In these strange times, when churches are being violently seized from the faithful in Ukraine, wars are raging, and other terrors are slinking out of their dens and coming to light, Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhe and Melitopol writes words to his flock—and to all Orthodox Christians—words of both warning and comfort.
Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhe and Melitopol Christ is in our midst, my dear readers!
AN APPEAL to those unjustly deprived of the opportunity to pray in their native churches, to all the faithful children of the Diocese of Zaporozhye
Today we are witnessing the opening of an abyss of human audacity: Under “legal” pretexts, those who have prayed for many years in their churches are being driven out of them. Those whom Scripture calls “sons of disobedience” have risen up against that which belongs to God. With deep sorrow, the faithful behold how proud men, clothed in temporary authority as though in costly garments, stretch out their hands toward holy things. They naïvely suppose that they are merely changing the legal ownership of churches, not realizing that they are attempting to plunder a treasury of the spirit that cannot be measured by money or by any worldly standard. By taking away the keys to earthly doors, they in fact set the seal of eternal condemnation upon their own souls—and upon those of their descendants.
Let us recall the ancient history of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the sins of those cities had become intolerable before Heaven, they nevertheless still stood. Why? They were not protected by high walls with guards, nor by countless riches. They stood upon the shoulders of a single righteous man—Lot. He alone was that spiritual pillar for whose sake God’s long-suffering withheld the punishing fire. While Lot remained among the lawless, the hand of the Lord did not descend, sparing the guilty for the sake of one righteous man.
But what did the frenzied crowd do? They drove out the righteous man. And as soon as Lot crossed the boundary of the city, God’s protection over Sodom vanished. The voice of the sole intercessor fell silent; the living prayer ceased—and in that very moment heaven opened in wrath. Fire and brimstone turned a once-flourishing valley into a lifeless waste of ashes.
Today’s world is rapidly descending into the darkness of a similar “new Sodom.” Do you hear the crash of masks falling? Look at the terrible secrets being uncovered in our time. We see how the global “elite,” having finally cast off shame and the fear of the Creator, abandon themselves to abominations of which it is terrible even to speak aloud. The scandal surrounding Epstein’s island is not merely society gossip; it has become a symbol of a new hell upon earth. Satanic orgies, the torment of innocent children, ritual service to darkness—all this has become reality for those who imagine themselves earthly gods to whom everything is permitted. Those who orchestrate affairs on such “islands of sin” are bound together in a single knot of lawlessness, seeking to subject all humanity to their will.
Photo: cont.ws
There exists a direct and inseparable link between those who spread this stench across the face of the earth and those who today burst into our churches. They are driven by the same spirit. They hate our prayer; the very Name of Christ frightens them, because light always exposes darkness. By driving true worshippers from the churches, the usurpers resemble the ancient Sodomites. They celebrate an illusory victory, yet in truth they take possession of emptiness. A church without sincere prayer is like a body without a soul—it may be richly adorned, but within it the process of decay has already begun.
One longs to say—though, alas, they will not listen—come to your senses, you destroyers! You are casting out the “Lots” of our time—those very people who, with their tears and prayers, have implored the Creator for peace for the whole earth and for mercy upon each one of us. When the last believer leaves the church you have seized, who will lift up their hands to heaven for the forgiveness of your own sins? When the wrath of God descends upon this modern world with its bloody islands and satanic cults, who will stand in the breach to shield you from that wrath? It is a fearful thing to stand alone before the justice of the living God when not a single praying soul remains beside you. Remember the fate of Sodom and be afraid, for the fire of His retribution already stands at your threshold.
And to you, faithful children of God—you who are the Church of Christ, whose eyes are filled with tears at the sight of profaned holy things—I speak words of eternal consolation. Do not be afraid, and do not allow despondency to paralyze your will. The Lord is now nearer to you than ever before.
When it seems that the world is collapsing and darkness has flooded the holy place, remember, that we are called to share in the lot of the Savior Himself. He too was driven out; His Most Pure Body was led outside the walls of the city to be mocked; He had nowhere to lay His head.
I ask you to remember firmly: God dwells not in stones and timber, but in human hearts. The true Temple is we ourselves, if we build our souls of faith and love. No earthly police force, no masked usurpers, no deceitful legislation can take away the altar of our heart. Walls may be held captive, but the Spirit of God bloweth where it listeth, and He remains with those who keep their faith in the hour of great trial.
Our departure from a seized building is not defeat. It is the exodus of the righteous Lot. Yes, it is painful to leave the place where we were baptized, married, where we prayed and repented. But in leaving, we take with us the most precious thing—the living presence of God. Grace does not remain in captured walls; it follows the faithful. If two or three of us gather in an ordinary room, in a forest, or under the open sky, there will be the true Church. The tear shed upon the threshold of our native but now closed church is, before God, more precious than all the golden domes in which the abomination of desolation has come to reign.
Let us clothe ourselves in the armor of patience. Let us not admit into ourselves the poison of hatred, even toward the usurpers. They are to be pitied, for they know not into what abyss they are rushing after their spiritual masters. Let us pray for them, as the martyrs prayed: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, for they are blinded.” Our quiet and steadfast standing in the truth is a crushing victory over evil—one that this world cannot understand.
God cannot be deceived or humiliated. He permits evil to display its power for a short time only so that the gold of our faith may be purified of all dross and shine with heavenly light. Let us hold fast to one another, warm those who are weak in spirit, share even our last portion. In a little while, the dust of this new Sodom will be scattered, the islands of lawlessness will be swallowed by the depths of history, and the seized walls will either be returned to us or crumble into dust. But our faithfulness to God will remain with us forever, unto eternity. Let us rejoice that in this fearful time we did not betray Christ for the sake of comfort or security. Our names are already written in Heaven.
And may the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
