By Archimandrite Kyprian (Pyzhov)
In the
Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
By decree
of the Council of Bishop of the Russian Church Abroad in early November of this
year, it was decided to glorify the New Martyrs of Russia. This long-awaited
event will soon take place to satisfy the persistent demands of many, many
people of the Church, Russian Orthodox Christians, living both abroad in
various countries and those who live in our Homeland, where wicked, cruel
atheism reigns, now in its seventh decade. The Soviet state is possessed with
hatred towards God and Orthodox Christianity and guided by dark forces. From
the moment of its origin, right after the Revolution, unheard-of persecutions
against the faithful began; mainly through attacks on the Orthodox faith as the
sole bearer of the Truth of Christ and a powerful force resisting the spread of
world atheism.
Faith in
Christ in Russia, after its baptism, became the very foundation of Russian
statehood, which developed in all facets of the life of the people, occupying a
“fourth part of the earth” (Revelation 6:8). So in order to bring its plan into
effect-the establishment of Communism through world revolution-the Soviets needed
to quickly begin eliminating this obstacle, murdering with sword and hunger and
starvation and (human) beasts those who believe in Christ, declaring them
enemies of the people, political criminals and traitors, who were not afforded
the slightest mercy or sympathy. Indeed, their destruction was viewed as a duty
to the state.
The
sickness of disbelief grew among the people long before the Revolution of 1917,
it quietly spread throughout the body of Holy Russia, weakened by a bloody war.
Infecting cities and then spreading into villages, this disbelief poisoned the
worst element of society. The demands of the Revolution exploited this element,
granting them broad powers to seek vengeance against believers. Bandits and
hooligans, fervent and servile before the representatives of the International,
which had just seized power, set upon innocent people, shooting some on sight,
without trial or investigation, leaving orphaned children and infants to fend
for themselves, to wander through the expeanses of their impoverished homeland,
seeking crumbs of bread and a warm corner to sleep in, while others were sent
to labor camps in frigid Siberia, where they filled prisons, where these
innocent victims were mercilessly treated, subjected to sadistic torture during
interrogation.
The
greatest measure of suffering fell upon the clergyman, uncounted numbers were
killed, for they were the pillars for the faithful and the main proponents of
the ancient regime, who resisted the new state, which screamed in their bloody
banners a slogan that never was fulfilled: “Freedom, Equality and Fraternity!”
The servants of the Altar of the Lord were persecuted and killed, yet they
proved to be true martyrs of Christ, boldly approaching death and torture,
fervently confessing their faith, convincing their flock to submit to death for
Christ, just like the ancient martyrs. Great courage and firmness were
exhibited by our pastors as they were subjected to show trials, accused of
counter-revolution and exiled to inhuman labor camps, whence they rarely returned.
They continued to preach the Word of God and by their example of personal
asceticism, taught patience unto death for Christ.
Many
contradictory opinions have been rendered in connection with the glorification
of the New Martyrs of Russia, especially of the Royal Family, from those who,
though they are sympathetic, feel pressure from the opinion of society,
including those who are not within the Church, or not very close to the Church,
who nurture a superficial outlook on history, on the tragic death, and the
forthcoming canonization. They consider the inclusion among the saints of the
pious Russian Emperor and his Family, the Empress, the young Tsarevich and
innocent Tsarevnas and their faithful servants, who were murdered, their bodies
mocked and mutilated with the intention of hiding the crime, as merely a
political assassination, a necessary collateral damage of terror. Some, out of
reverence for the Royal Family, and venerating their holy memory, fear that the
act of ecclesiastical glorification might spark new insulting attacks in the
press and mislead the superficial, ignorant reader to criticize them.
Personally,
for many years I had this same inclination, but I was finally convinced of the
feebleness of these arguments, seeing the intolerance that the civilized West
has towards the glorious past of Great Russia and the memory of the last
Russian Emperor. What do the leaders of the hoped-for New World Order fear?
Over 60 years have passed since the fall of Russia; the contemporaries of our
Tsar, Emperor Wilhelm II, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, the Turkish Sultan
and other royalty and presidents, many political leaders of that epoch have
long been buried and their places on the world stage taken by subsequent
generations.
But the
evil West cannot forget either the Russian Tsar nor the Russian Throne; even
now in the world press and in movies, slanderous accusations appear, written by
corrupt historians and writers who distort the depiction of the moral image of
the Tsar and His Most-Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and of all of those
who refuse to bow to the reigning, sinful world ruled by the father of lies.
As we
see, the shadow of the murdered Emperor gives no rest to the criminal conscience
of the graceless leaders of the world today, who try with all their might to
trample into the mud the noble image of the Orthodox Royal Tsar and his Family,
who fell victim to an international plot.
The
scribes and Pharisees, out of jealousy, slandered, mocked and crucified the Son
of God, and, achieving temporary victory, disgraced themselves and their
descendants for all time; their followers, the rulers of today’s kingdom of
Mammon, fulfilling their satanic goals, executed to one who on earth was the
Restrainer of doom in the world. They shot the faithful Empress, the meek Heir,
the virtuous Tsarevnas and their kind, selfless servants. The bloodthirsty
executioners hacked the bodies of the martyrs, threw them into a coal pit,
dowsed with kerosene and set them on fire. To hide their tracks, they filled
the pit with earth, and, covering them with foliage, rejoiced at their
well-executed by devilish plot, certain that the memory of the Tsar was forever
erased in this world.
But
decades passed, yet the memory of the murdered victims has not faded: the ruler
of this age continues to try to absolve and justify the act of murder,
desecrating and devaluing the memory of the last Russian Emperor, and the more
slander that is spread about him, the more brightly does his gracious image
shine, and the holy memory of him and those with him warms the hearts of
believers. Those guilty of regicide will never be forgiven for their crime
either in this life or the next, along with those who supported and sympathized
with the murder of the Anointed of God without repentance.
Now let
us pray for the repose of the Holy Passion-Bearers, killed 63 years ago in
distant Siberia. Amen.
Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY
July 17, 1981
Source: http://www.synod.com/synod/engrocor/enser_archimkyprianroyalfamily.html
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