Fr. Seraphim Rosehttps://youtu.be/Pt00jwZ37ik🎧 The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality, Pt. I - Fr. Seraphim Rosehttps://youtu.be/ZEDGphNMUw0🎥 Experiences with Fr. Seraphim Rose - from Archpriest Paul Babahttps://youtu.be/w2Ej6Z8e90w🎧 See my playlist of readings of Fr. Seraphim Rose:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYjDHTp3rJVE7B66juR7bDzI⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/🎁Support my work here:https://buymeacoffee.com/orthodoxwisdom_______Fr. Seraphim writes:"...for Orthodox Christians of the 20th century there is no more important Holy Father of recent times than Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky. This is so not merely because of his holy life; not merely because, like another Saint Gregory Palamas, he defended the hesychast practice of the mental Prayer of Jesus; not only because he, through his many disciples, inspired the great monastic revival of the 19th century which flowered most notably in the holy Elders of Optina Monastery; but most of all because he redirected the attention of Orthodox Christians to the sources of Holy Orthodoxy, which are the only foundation of true Orthodox life and thought whether of the past or of the present, whether of monks or of laymen.It is these very same sources—the Divine Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers—which are the foundation of all genuine Orthodoxy in our own times. The observer of the Orthodox world today can see easily enough what "Orthodoxy" becomes when these sources are not made the foundation of life and thought.The followers of unenlightened custom are themselves innocent; they merely accept what has been "handed down" to them. But not seeing the meaning and not knowing the sources of what has been handed down, they are easily led into error, accepting customs which the Church has allowed only out of her condescension or economy as if they were the best of Orthodoxy, and also improper customs of recent heterodox origin and inspiration, together with the pure and meaningful Orthodox customs handed down from the Holy Fathers. Under strict yet prudent pastors, such people can be guided in the true path of Orthodoxy; but in our own time of such widespread irresponsible Church leadership, these people are more often guided gradually into a path of ever greater and more senseless innovation and reform, the clearest example of which is perhaps the Greek Archdiocese of America, where pews, organs, and Uniat spirituality and theology have become the new "customs" of an unfortunate people whose Orthodoxy has been stolen from it.
