This document was originally posted on the ROAC-List. A yahoo group for the ROAC Church
My Dear Family in Christ,
With all that has been said on both sides regarding our situation and
the trials that we as the Persecuted Russian Church are presently facing I thought it
necessary and best to to provide you with a ray of light in our time of
darkness. Amidst all of this sorrow of the past few weeks for myself
and my wife Nikita these past 2 weeks have been sources of great
blessings. Last Tuesday (7/6) was the 6 month anniversary of our Holy Baptism
on the Feast of the Nativity. And then Yesterday (7/11) was the 6 month
anniversary of our crowning. God is merciful even to the worst of
sinners!
In remembering these events with a mix of joy and sorrow I also
remembered again the words that were spoken to both my wife and i upon
our Baptism by Bishop Gregory. I wish to share these words with you.
through this time of sorrow and suffering these words have been a
source of great consolation for us, being so young in the faith and yet
having the glory of God manifested so clearly to us.
After our Baptism, as we were preparing to attend our first Divine
Liturgy at Dormition Skete that glorious Nativity, Bishop Gregory spoke
these prophetic words to my wife and I:
"If in the event that I should turn away from the Synod you are
obligated to wash your hands of me."
These words from the same man who graced my wife and I with Baptism has
also graced us with the wisdom of God to follow in Truth the Church,
the Persecuted Russian Church.
In all of this there has been a lot said by myself on the internet, a
lot of which I regret saying but for the sake of truth can not take
back. I also think that the one thing that needs to be said on my part
is thank you to Bishop Gregory. Thank you for the gift of Baptism.
Thank you for being present at my crowning. But most of all, thank you
in the end for your wisdom to show me where the truth lies and that by
your own words you have made it clear to all of us what the proper and
righteous thing is to do in this situation.
In Christ,
Juvenaly Martinka
http://www.orthodoxynow.com