Suffering: The New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

(Luke 15:11-32) (February 8, 2004)

I don’t know about you; but, when I start to think about Great Lent, it always appears to be the most difficult time of the year. Sure, I’m looking forward to the celebration of Pascha - who isn’t? But there’s Great Lent to get through before that comes. First of all, there’s the fasting: no meat, no cheese or dairy, no eggs; and how can we talk about life without chocolate? Then there are the extra services, and the prostrations - and all of this before we get a little closer to the heart, and the consideration of our sins, and how our lives need to be transformed. If we’re not careful, we might even cross the line, from thinking that Great Lent is difficult, to thinking that we are actually suffering.

Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. Suffering? Most of us don’t even know the meaning of the word. Oh, sure, we fast; we give up many of the foods that we enjoy, that we have in abundance - but we’re not starving, not like the younger son in today’s Gospel reading. There are the services, and the prostrations - but we’re not suffering, not like the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. Talk about suffering! Arrested; imprisoned; beaten; tortured; exiled; murdered. I think they certainly knew about suffering. Me? I don’t know anything about it.

Sometimes it’s easy to see ourselves in the parable or story. We can easily identify with the prodigal son, and see that we’ve taken the inheritance, the good things that God has given to us, and wasted it all in satisfying our flesh and pursuing our sinful desires. After a time, by God’s grace, we come to our senses, and find that we’re living with swine - that is, with the demons. And so we repent, and are restored to our place in the House of God.

It’s not as easy to see ourselves as the elder brother in the story. But if we let ourselves think that somehow our being Orthodox makes us worthy; that our keeping the fast, and the extra services, and the prostrations, and all the other parts of Great Lent, make us somehow righteous on our own, and makes us “better” than somebody else - and we do this - well, we’ve become the older brother; and we have a problem with the mercy of God that forgives really bad people their sins. Of course, our sins should be forgiven - but not theirs. But the mercy of God is beyond our ability to understand; and that’s probably just as well. We should be thankful that God forgives the worst sins we can imagine; because if this were not so, each one of us would have no hope.

It’s almost impossible - at least, for me - to identify myself with the New Martyrs of Russia. I can’t imagine the fear - or the faith. I can’t imagine the betrayal, often at the hands of friends, or even family; and I can’t imagine the trust in God that kept them from betraying others, or denying God, in order to try to save themselves. I do know that there’s really no difference between us and them - that is, it’s not like we are the deserving older brother, and they were the wayward prodigal. There’s nothing in our culture that makes us better than them; nothing that merits God’s special protection for us, while they were delivered to torture and death.

What we do have in common is the Orthodox Church, and her faith, and way of life. We have in common our trust in God, and our hope in Him - the God and Father Who, as the prodigal son made his way back home, ran to meet him; ran because of His love for one who was lost, and now is found. We have in common our trust in God, and our hope in Him - the God and Father Who went to the elder brother to plead with him to soften his heart, for the sake of love. We have in common our trust in God, and our hope in Him - the God and Father of the suffering Russian people, Whose love for them called forth love from them; a love which overcame the trials and torments of the worst of this world; a love that preserved many, and received many others into the kingdom of heaven, wearing a martyr’s glorious crown.

Brothers and sisters: Let us fast and pray, and ask our loving Father to bless us with the same faith and grace, that we might no longer depart from Him, and waste our inheritance in satisfying our sins. Let us fast, and pray, and prostrate ourselves, beseeching God that we not harden our hearts, but might rejoice to know that sinners are saved; and not refrain from embracing them as brothers in Christ. Let us fast and pray, and dedicate ourselves in this Great Lent, asking God in His love to increase our faith, that we may honor and emulate the New Martyrs of the Russian Land by our being transformed into the likeness of His Son, our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ; to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.