Presented at the 1983 Council of Bishops of the ROCOR in Mansonville, Quebec.
Our pastors and their flocks
currently live under unique conditions, which, without the slightest
exaggeration or mystical passion, can be referred to as pre-apocalyptic.
Already, throughout the world, there is not a single leader or government that
leads its people with any reference to God's mercy or the grace of the Holy
Spirit. The Anointed of God has been taken from the world, the epoch of
Constantine, of government by God's grace, has come to an end. The last book of
Scriptures has opened, that of St. John the Theologian. The power of Orthodox
Russia, the heiress of the Byzantine empire, no longer exists. Two forces have
divided the world between them: on one side the militant, godless communist, on
the other, the so-called democratic, western world, in which the flame of
freedom continues to flicker. The latter, for the casual observer, is divided
into countless Christian and non-Christian religions and sects, which inwardly
are cemented together by an anti-Christian spirit.
We were given rulers and
governments graced by God's providence, in order that we could peacefully and
responsibly pursue the salvation of our souls. The Anointed One protected us
from powerful, fiery temptations, which descended upon us in the form of Communism
and Freemasonry. We, in our sinfulness, were taken in: each one of us, involved
in our own professions and crafts, doctors, lawyers, engineers, masters of all
trades made their work their religion; devoting to it all of their time,
strength and heart. For all of these people, there is little if any room left
for their Orthodox Faith. Often it takes the shape of "going through the
motions," doing what is formally prescribed; for no one wants to go
against "the norm."
Almighty God became man in order
that He may deify us. Countless men of righteousness, prophets and
wonderworkers passed through our great land of Russia. The Lord sent us
charismatic preachers; the works of all the Holy Fathers have been published;
the Gospel has been printed from small pocket-sized volumes to beautifully
ornate liturgical volumes. Millions of brochures, leaflets, prayer books have
been given out or sold for a small sum to our people. All sorts of magazines
and missionary tracts have been printed within our diocese and all this, true
to the prophesies of old, has become immersed in the limitless bustle and
vanity which our people have embraced. Our Russian literature, in the apt words
of Professor Andreev, being a kind of pulpit for our faith, has reflected the
gradual spiritual decline of our people.
What can we do? In our own
perhaps bold opinion, it seems that our Lord, in order to lift our people out
of [spiritual] emptiness, which has led us to the very depths of hell, has
commanded His angelic warriors to break open the gates of hell and release
demons to sting first our people then the whole world in order to awaken them
from their sinful sleep. With this last desperate effort, the Lord wants to
bring us to our senses, to drive His people out into His light. All careless
and carefree people will sooner or later be faced with the question: who are
you with? Christ or the devil? The question will not be posed by the clergy,
from whom we are used to hearing these questions and to whom we no longer
listen, but by the devil and his emissaries, from whom proceed all the
successes in life, the wealth, and the earthly glory of the masses of people
who occupy themselves in such trivia.
What a shock it will be to them!
We exclaim, "You have created all in Your wisdom, Lord," and continue
to do so. The Lord has willed the demons to bring out the spiritual essence of
this egotistical world. The essence is that there is an all-powerful God, as
well as demons, the kingdom of heaven, as well as hell and that this earth will
pass, like fog. And when those fateful questions are posed, every human soul
will tremble. No longer will it be possible to be neutral, noncommittal. There
will be no more avoiding the question, no more hiding, no more spiritual
diplomacy. Each will be found and asked a simple question: light or darkness?
Christ or Satan?
Most revered Bishops! We have
already entered into the era of the great question! Right from underneath our
pulpits, we are being robbed of souls, they are being eaten away from the
inside, leaving only empty, fruitless shells! We must be aware of the actuality
of this problem in our day. The temptation is fiery, burning. It is directly in
front of us. We must accept God's will. Allowed by Him, we will witness
tremendous changes in people. People that we know this very day to be
God-fearing and righteous will suddenly become traitors, they will totally
transform their spiritual face, others as though awakened from a sleep will
become champions of piety and spirituality, even to the death. Those who choose
Christ will be the only ones to whom Christ the Savior is their personal
provider, in all ways, day and night.
The Lord has allowed all the
forces of evil to attain such power, almost omnipotent, that though temporary,
the situation demands of us bishops, that we put to use a tried-and-true
eternal means, that of bringing our flock to the Grace of God's all-powerful
Holy Spirit. No longer do we have helpers in this effort, no longer do we have
a genuine Christian society or schools, no longer is there a withholding power
an anointed ruler to restrain evil. Even governments which were formerly
Christian oriented are changing or being replaced.
We are alone. Before the
archangels' trumpets declare “Let us attend!”, before the frightful coming of
our Lord, we have yet to declare our own "Let us attend!" We must
reveal to them a picture not just of the future but of a temptation already at
work, that choice which will not change. Let us not fool ourselves, or create
any illusions. A great majority of Orthodox will not withstand such a burning
ordeal, and will experience a cataclysmic fall. Before the earth and all human
deeds burn, firstly, all that is superficial, empty, dependent on earthly
riches will go up in flames. All that will remain will be those who genuinely
love Christ, are devoted to Him even to the death... loving only Him, their
Savior, and no other.
In the face of such a terrible
and menacing scenario of evil currently at work, we Archbishops are required
not only to strongly admonish our flock, but to put into action all the riches
and strengths of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which abide in the Church of
Christ. All the flock has already communed of the Grace of the Holy Spirit
through the Mysteries. It is incumbent upon us to re-ignite that flame of
righteousness, to do everything within our power according to the words of the
Apostle Paul, "To be all to all," to at least save some.
As a baseline to our task, it is
imperative that we prevail upon all of the faithful to abandon the old practice
of receiving communion but once yearly; if there are any that yet adhere to
that unpraiseworthy custom. Also, we must entreat our priests to pray prior to
administering the Sacrament of Confession that the Lord will grant them love,
wisdom, compassion and mercy. We must point out to our flock the necessity to
likewise pray before going to confession, that the Lord will grant them the
gifts of the Holy Spirit for true repentance, for the gift of true feeling,
grief for one's sins, the gift of tears, washing our souls with the water of
second baptism, which is what our confessions must be and not superficial
confessions of our sins.
It would be good for all our
publications to print only the best, most thought-provoking works about
Confession and Communion so that they can be instrumental in the rebirth and
renewal of every Christian soul. We must speak of this in our sermons before
every Lenten period, give talks, arrange small and large conferences, and not
only for the young but for all, big and small, young and old. It is also
important, not to mechanically read a lecture, which might be interesting only
to the speaker, but to call the attention of the listeners to the spiritual
significance of the gathering. We must devote several days to answering those
questions that people carry within themselves for many years without getting
any real Orthodox answers. In this way a lively exchange will develop between
the souls of the attendees and the clergy, the entire gathering will become
prayerful, more and more participants will prepare for Communion, and with each
day's divine services, it will resemble a pilgrimage rather than a gathering or
convention.
The aforementioned burning
temptation is already in progress and is presently knocking at the door of
every member of the clergy and their flock. For this reason, the clergy must be
vigilant and at every opportunity must call on those of their flock that stand
at the steps of material success and wealth, for they are the ones that will
first be confronted with this spiritual ultimatum. We must indicate, to those
we visit, that during their progress from one success to another, they will
discover their own watershed, and in so doing will confront the ultimate
choice. They will find themselves balancing on a razor's edge. Most reverend
Bishops, let us not deceive ourselves; all of our foreknowledge of evil, its
convolutions, the corridors of hell, none of it will save us as will a living
personal, burning love for Our Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ. We have seen
before how meticulous investigators of the forces of darkness have pitifully
finished their earthly journey in the grips of these forces.
Such are the conditions under
which our pastors and flock live in today's modern world.
Russian source:
https://sinod.ruschurchabroad.org/Arh%20Sobor%201983%20dokl%20m%20Vitaly%20Apok%20nashih%20dnei.htm
English source:
https://en.afanasiy.net/articles/metropolitan-vitaly-ustinov-the-apocalypse-of-our-day/
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