I spent two and a half years in Moscow, as a priest, and was profoundly moved by the Russian resilience to persecution of Christianity in the Soviet era. According to the government’s figures, at least 28 bishops and 1,215 priests were killed in1922 alone , although not all by gunfire: two bishops, in Perm and Tobolsk, were drowned to death instead. As many as 20,000 ordinary parishioners also perished.
In 1920 , three years after the Russian Revolution, a great anti-God rally was arranged in Kiev. The powerful orator Bukharin was sent from Moscow, and for an hour he demolished the Christian faith with argument, abuse and ridicule. At the end there was silence.
Then a man rose and asked to speak. He was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. He went and stood next to Bukharin. Facing the people, he raised his arms and spoke just three triumphant words: ‘Christ is risen!’
At once the entire assembly rose to their feet and gave the joyful response, ‘He is risen indeed!’ It was a devastating moment for an atheist politician, who had no answer to give to this ancient Easter liturgy. He had not realised he was simply too late: how can you convince people who have already experienced God, that He does not exist?
Today in Russia the Russian Orthodox Church is building or rebuilding two churches a week. That is an astonishing revival of the Christian faith and perhaps there is a message for us in the West which dispels distrust and suspicion of our friends in the East.
We wish everyone a very Happy Easter when it comes and hope to share this special day with you. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!
Revd. Clive Fairclough
Mells
