Orthodox Parables and Stories: "Thanks to St. Seraphim of Sarov no more swearing."

My friend Aleksey was previously known as an inspired and incorrigible swearing man. He swore with pleasure. Or rather, he did not swear, but one might say he spoke.

More than once he caused conflict situations, bringing to white heat those to whom profanity is worse than any cacophony.

And he stubbornly did not recognize any prohibitions and restrictions.

We hadn't seen each other for more than six months, and when we finally met recently, I really didn't recognize my friend. In his vocabulary all obscene words have completely disappeared. Marveling at the incredible change that happened to Leha, I, of course, asked him: "What happened to you ?!" In response, he told me an amazing story that happened to him:

From a young age, I thought lightly that the concept "profanity is bad" ate is bad just a stupid convention, generated by man. Neither my parents, nor my acquaintances could convince me. “Well, judge for yourself,” I argued my “rightness” to my opponents. Look, in Sweden, for example, swear words like ours are used everywhere, and the most indecent and offensive is the seemingly harmless one: “go to the forest!”. And all because in ancient times those who were strongly guilty from the tribe were driven out into the forests, and this meant certain death. People love to invent for themselves prohibitions, so it is more interesting for them to live! And I don't give a damn about conventions!

A miracle happened last summer. I already considered myself an Orthodox believer, but I continued to use “filthy” words in my everyday life, still unwilling to admit the inadmissibility of their use. And then one day, my bride and I went on a pilgrimage trip to Diveyevo. This truly holy place near Arzamas has long attracted both pilgrims and ordinary tourists. Numerous holy springs, bathing in which one can heal even the most serious illnesses, cleanse, “rinse out” the soul; picturesque hilly meadows and forest groves. The relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the great prayer book of the Russian land, rest in the Diveyevo Monastery. Venerating the relics, many believers spiritually receive their sight, receive consolation and protection from diseases, “corruption”. I myself saw how the demoniac was brought to the relics. With a seemingly normal woman, as soon as she entered the temple, a metamorphosis occurred. The closer she was brought to the relics, the stronger she was, two hefty men could hardly hold her, and she made a terrible animal roar. And after that, she again became an ordinary woman, no different from the others.

The stay at the holy place bore fruit in the very first days. Swearing fell from my lips less and less, but I still “resisted”. And suddenly, after another bathing in the holy spring and visiting the relics, the thought struck me like a shock: by swearing we destroy our soul, we clog it with negative energy! There was a feeling that Saint Seraphim himself led me to a simple and natural explanation of the unacceptability of obscene words.

And what is surprising - the desire to swear was cut off! The next day, walking down the street, I suddenly twisted my leg, hitting the hole. Usually, in such situations, I automatically would curse. A little later, a passing car splashed mud at me. I looked after it and had already opened my mouth to speak out a curse word, when suddenly a pleasant wave of calm extinguished, like water, the flaring fire of anger. I waved my hand and calmly walked on. The bride was shocked.
And even when we were leaving, and 5 minutes before the departure of the train, it turned out that it was leaving from another station in the opposite part of the city (thanks to the good railroad workers who were making such a mess!) We were late for the train, and had to go back two hours later in a shared carriage. I did not swear and have not sworn in the future thanks to St. Seraphim of Sarov.

Roman Pankov