by Orthodox Teaching of the Elders 130 views
Fr. Serafim Badila tells us a story of an angel who was sent down to earth on a mission to find the most pleasant thing to God.
Subtitles: English, Romanian
Orthodox Church Sf. Alexandru, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, March 14th, 2018
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TugYK18yfjY
Fr. Serafim:
God said to an angel: "Go down to earth and travel the whole world, wherever you want... You have unlimited time. And bring to Me what I like the most from everything you see on earth."
The angel began to descend from the heavenly glory where he praises God, to this world filled with sinful people... this is how we are, we are all sinners... Whoever says he has no sin is a liar!
And the angel was aware that he has a special mission... Discernment... "I have to bring what is most pleasing to God..." And searching, searching, in his journey he arrived in a place where there was war.
A man, in the last moments of his life, he shed his last drop of blood, being wounded, leaving home a widowed woman and orphaned children... And the angel took the drop of blood and went to God. He shows Him this and God looks at it and says, "Yes, wonderful! This is a wonderful thing! He gave his life to defend the country! A hero! He will receive the crown of a hero! His widowed woman and orphaned children remained at home... Wonderful! But I asked you to bring Me the most pleasant thing... Go and search for it!"
The angel goes, traveling here and there, searching, searching, searching, he arrives in his journey to a hospital... There was someone who had an incurable disease, isolated in a room, the sick person, and someone else who wanted to show her love and compassion, stood by him... She knew that she can become infected, but she could not stay far away, she went there! [She got sick] She contacted the virus, she was in the last moments of her life... The angel sees this and says: "I think this is what God likes!" He goes to tell Him. "Look, Lord..." [God] "Yes, wonderful! Wonderful! But I told you to bring Me the most important thing! Go, go, search, search deeper! Keep searching! Do not forget! The most important thing, which I like the most, bring it to me!"
Traveling, the angel fixed his eyes on a big thief... Who committed murders, abused women and committed many robberies... And this famous thief, a frightening person in that region, was searching for the moment to approach an remote house in the village, where there lived a young woman with a child... And he waited until nightfall so he wouldn't be discovered. And as night fell, he looks through the window: the candle was lit, a mother with a small child, she prayed, she crossed the baby after many prayers... the child was sleeping on the pillow... Above his head was the icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus... the candle was lit... and the mother continued her prayer... For the first time in his life, after decades of great and grave sins, being burdened by them, he realized that this is what his mother did when he was little... He had a candle... His mother was praying... How happy he was in those moments... And from this recollection, he saw his whole life before his eyes, with all the murders committed and the grave sins with women and robberies... And he saw for the first time... God worked in his soul... to see his life, his deeds, his words. And this is how the grace of God helped him to see himself... Now he was at the point where it was supposed to enter, he was in front of the window, seeing all his life... A tear falls on the cheek of this big thief... And the angel took it and said: "I think God is going to like this!" And when he went, God said, "Yes! This is the greatest joy for Me! This tear..."
Do you see, my dear ones, that what Father Arsenie [Boca] said is true?
What did he say? "God's love for the greatest sinner is infinitely more than the greatest saint's love for God!"
Look my dear ones, the great love that God has for us, sinners... He left 99 sheep behind, the angels in heaven, who unceasingly praise Him, and He came for us, the lost sheep, all mankind from Adam to now, we are the lost sheep...
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