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My wife just reminded me that the Easter 2005 illustration was the Pussywillow (Palm in the West) Sunday event the week prior to Easter and that makes sense as we'd have done the midnight vigil if it had been on an Easter Sunday.

Dear Stuart,

You are most certainly entitled to your opinions and critiques. I don't take any of it personally, and I really don't care. I am at a point in life, where I keep blinders on, and ignore that which I do not like or which might scandalize me if I allow it to, and I try to focus on only that which is positive and that which is holy--trying to work out my salvation and concentrate on the profound holiness of others to inspire me and help me.

Be well,
Alice

Unfortunately, it certainly does. Tell me it's not hopeless.

My daughter tells me the Third Rome cool aide is very potent indeed. She ought to know.

Sorry, but personal opinions and wishful thinking , when compared to the Divine Services and the teachings of the Saints and Church Fathers, amount to less than nothing. What truly IS perverse is those who have eyes, but will not see. Far too many people on this board think too much like Jews, refusing to see the Truth when it is laid bare before them, or like Protestants, offering their own interpretation, all based on the wisdom of men, of what the Church Should be, if only THEY were in charge.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

I Corinthians 1:19-27

I leave you with a Prayer For the Salvation of Russia:

http://www.orthodox.net/trebnic/for-russia.html

Alexandr

...and with you.

Aleksandr, thanks for sharing the pray. It is beautiful.

Mendeleyev,

Welcome to the forum! Excellent article and extraordinarily beautiful photographic evidence of the resurgence of faith among young persons.

Many years,

Neil

This article, The Soul of Russia [ngm.nationalgeographic.com] by journalist Serge Schmemann, son of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, is, I think a balanced account of the situation of the Russian Church today, albeit it was written three years ago. Not that much has changed.

Stuart, enjoyable article. I am very familiar with the work and writing of both the author and Father Aleksandr and respect them very much.


The author wrote,
As stated in my introductory post, Orthodoxy isn't easily separated from Russian culture. However I hope that no one would cast stones at babes who seek after Christ, even if they are only dimly aware of the true significance of a sacrament. They have shown willingness to participate in the gospel by taking a very important first step. Scripture tells us that the angels are rejoicing and so the question is, are we of the faith rejoicing with them?



The media plays that up and perhaps I shoulder a share of the blame in covering events of the Yeltsin and Putin presidencies and the entire Medvedev term. But it would be inaccurate to say that Orthodox settings are the only religious events at which you can see these men. I've seen Mr. Medvedev don a yarmulke and hold talks with Jewish leaders and watched him inspect ancient copies of the Torah by invitation. Mr. Putin has taken time to sit down with and be photographed with Buddhist monks in areas of the Far East.

Unlike the USA where most Presidents tend to emphasize their faith during campaigning and then downplay it thereafter, Russian leaders don't sense that same need to put faith on a shelf. Such are the cases of Mr. Putin who attends frequently and Mr. and Mrs. Medvedev who worship even more consistently. In old Tsarist Russia the Tsar and his family sat in a place of honour, just as did bishops in attendance. The ROC has continued that practice and so with Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana Medvedeva in services almost every Sunday, they present a "front and Centre" view of Orthodoxy to Russians.

The inauguration of a Russian president includes an official blessing by the Patriarch inside the Assumption Cathedral inside the Kremlin territory. Harkening back to the days of the Tsars, this has been a practice of Yeltsin, Putin, Medvedev and Putin, again. You can read my coverage of the Putin blessing here: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/...sing-in-kremlins-annunciation-cathedral/

For full coverage of the inauguration: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/...ated-to-3rd-term-as-president-of-russia/

Owing in part to Patriarch Kirill's skill at promoting the life of the church, and especially during the Medvedev years, important Church events have included the Russian president. Here is my coverage of the reopening of Russia's chief Naval Cathedral: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/naval-cathedral-st-nicholas-of-kronstadt-reopened/

To say that Orthodoxy totally dominates the political climate in Russia is not the case however. In Muslim Republics of the Russian Federation, Presidents of Republics are open about their ties with Islam. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov is a strong supporter of Sufi Islam, a branch of the Muslim faith. He has his political reasons as well I'm sure, being that Sufi is more moderate than the radical version of Islam which Russia fought in the two recent Chechen wars.

In the nearby Russian republic of Ingushetia, Islam is the dominant faith and President Yunus-bek Yevkurov's biggest thorn in the side are Islamic militants fighting for a Caucasian emirate, something they pledge to create from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. Yevkurov is Muslim himself.

Finally, I would respectfully disagree with the article's report that Russian pilgrims only come to acquire totems. Although some do, that is quite a blanket statement. I've been on those pilgrimages myself, slept on concrete floors of a monastery and bathed in ice cold water beneath the floor. Most of the people I've met were pious and there for prayer as was my family.

There were no trinkets to acquire when relics from Mount Athos were brought to Russia last year. 14 million Russians stood in line for their 20 second glimpse and chance to pray. On one day alone in Moscow, police estimated that 82,000 souls stood in a line which caused traffic to snarl and over 1,500 extra police were called in to direct traffic in Europe's largest city. Story and photos here: http://russianreport.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/moscow-displays-mother-of-god-belt-from-mount-athos/

Thank you, Neil.

...and with you also.

Dear Mendeleyev,

Thank you for sharing so much information! Your blog is amazing! I have bookmarked it to savour a little bit of information about Russia each day.

After seeing the photos and video of the miraculous phenomenon of worshippers lining up for 24 hours to see the Holy Belt of the Mother of God, I thought of how much this upset the evil one--resulting in poor Abbot Ephraim, who brought the belt to Russia, being sent to jail for a couple of months.

Ofcourse, I have been told by friends in Greece, that God won out, even in this situation--as Geronta was ministering to so many prisoners and inmates that the infamous Korydalos prison became, for a short while, a 'monastery' of sorts!! I pray that the spiritual comfort that Geronta Ephraim brought the prisoners remains with them and brings them closer to God and His Church.

In Christ,
Alice

Thank you, Alice.

May God be glorified as the seeds planted from this event continue to bear fruit!

I was in Moscow just recently, and the Orthodox church I visited was packed on Sunday. The Easter Vigil was crowded that you could barely move, but on the Sunday after, too, the church was very well-attended.

I know that only a small proportion of Russians regularly attend church. But we cannot remind ourselves enough that in 1991 they had to start virtually from scratch. Considering that church attendance in Western Europe declined in the same period - considering, too, the length and complexity of Orthodox services, and the rigours (fasting etc) of living an Orthodox life - the comeback that Orthodoxy has made has been truly amazing.

What really impresses me is that the Russian Orthodox have managed this without dumbing down their liturgy or watering down their theology. On the contrary, I am told that Russian services actually tend to be *longer* than Greek or Antiochian ones. It's a far cry from the "We have to make the faith more modern and progressive to attract young people" way of thinking that has held sway in western Christianity for far too long. And more effective.

Wow! SO this idea that that Church is monarchist is from the Apostles? They recognized one King, who suffered, died, was buried, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
The rest is development. It isn't dogma, nor is it a requirement of belief of those who hold the "true faith" (I'll take a poll next time I'm at an OCA DL). If it were, we would find the nascent Church electing an Emperor.
All of these quotes are post-nicea, a development (GASP!)