A
Sermon of the Day of the Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Great Prince
Vladimir
July 15/28, 1957
Archbishop
Nikon (Rklitsky)
"Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may
glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He
should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is
Life eternal, that they might know Thee the only True God, and Jesus
Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:1-3).
We
heard these words of our Lord Jesus Christ today in the Gospel narrative
dedicated to the memory of the Holy Fathers of the Six Ecumenical
Councils, who preserved our holy Orthodox faith, which the Holy
Equal-of-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir spread and established in
Holy Russia.
These
words are not only edifying for us, Orthodox Russians, gathered here
today at St. Vladimir Memorial Church. To the greatest degree, these
words are edifying for all Orthodox Russians, scattered today among the
peoples of the world; they are edifying for our brothers, languishing
under the yoke of the godless regime spread across the boundless land of
our country.
The
Lord calls us all to stand on the path of a fruitful Christian life,
that we may create a single Christian family, full of love.
"Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given
me, that they may be one, as We are" (John 17:11).
The
time has come, when it is of the utmost importance for every son of the
Holy Orthodox Church and Russia to renew within himself the eternal
precepts of Holy Russia.
The
dark, forty-year night over the Russian land continues yet. The fetters
of godless slavery have yet to be removed from Russia. The groans of
suffering Russians can yet be heard from the prisons and camps. The
workers and peasants are tied yet to the factories and collective farms
as slaves. The Russian Orthodox Church remains yet under the watchful
eye of the atheists. The Russian land is yet silent… but the coming of
Russia’s daybreak can already be felt…
Godless communism, which has drowned Russia in blood, tears, and sweat,
has long since lost all of its charm before the Russian people, and now
it is losing its power even over the oppressors of Russia themselves.
For the sake of preserving their brutal hold on power, they are now
painstakingly exterminating the memory of their leaders and mocking
their own teachings. They preserve their godless ideas and their power
through deception and brute force, and if the light of Christ should
illuminate and fortify the soul of the Russian people, the oppressors’
regime will fall away, a dried scab.
The
time is approaching, when the Russian people must return to its
centuries-old Christian path, appointed for it for all time by the Holy
Equal-of-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir.
The
time is approaching, when the Russian people must once more take up its
purpose, given to it by the Lord God for time eternal.
The
time is approaching, when Russia must once more become Holy Russia, and
must draw new strengths from the eternal source of life for Her
political and social being.
"Holy
Russia" is not just some legal entity or government, no! –
it is a worldwide, all-encompassing idea. Holy Russia is the incarnation
of the Holy Gospel in the national life of Russia, and the sowing of the
Kingdom of Heaven on the earth.
Clearly understanding this wondrous idea of Russian life, loving it, and
living it in every sphere of our lives – that is the duty of every
Russian person, that is where our sincere joy is, that is where we are
reconciled to our life and to our lot, that it is, for which we
sincerely pray on this portentous day. That is the path to the rebirth
of Holy Russia.
So
taught us our great teacher, Metropolitan Anthony.
Every
name written on the walls of this church takes part in the prayer that
the Sun of Righteousness might rise of the Russian land. Every stone in
these walls bears witness to Russia’s Christian path.
Let us
daringly pray that the precepts of Holy Russia become the victorious
lifeblood of the Russian people once more, for the Lord said: "Be of
good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Amen.
Historical
photographs of St. Vladimir Celebrations
