Lentorama 2017: Lenten Observers of Instagram

Day 39: Exit heavenward, pursued by a bear

One day a nun from the nearby convent of Diveyevo, coming to visit St. Seraphim at his hermitage in the woods near Sarov, found the old monk being visited by a bear. Terrified, the nun let out a scream. The staretz responded by patting the bear and sending it away, but when the nun came to sit beside the elder, the bear returned and lay down by Seraphim’s feet. “I was as terrified as before,” the nun later recorded, “but when I saw Father Seraphim, quite unconcerned, treating the bear like a lamb, stroking him and giving him bread, I calmed down.” Her fear left her entirely.

A post shared by Greek Orthodox☦️ (@orthodox_life_1054) on Apr 22, 2017 at 3:02am PDT

A happy Easter shout-out to our Orthodox friends!