GREAT LENTEN EPISTLE TO THE FLOCK
of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Brothers and Sisters, Beloved in the Lord:
The great, saving days of Holy Lent are approaching. These days will lead us to the Bright Day of the Resurrection of Christ. But in order to begin the joyful Paschal days with worthiness, we are given time to properly prepare for them. This is the period of Great Lent, the time for us to purify ourselves. St. Gregory Palama, whose memory the Church celebrates on the second week of Great Lent, says: ТTrue lent is one which spreads throughout everything; this kind of lent purifies everything and heals all.У Let us try to cleanse ourselves of our sinful burden, which covers our bodies and souls, through fasting. This thick layer of sin does not allow us to hear the word of God, to understand His will for us, it does not allow us to see God’s work, which is done for our benefit.
This past week, a regular session of the Synod of Bishops was held. In addition to other matters, there were discussions on the invitation to visit our Fatherland, received by me from Patriarch Alexy II. This invitation was given to me by the Russian President, V.V. Putin, during his visit to New York in September of last year. The very existence of such an invitation, made to the Russian Church Abroad for the first time in 80 years of her existence, the circumstances under which this invitation was received, all undoubtedly speaks of the important changes occurring in Russia. Our holy duty is to try our best to discern what is happening, and in the words of Saint Ignatii Brianchaninov, to Тunderstand the time.У
ТTeach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk,У says the Orthodox Church daily, in no way daring to stray from the paths of the Lord, but the opposite, prays the Lord to show these paths to us. That is why to decline to seek the paths to healing the divisions in the Russian Church, to stagnate within the rejection of the very possibility of such healing, might mean that we reject the means towards understanding the will of the Lord.
The Synod of Bishops decided that, with God’s help, my trip to Moscow is to be made before the Ascension of the Lord. During this trip I will meet with the head of the Moscow Patriarchate, and also hope to acquaint myself with church life in Russia. In part, I wish to visit Ekaterinburg and other cities of Russia with the aim of prostrating myself before holy relics. In this way, the trip will be first of all an exploratory one. This trip will in no way be the Тbeginning of unification,У as some journalists put it. We are not speaking of prayerful communion, which must be the crowning event of the entire process of healing. This is only a humble effort to seek out a way to grasping our common foundations and mutual understanding. This path may prove fairly long. But to fail to embark upon it would be a profound mistake.
We ask our God-loving flock to arm themselves with patience and to strengthen their prayers. We especially ask that you double your prayerful appeals to the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, and also to the Holy Royal Martyrs, the veneration of whom is miraculously growing day by day in our Fatherland. It is this veneration of the Holy New Martyrs of Russia that today unites the Russian Orthodox flock, both in the Homeland and in the diaspora.
May God bless you!
