Name´s Day of Met. Valentine

[Priest Siluan]

Name´s Day of Met. Valentine, April 24/ May 7

http://suzdalite.livejournal.com/107097.html

Please, pray for his health.

[Catherine5]

Many years to Metropolitan Valentine!

Of course his health must have taken a big dip under all the intense pressure of these months and years of merciless MP pounding away at him to ruin his reputation and to attack all the ROAC personnel and properties.

We will pray for him, thank you for mentioning this, Fr Siluan.

[Priest Siluan]

Dear Catherine:

Christ is Risen!

Thank you for your holy prayers.

Yes, his health is more and more worst, since many years ago because the continuous persecution and slanders, but in spite of everything God has given him strength, because he had been able to support many very difficult situations, even when they have tried to murder him.

As the Holy Aposle say :"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10-15)

With love in Christ

Priest Siluan

[Catherine5]

Truly He is Risen!

Thank you for that perfect quotation, Father, and the update about Metropolitan Valentine's ability to endure all manner of awful experiences.

The video is nice!

I recommend everyone to watch it, it's just over a minute, but is inspiring.
The Metropolitan sounds hale and hearty and looks as strong as an ox. That's meant as a positive statement. He also looks like a very hardy person who will easily survive - one can see it by his determined way.
I think continuing to live has much to do with the person's outlook and ability to handle the suffering constructively as the quotation leads us to do. Weaker souls would have long since given up.
This Metropolitan looks like a major fighter!
That's why we all must respect him, despite differences of opinion here and there.
I regard him as what could be called the "Proto-sufferer" from the MP's direct and heavy persecution.
All Toc people must respect his example and realize that rather than complaining about details of each other's groups, we all have to huddle around the campfire and
be prepared [Girl Scout motto!] to stand up and fight = or at least not to cave in = when the time comes for the glare of MP spotlight on any groups or individuals.

That's why the video here is a medicine for Toc viewers and sympathizers to fortify us with this great example.
If Met Valentine suffered all that unbelievable harassment - and dauntlessly is celebrating his namesday nonetheless today in some Church somewhere, then a moral victory has been won against the dark forces that tried so hard to stop him and the entire ROAC from a right to exist.

[Priest Siluan]

XB!

Dearest Catherine:

What good and true are your words!

I agree with you, in these last times, all the true victories will be moral and spiritual, there will no longer be too many material or palpable victories, which are only "useful" and "good" for this world, true Christian should learn how to see these moral and spiritual victories and not the mundane "victories", which every time they are more "visible" and "stronger", and they prepare the way of the Antichrist.

[Priest Siluan]

his namesday nonetheless today in some Church somewhere...

Only a a few words Preposition this small but beautiful church. It is one of the two churches in the Synodal House in Suzdal. It is called before the Montreal Myrrh-Streaming Iveron Icon, there is one of the two copies (the other one was given to Vl. Lazar) from the original hand-painted by Brother Jose Muñoz, which were sent as a blessing for the Church in Russia. In particular, the hand-painted Icon by Brother José there, was blessed and given by Met. Vitaly to Met. Valentine, who brought it to Suzdal. Also, I heard a version about the Brother Jose planned to visit Suzdal with the original Icon, but that didn't happen because he was martyred, just as all of we know.

[Catherine5]

Oh, thank you for supplying this background information.
I wrote that "somewhere" because I didn't wish to directly ASK which Church. I assumed that perhaps they would want to keep the location secret fromKGb.
Obviously the KGb knows very well; however, I always assume it's better to be tactful and not ask which Church the namesday service was held in, in case no one wishes to inform the world beyond the ROAC inner circles.

I liked what you wrote about the moral victory that that's what everyone must look for in these difficult days, where there is such pressure exerted by the dark demons on all the souls striving to be good.

Back to the video, it warms the heart partly too because of the sense of caring exuded between those present at the ceremony. There is a feeling of strong bonds linking the participants -- rather than competition. So often, it is unfortunately a suppressed rivalry which exists in so many venues - Church and outside in the secular world - between those who are outwardly working on the same team but inwardly fuming away at their co-workers.

The warmth shown in the video impressed me. The clergy really seems to care about each other and their Metropolitan and have achieved a remarkable cohesion.
That sight alone is inspiring to all of us, and unveils a major success. Not only were the ROAC people NOT defeated by the depredations of the regime, but they have continued to gather in an atmosphere of cheerful happy unity. Like a family, it feels! This is admirable.

May I add that if only all Toc people everywhere could absorb this example, we would be able to transcend the chaos and discord which mars the Toc movement. The two extremes could hopefully see the dire need to pull in toward the center of gravity, which is these Churches like the RTOC< ROCiE< ROAC<GOC, and others.

If only each Toc Hierarch could say look at what ROAC went through and at their determination to endure - and hence, decide that maybe he could relinquish a little of his own power to rise to a higher goal of forming a united front based in a spirit of true fraternal cooperation with the rest of the Hierarchs. In short not "Looking out for Number One [an American expression derived from the title of a self-help book urging this generation of readers to think only of themselves, no one else]", but sacrificing some of his own power to throw his chips in to build up a successful Toc loosely collaborating group = rather than scattered and aimless - appearing to the condescending critics in the MP, MP-Rocor, etc...after all, ROAC had to sacrifice their gleaming gems of Churches, and no one else has had to do that, at least to the same extent. So why can't each Hierarch surrender a little chunk of his own fiefdom to create a stronger and louder voice that will be listened to --- rather than dismissed as deluded fanatics out in the wild, as the World Orthodox-types easily persuade their flocks to shun all Toc's ? These tactics work because their flocks are so unquestioning and too sound asleep to be politically conscious or aware.

Back to the ROAC Churches, I camped out in the open air, sleeping on the broken [and freezing!] stones of a ruined empty church in Suzdal, just so that I could visit those marvelous Churches. I went by myself, had only vaguely heard of the then Bishop Valentine. But I remember feeling relieved to see the familiar Rocor icons for example of St John Maximovitch and felt right at home. Hence, it's more distressing to me than maybe the average person that these precious - and carefully restored - Churches were confiscated much much later. There was not any of the same special feeling at the MP Convent and I quickly passed that by.

I did buy a long-favorite icon probably at the Tsar Constantine churck kiosk of the 4 main Suzdal Saints which includes St Euphrosyne.
May the Mother of God and these Saints render support to all us in all ways, always! Especially in avoiding the battles against wickedness.