In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Today, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Saints who have shone within the Holy Rus. After the week of All Saints, during the first week of Apostle Peter’s Fast, some Autocephalous Churches commemorate their own Saints. Historically, the Orthodox Church is composed of fifteen autocephalous Churches, that is, independent and self-governing local Churches. They are independent in self-governance but maintain unity in the Faith, adhering to all the decrees of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Some of these Churches are more ancient, tracing their origins back to the very beginnings of Apostolic preaching, such as the Jerusalem, Antiochian, and Alexandrian Churches, while others are relatively younger, like blessed branches stemming from the ancient roots. Such is our Russian Orthodox Church, which received its origin and blessing from the Patriarch of Constantinople over 1000 years ago during the existence of the Byzantine Empire.
However, long before this official blessing, according to Church tradition, the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called reached the place where the city of Kiev, the mother of Russian cities, would later arise, as recorded by St. Nestor the Chronicler. He raised the Cross there and prophesied that the Christian Faith would flourish in that place.
And it was to the American land that the Orthodox Faith was initially brought by the Russian Orthodox Church. If it weren’t for the Revolution of 1917, which became a heavy trial for all of Russia, who knows how the situation with Orthodoxy in America would have turned out? Perhaps it would have been different. Nevertheless, we believe that everything is governed by the providence of God, and if things have turned out this way, then it is His holy will.
And now we celebrate this holiday with heavy hearts. Holy Rus is once again experiencing trials: war has brought sorrow, suffering, and painful losses to many lives in Ukrainian and Russian lands, and only God knows how much more we will have to endure and suffer. It was unimaginable that such a war between Russia and Ukraine could ever happen. Only the spiritually discerning elders, foreseeing this as God’s punishment, prophesied many years before these events that such a war would occur. And not just this war. We have all heard prophecies that much larger and even more sorrowful events await us, a war that will affect many nations. Just as it was difficult to believe in those prophecies until they were fulfilled before our eyes, it is also challenging to believe in these prophecies while we live with you in relative peace and “as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away” (Matthew 24:38-39). Similarly, we eat, drink, entertain ourselves, and live our ordinary lives, unaware that perhaps the hand of God is already over us…
Back in 2014, when all those events began that have now escalated into an open armed conflict, we received the blessing of Archbishop Justinian, who at that time was the Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, not to touch upon political issues in the church. Following this blessing has helped us greatly throughout these years, and I hope it will continue to help us maintain inner peace, without which no spiritual life is possible. Politics, belonging to this world, acts in the realm of dividing people into groups, each with its legitimate and justified interests. In contrast, the Church does not belong to this world, and its task is to unite people in the Holy Spirit, as Christ prayed before His sufferings: “that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us” (Jn.17:21). And we see with what jealousy the devil opposes this unity, trying to sow discord, set others against each other, and feed them with his malice and hatred. The saddest part is that they try to introduce politics into the Church or rather use the Church for their political interests. But we should not get confused and remember that the Church consists of people, and sometimes inappropriate things enter through them: from its very birth, as we know from the Holy Scripture, the Church has been engaged in the struggle with the world for its sanctity and purity.
How should we approach all these sorrowful events happening on the geographical territory of Holy Rus today? First and foremost, we need to make our final choice and decide whether we belong to the Church or to the world with its politics, divisions, and interest groups. Because if a person belongs to the Church and cares about fulfilling Christ’s commandment to “love one another” (John 13:34), they cannot take sides in earthly conflicts. A true disciple of Christ is called to love everyone, both those on one side and those on the other. Each side has its own truth, and if you listen to them separately, each one is indeed right. But beyond these human truths, there is also the truth of God. If you don’t want to be deceived by the world, do not align yourself with either side in human conflicts, but always remain with Christ and seek the truth of God, constantly appealing, as we do almost in every service, “teach me Thy statutes!” (Psalm 119:12). Do not judge anyone before the judgment of God, learn to love everyone and pray for everyone, for both these and those.
During the Civil War at the beginning of the last century, the Most Holy Patriarch Tikhon was asked whom he supported, the Reds or the Whites. He replied that he prayed for all because both sides were his spiritual children. Spiritually, Holy Rus is indivisible, as once said by St. Lavrentiy of Chernigov, just as the Trinity is indivisible, so are Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. In this world with its politics and divisions, they may become different countries and even engage in conflict with each other, as we can see. But can you imagine any conflict arising between St. Anthony of Kiev Caves and St. Sergius of Radonezh? Or between St. Job of Pochaev and St. Seraphim of Sarov? Of course, such a thing is unthinkable. And why is that? It is because they are spiritual citizens of a unified Holy Rus (as one of the regions, so to speak, of the Kingdom of Heaven) and they have become one in God through the very prayer of Christ, “that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). This prayer should become our guiding light as well, my dear ones. Let us not give our hearts to diabolical malice and hatred!
Today, we turn with a special prayer to all the saints who have shone forth in Holy Rus, that they may teach us to care about becoming heavenly citizens ourselves, to fulfill God’s will by preserving love for one another, even if the world and the devil try to make us enemies to one another. Let us pray for everyone, for the swift arrival of peace, for the forgiveness of our sins. Let us learn to accept God’s punishments and believe in His all-good providence, in the fact that His right hand is able to turn any sorrow into joy and any adversity into salvation. Amen.