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Hieromonk Seraphim Rose
He led a secluded, ascetic life together with his spiritual brother, Igumen Herman (Podmoshensky), in the monastery they founded near Platina in California - a life between services, writings of the Church Fathers, and missionary work, a life of constant prayer. Like the ancient Fathers, the Platina fathers practiced in unity with nature and the animal world.
Father Seraphim did not only care about preserving Christianity in a hostile world but also about preserving the spirit of true Orthodoxy among the faithful: not a righteous man loved by the world, but a confessor of Christ persecuted by the world; not organization and formality as a foundation, but first - fasting and prayer in the minds of the Fathers. He taught to avoid the extremes of renewal - on one side, and Pharisaic denial of modernity, seeking to break the Orthodox tradition in the spirit of Protestantism - on the other. He, a disciple, heir, and worthy continuator in the literary labors of the holy hierarch Averky (Taushev) of Syracuse, reflected on the experience of the sufferings of the Russians in the twentieth century as a possibility of revival in God. The pastoral word of Father Seraphim is an invaluable treasure given to the suffering Russian souls today.
After his blessed repose on August 20 / September 2, 1982, posthumous miracles occurred.
He predicted about Russia that the future of the Russian land is connected with the Orthodox revival.
Here is what Father Herman (Podmoshensky) shared:
"...Father Seraphim (Rose) deeply cared for Russia. We always read akathists together, we wept. After all, terrible things were happening in Russia: churches were being blown up, cemeteries were desecrated, relics were thrown out - unbelievable blasphemy.
Once our ruling bishop Nectary (Kontzevich) visited us. He was a disciple of the Optina Elders, the last elder Nektary. He tonsured us and ordained us. And at some point he came to visit us in Platina. It was evening... a mysterious time. The sky was covered with stars. I approached him and asked, "Bishop! What should we do? It's so scary, the world is so terrible. Russia is perishing." And he said, "In Russia, there must be a nationwide glorification of all new martyrs with Tsar Nicholas II at the head. He must be glorified at the head. Then Russia will escape the new slavery that is obviously looming over the whole world; then there will be liberation for Russia, followed by resurrection. And if this does not happen, if the Russian people do not realize their guilt, then Russia will be wiped off the face of the earth by the American, Western, non-Christian spirit that entered Russia in the times of Peter the Great and which has already committed all these atrocities.
Russia has a special destiny."
We in America, those who hold dear Holy Russia, look with great hope to the heirs of Holy Russia - the Russian people. There is grace in Russia - a sanctuary, still hidden under the ashes."
Martyr Tsar Nicholas
"For the mystery of iniquity is already at work; only one who now restrains will restrain, until he is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed."
(2 Thess. 2:7-8)
Restrain the emergence of the antichrist, the lawless one, the final and strongest enemy of Christ and His Church is the legitimate authority of the Anointed One of God, as was symbolized by the Roman Empire according to the teaching of St. John Chrysostom and other Church Fathers. This establishment was best embodied in the Christian Empire - in Byzantium, when Constantinople was the Second Rome, and then in the Russian Empire, when Moscow became the Third Rome. In 1917, the "Constantinian era" ended, the Orthodox Empire fell, and the world, starting with Moscow, was plunged into times of lawlessness and idolatry (and in church life - times of apostasy) never seen before.
Emperor Nicholas II was the last representative of this legitimate authority, Christian statehood, and the era of lawlessness began accordingly with his murder. For Orthodox Christians, it was the time of martyrdom, the time of confession of the Orthodox faith, which had to testify until death.
On July 4 (17), 1968 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the martyrdom of Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich (following shortly after the centennial celebration of his birth) along with the entire Imperial Family barbarously killed by the lawless ones in the basement of their house in Ekaterinburg. In commemoration of this anniversary, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad made an important decision, outlined in its Message, which is quoted below:
"Job the Much-suffering, on whose memorial day the Tsar was born, said in his lamentation, cursing the day of his birth, as written in his book: 'That night, let darkness seize it; let it not be added to the days of the year' (Job 3:6).
The night of our Tsar's murder was terrible.
But the ancient Christians wisely and expressively called the days of the glorification of martyrs the days of birthdays. And the night of the murder of our Tsar was illuminated in the Russian Heavens by the birth of the Tsar-Martyr.
One archpastor, deeply experiencing the dark, horrible events of our torn times, exclaimed: 'Russian people, where is your Tsar's grave?' And we stood dumbfounded, as if the abyss had swallowed the whole world, as if that abyss had also swallowed our Tsar. Somewhere in the Urals, the dust of his body and clothes, which the murderers and their helpers tore apart, doused with acid, and burned, is concealed in the earth... The holy dust, and there are no longer any relics...
"Mercilessly..."
There was not only no mercy, not even a requiem service. No church prayer was read over them, and for many years now, a sin has been lying on our entire people.
Bowing before these 'animate sacrifices, incense-scented holocausts, martyrs of the Lord, slain wondrously by God, knowing God, and known by God' (Octoechos, tone 4, Wednesday Vespers), before the Royal Martyr and those who were killed with him, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, in fulfillment of its archpastoral duty, decrees to perform a memorial service for the Royal Martyrs and for all Orthodox Christians killed by godless authorities, deprived of church funeral rites.
This great day of the funeral of the Tsar-Martyr and of all those whose memory will be celebrated along with him, all those who have not been sung for until now, will take place on July 4 (17), 1968, exactly fifty years after the day of the crime. And may the hearts of all Russian people ignite before God, like candles, merging unanimously in repentant prayer, in prayers for those who suffered for them. Amen.
This requiem service was performed on July 4 (17), 1968, in all cathedral churches of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and was warmly received by Russian believers, who for half a century have not lost their great love for the Tsar-Martyr, whom they see as a sacrifice for the atonement of their sins. This is confirmed by a vision that Metropolitan Makarios of Moscow had in 1917, who truly was one of the ancient patriarchs.
VISION TO METROPOLITAN MAKARIOS
I saw a field. Walking along the path was the Savior. I followed Him, proclaiming, "Lord, I am following You!" And He, turning to me, replied, "Follow Me!"
Finally, we reached a large arch, decorated with flowers. At the threshold of the arch, the Savior turned to me once again and said, "Follow Me!"
And I entered into a wonderful garden, while I remained at the threshold and woke up.
Soon after falling asleep again, I saw myself standing in that same arch, and behind it stood Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich with the Savior. The Savior said to the Emperor, "You see in My hands two cups: this one is bitter for your people, and the other is sweet for you."
The Sovereign fell to his knees and fervently prayed to the Lord to let him drink the bitter cup instead of his people. The Lord hesitated for a long time, but the Sovereign persistently prayed. Then the Savior took out a large glowing coal from the bitter cup and placed it in the Sovereign's palm. The Sovereign began transferring the coal from hand to hand, and at the same time, his body began to shine like pure light until he became entirely radiant, like a bright spirit.
On that, I woke up again.
Falling asleep once more, I see a vast field, covered with flowers. Standing amidst the field is the Sovereign, surrounded by a multitude of people, and He is distributing manna to them with His own hands. An unseen voice speaks: "The Sovereign has taken upon himself the guilt of the Russian people, and the Russian people are forgiven..."
The significance of the Tsar is great, of course, primarily for the Russian people. However, the position of the Orthodox Tsar as the one restraining the advent of the antichrist and especially as a martyr of the faith gives him meaning and important significance to all Orthodox believers. Symbolically, the question of his canonization (which is still impossible due to the dominance of lawless times in Russia) was first raised not by Russians, but by Serbs.
The Serbian people love the Russian Tsar with all their hearts. On March 30, 1930, a telegram was published in Serbian newspapers informing that Orthodox residents of the city of Leskovac in Serbia appealed to the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church to consider the late Russian Emperor Nicholas II for canonization, who was not only the most humane and pure-hearted ruler of the Russian people but who also died a glorious martyr's death.
In the Serbian press in 1925, there was a description of an elderly Serbian woman, whose two sons were killed in war, and one went missing; she presumed the latter was also killed. After fervent prayers for all those who had died in the previous war, she had a vision one day. The poor mother fell asleep and saw in a dream Emperor Nicholas II, telling her that her son was alive and in Russia, where he fought for the Slavic cause alongside his two slain brothers. "You will not die," said the Russian Emperor, "until you see your son." Shortly after this prophetic dream, the old woman received news that her son was alive and several months later, joyfully embraced him as he returned from Russia to his homeland.
On August 11, 1927, in newspapers in Belgrade, an announcement appeared under the title "The Likeness of Emperor Nicholas II in the Serbian Monastery of St. Naum on Lake Ohrid." The message proclaimed: "Russian artist and academic in painting S.F. Kolesnikov was invited to paint a new church at the ancient Serbian Monastery of St. Naum, with complete creative freedom to decorate the interior dome and walls. While working on this project, the artist planned to paint on the walls of the church the likenesses of fifteen saints arranged in fifteen ovals. Fourteen likenesses were painted straight away, while the fifteenth remained empty for a long time, as some inexplicable feeling prompted Kolesnikov to delay. One twilight, Kolesnikov entered the church. It was dark below, with only the cupola illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. As Kolesnikov later recounted, at that moment, there was a fascinating play of light and shadow in the church. Everything seemed unearthly and special. In that moment, the artist saw the empty oval he had left come to life, and from it, as if from a frame, the sorrowful likeness of Emperor Nicholas II gazed out. Struck by the miraculous appearance of the martyred Russian Sovereign, the artist stood rooted to the spot for some time, seized by a sense of awe. Subsequently, as Kolesnikov describes, fueled by a fervor of prayer, he put a ladder against the oval and, without tracing the contours of the wondrous likeness with charcoal, began laying it with brushes. Kolesnikov could not sleep all night, and as soon as light broke, he went to the church and, with the first morning rays of the sun, he was already sitting on top of the ladder, working with such passion as never before. As Kolesnikov himself writes: "I painted without a photograph. I had seen the deceased Sovereign several times before at exhibitions, explaining him to others. His image was etched in my memory."
The true miracle of the Tsar-Martyr serves as a source of spiritual upliftment for Orthodox Christians connected with his name. Yet, this is only one aspect of the significance of Nicholas II's persona for Orthodoxy. His piety, Christian character, and strong role as a Tsar in the truly Christian revival made him the last and one of the greatest representatives of the tradition of Orthodox Monarchy, with the collapse of which (as we see ourselves), the power of lawlessness entered the world.
The life of Nicholas II – the Orthodox Tsar must finally be narrated to the world.