The memory of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church’s feat of firm faith and devotion to Christ can help today’s Christians resist the temptations of modern godless civilization, said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
“We, Christians of the 21st century, are called to be the successors of our wonderful fathers and grandfathers, who, in the most difficult times of, perhaps, the most terrible persecution of the Church in the entire history of mankind, having become new martyrs and confessors, preserved the faith and raised their children and grandchildren in it,” said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church at the opening of the evening in memory of St. Benjamin (Kazansky) in St. Petersburg on August 13, 2022.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill encouraged believers “following the existing examples, to always be ready to zealously stand in the truth of Christ, to show firmness in keeping the faith, and devotion to the Church of God and her teachings.”
“And, perhaps, the memory of the new martyrs will help us to be faithful not in conditions of persecution, but in the midst of those temptations that modern godless civilization brings down on us. To have the strength to resist what a huge number of people stumble on – that is, the moral basis of life, the fulfillment of God’s commandments, everything related to issues connected with marriage and with human relationships… May God help us remain firm in our hope and in our faith,” the Patriarch emphasized.
He noted that today “no one tortures [us], no one forces [us] to renounce [Christ], but we observe this relaxation of modern life, this pluralism of opinions, this absence of a moral standard.”
In this regard, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill called on every believer to ask himself the question: “Where am I in these current conditions?”
“Am I able to go against the mainstream, as they say now, especially if this current attracts a person to sin, to temptation? When sin puts on beautiful clothes, when there is a mass popularization of sin through cinema, through literature, when everything cracks: family life and moral principles in general, when a person becomes very weak, subject to outside influences?” the Patriarch added.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill concluded in this regard, “if we learn to combine our religious beliefs with our everyday life, with our agenda and put these beliefs as a priority, then we will indeed be very strong – both on personal, family, and state level.”
You can follow Pravmir.com on Twitter, Facebook*, Instagram, or Telegram.
*Currently we are experiencing some issue with adding posts on our official page on Facebook. Our IT specialists are working on solving this issue at the moment.
