WEBVTT 00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:05.879 Glory to Jesus Christ. Glory to Christ. In the 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:09.080 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:24.219 Holy Spirit. Amen. It wasn't so long ago, someone 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:30.420 who had been reading Lives of the Saints said 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:33.530 to me, But really, Father, some of this looks 00:00:33.530 --> 00:00:37.789 just fantastical. Hard to believe and hard to 00:00:37.789 --> 00:00:43.869 accept. And not only that, the number of martyrs 00:00:43.869 --> 00:00:47.530 over and over and over again that appear in the 00:00:47.530 --> 00:00:50.049 lives of the saints, the Synaxarion, the book 00:00:50.049 --> 00:00:55.189 that has these everyday lives, it seems impossible. 00:00:56.689 --> 00:01:02.100 Of course, the first 300 years... of the existence 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:06.239 of the Christian church show that there were 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:10.400 indeed countless martyrs. Not every single year. 00:01:10.780 --> 00:01:15.079 There were periods of peace. But you read about 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:19.640 these men and women and children who have St. 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:21.920 Sophia over here with her daughters. And there 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.659 were many, many, many others just like that. 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:31.760 It's not that fantastical when you see someone 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:36.299 who's a true Christian and desires to witness 00:01:36.299 --> 00:01:39.760 and to give testimony what he or she knows is 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:47.560 the truth about reality. You have these tens 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:50.420 of thousands of people. Getting burned up in 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:52.980 a church. It's just a couple days after Christmas. 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:55.599 You have that feast. The martyrs of Nicomedia. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:58.180 It's like 10 ,000 people in a church. How could 00:01:58.180 --> 00:02:01.480 that be? You have the 40 martyrs. And you have 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.000 these 40 martyrs. You have these 300 people. 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:08.199 In Georgia. 100 ,000 Christians killed on the 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:13.919 bridge. Well. Maybe that seems fantastical. But 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:16.819 we have actual proof. That this is the case. 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:25.539 For 75 years, the church was the victim, not 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:31.240 the victim, but stood tall against the relentless 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:36.020 and the vicious and the bloody attempt to dismantle 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:40.139 the Orthodox Church completely. Before the revolution, 00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:45.580 there were 75 ,000 churches in Russia. Over 1 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:48.360 ,000 monasteries. You can look up all these statistics. 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:51.580 Father Nicholas gave a very fine talk last night 00:02:51.580 --> 00:02:55.319 about Metropolitan Benjamin of Petrograd, who's 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:59.139 over there on the wall, and his life and how 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:07.639 he stood. By 1937, 74 ,000 of those churches 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:15.189 had been closed or destroyed or blown up. A couple 00:03:15.189 --> 00:03:20.349 of bishops remained. Very few monastics. Priests 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:24.169 had dug their own ditches and been shot and shoved 00:03:24.169 --> 00:03:28.330 into them. There are stories over and over again. 00:03:28.370 --> 00:03:32.909 The story of Metropolitan Peter of Clutica. At 00:03:32.909 --> 00:03:36.710 the age of 47 in 1920, he was consecrated a bishop. 00:03:37.509 --> 00:03:40.469 A death sentence for sure, like being made a 00:03:40.469 --> 00:03:45.300 pope in the third century in Rome. for sure you 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:52.300 wouldn't last very long. He was arrested and 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:57.000 put on a train where priests and other people 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.159 were just shoved off as the train's going. He 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:02.439 was shoved off, but he landed in a snowbank. 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:05.960 And he wasn't hurt. This was the middle of the 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:08.900 night, the middle of nowhere, on the way to Siberia, 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:12.120 I suppose. And he walked and he walked. He only 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:16.899 had his cassock on. And it was cold. Obviously 00:04:16.899 --> 00:04:22.699 there's snow. He sees a bear. And he makes a 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:25.980 sign of the cross. Gives glory to God. The bear 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:31.279 lies down before him. And he snuggles up to the 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.959 bear. And he probably smelled pretty bad. And 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:41.000 he was saved by the heat of that bear. Of course. 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:45.240 The Secret Service found him eventually. He lived 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:47.639 in a village where he ministered to people for 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:52.019 almost a year. But he was found out. And in 1937, 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:58.040 he was shot. What's special about 1937? Well, 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:01.100 in 1937, the government did a census. And they 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:04.259 found out that 80 % of the population still considered 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:10.000 themselves Christian. After all those years of 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:16.040 terror. Vicious terror. Dismantling because they 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:22.240 believe that the old had to go. Had to go. So 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:27.040 I ponder this. This feast of the new martyrs 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:32.879 of the Russian lands. And the revolution. And 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.500 then I think, this gospel we heard today. Of 00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:40.040 course, the one about betrayal and wars and rumors 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:43.160 of wars. But not that one. This one. This one. 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:47.600 Jesus said to the Pharisees questioning him. 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:49.439 This is the third time he was questioned in this 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:52.519 chapter. What's the greatest commandment? Well, 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:54.899 you shall love the Lord your God with all your 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:56.920 heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.120 This is the first and great commandment. And 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:05.019 the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor. 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:10.250 As yourself. I think today is a good day to ask 00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:15.230 myself, in the absence of persecution on me, 00:06:15.410 --> 00:06:19.970 why is it so hard to love the Lord our God with 00:06:19.970 --> 00:06:23.370 all our soul? Not just the little portion of 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:27.189 it we set aside on Sunday. That's good, but not 00:06:27.189 --> 00:06:31.170 enough. Why can't we love him with all our strength, 00:06:31.529 --> 00:06:35.480 all our mind, all our heart? Everything that 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:39.720 we have. Those in the persecuted times did that. 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:42.060 And they loved their neighbor as themselves. 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:46.860 Which we find so hard to do. To love our neighbor. 00:06:47.139 --> 00:06:51.100 We love ourselves maybe dysfunctionally. That's 00:06:51.100 --> 00:06:55.939 why. And then I hear this epistle from Colossians. 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:03.209 And I ask myself. As the Christians. The Orthodox 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:06.610 Christians in Russia were being killed, churches 00:07:06.610 --> 00:07:09.850 blown up and dismantled, turned into public restrooms 00:07:09.850 --> 00:07:13.970 in the cities. The communists, the Bolsheviks 00:07:13.970 --> 00:07:16.930 are saying, where's your God? Look at what's 00:07:16.930 --> 00:07:19.569 happening to you. It's all over for you people. 00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:22.810 Where's God in this? There is no God. And the 00:07:22.810 --> 00:07:29.430 Christians are thinking St. Paul's words, for 00:07:29.430 --> 00:07:33.540 you died. and your life is hidden with Christ. 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:38.040 We are all to be martyrs in the sense that we 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:40.819 have died in baptism, and can we not witness 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:45.139 with the very words and manner of our life to 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:49.500 that glorious kingdom that as these Christians 00:07:49.500 --> 00:07:52.259 were being killed, more Christians were standing 00:07:52.259 --> 00:07:55.439 in the place, just like the 40 martyrs, because 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:59.220 they saw, they saw something in those men and 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:02.639 women and children. And they believe, when Christ, 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:05.660 who is our life, appears, then we shall also 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:08.420 appear with him in glory. There was no glory 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:12.000 at the time. Therefore put to death your members 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.480 which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:19.439 passion, evil desire. Put off anger, wrath, malice, 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.480 blasphemy, filthy language. They did that in 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:26.660 the face of that terrible persecution. They lived 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:29.500 that way, which is why they're saints. It's not 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:32.379 just because they died, no, but because they 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:36.539 witnessed to the glory of God, to God's power 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:39.259 in human weakness, which is the story of the 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:43.200 cross, and they became like Christ, shedding 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:49.379 their blood for the truth of things. They knew 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:55.340 because they did this. They put on tender mercies, 00:08:55.340 --> 00:09:02.159 kindness. humility, long -suffering, meekness, 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.159 bearing with one another, forgiving one another. 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:09.259 They let the peace of God rule in their hearts 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:15.100 and Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdom, 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:19.799 teaching with psalms and hymns and spiritual 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:26.899 songs. Why is it? That we can't love our neighbor 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:30.659 as ourself and love God with all our hearts, 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:34.419 all our mind, all our strength. Why is it that 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:38.419 the words of St. Paul in Colossians seem so foreign 00:09:38.419 --> 00:09:44.860 to us? Sort of religious, but not essential. 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:49.720 The communists told the Orthodox Christians, 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:52.779 that's just sky, your religion is sky, pie in 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:58.889 the sky fantasy. I would say politics is pie 00:09:58.889 --> 00:10:03.509 -in -the -sky optimism. Promises. And isn't the 00:10:03.509 --> 00:10:06.450 church amazing that she puts right at the beginning 00:10:06.450 --> 00:10:10.210 of the liturgy so that we put our loyalty and 00:10:10.210 --> 00:10:13.330 fidelity in the right kingdom? Put not your trust 00:10:13.330 --> 00:10:15.970 in princes and the sons of men in whom there 00:10:15.970 --> 00:10:21.129 is no salvation. Doesn't mean you hide your head 00:10:21.129 --> 00:10:25.570 in the sand. But it means that you put your trust 00:10:25.570 --> 00:10:28.389 in the only place that is the kingdom of God 00:10:28.389 --> 00:10:33.909 and the Lord Jesus Christ. Metropolitan T. Conn 00:10:33.909 --> 00:10:36.950 wrote a little meditation, three or four lines. 00:10:37.950 --> 00:10:40.809 Here's what he says. Here's a lesson for us in 00:10:40.809 --> 00:10:46.070 this feast day. Rather than more talk, more indignation, 00:10:46.070 --> 00:10:50.970 more public stands, more controversies and opinions, 00:10:51.610 --> 00:10:55.190 Shut off the news, brothers and sisters. You 00:10:55.190 --> 00:10:57.870 want your heart to be pure, not filled with that 00:10:57.870 --> 00:11:01.330 stuff. Rather than all that, perhaps we need 00:11:01.330 --> 00:11:04.110 more prayer, more fasting, more services, more 00:11:04.110 --> 00:11:07.289 attention to our neighbors. That is, the living 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:09.909 and breathing people God places before us each 00:11:09.909 --> 00:11:13.029 day. To say it in a few words, what we need is 00:11:13.029 --> 00:11:16.490 more simplicity, more humility. This is the way 00:11:16.490 --> 00:11:19.870 of holiness. and holiness is the only solution 00:11:19.870 --> 00:11:25.269 to the ailments of fallen creation. To our Lord 00:11:25.269 --> 00:11:29.970 be glory. Through the prayers of the holy new 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:33.250 martyrs and confessors, Lord Jesus Christ, have 00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:34.149 mercy on us.