The Holy Mother of the Life-Giving Spring

The Holy Mother of the Life-Giving Spring

My Letter to the Editor of the New London Day, May 13, 2015

It has been my desire as a free citizen of the United States of America to write letters to the New London Day about important issues that impact our lives as Greek Orthodox Christians in America.  During the last ten years of my active ministry as the pastor of St. Sophia Hellenic Orthodox Church, I have written letters concerning the Muslim danger that is threatening our Western Christian civilization.  I have written letters about abortion, about homosexuality, same sex marriage, cremation and other issues based on our time honored Orthodox Christian way of life.  As our society has moved in a direction that is contrary to Orthodox Christian morality, my public statements to the local newspaper have run contrary to the liberal media that is sweeping throughout the world today.  I have taken a lot of heat in response to my letters from individuals that are light years away from my Orthodox Christian understanding of life and our purpose for existence.  I do not fear anyone when it comes to solid Christian values; I only fear offending my Creator in disobeying His Ten Commandments. 

My understanding of the expanding geopolitical maneuvering that going on between the West and the East is based on following the developments coming out of the Middle East, Russia and Europe.  I have also been reading very carefully the prophecies of holy men and women of the Orthodox Christian world which all speak of a world war that will bring great destruction to large sections of our world.  These prophecies are being played out as I type these words in Syria, Libya, Kosovo, Ukraine, Turkey, Iraq and Iran.  What prompted my letter to the editor are recent events surrounding the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany by Russians and the Allied forces of America and Europe.  This anniversary has once again brought to light the great Western bias against contemporary Russia.  NATO and America gave very little coverage to the great patriotic celebration the Russians enjoyed on Saturday, May 9, 2015.  I took the time to watch the magnificent display of Russian patriotic fervor on Russia Today, RT.  As a result of that display of justified nationalistic pride displayed by the Russians, I wrote the following letter to The New London Day:

A BEAUTIFUL RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

The caption for my letter read: “Russian leaders show their love for Christ. Russia celebrated its victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, 2015.  The Russians certainly know how to celebrate a national holiday.  I say this because the military parade was organized and performed like a fine tuned Russian ballet.  I say this because of one simple act that was performed by Russian Defense Minister General Choigu. Just prior to coming out into the sunlight, he made the Orthodox sign of the Cross.  After focusing on the general, the camera continued moving up the clock tower and onto a huge icon of Jesus Christ.  The act of this general literally stole the hearts of the Orthodox Christians throughout the world.  

What was significant about this act of faith is its stark contrast with what is happening in the Western world.  You can just imagine how the anti-Christian elements in America would react to this public display of Christian faith.

Unlike America, Russia is very comfortable with her identity as a Christian nation and she is not embarrassed to tell the world about it.  Obama is out of his skin when talking about Christianity.   Russia has risen from the ashes of atheistic communism and has become a vibrant Christian nation. Bravo.”

This is my initial letter to the newspaper that appeared on Monday, May 18, 2015.  On the very next day, May 19, 2015, the following letter appeared in the newspaper written by a Protestant minister.  His letter says: “No applause for religious nationalism. I was dismayed by the letter, “Russian leaders show their love of Christ,” (May 18) from Fr. Simones extolling Russia’s leadership for its use of Christian symbols in a military parade while making no mention of Russian aggression against Ukraine.  Nationalism such as we see in the new Russia is far from the spirit and teaching of Jesus, who invited His followers to return good for evil and to love their enemies.  Religious nationalism is the cause of much harm today, and we recall Jesus’ warning, “not everyone that says Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven.” 

There are two issues that I take issue with in this minister’s letter. The first issue is damning Russia for its nationalism.  I thought that nationalism is healthy for any nation that desires to protect its Christian civilization.  It was used by the Greek Orthodox people during four hundred years of brutal Muslim rule to safeguard their Orthodox Christian values and their Hellenistic civilization.  The second thing that I take issue with is his accusation that Russia is the aggressor against Ukraine.  It is a well known fact that the political turmoil in the Ukraine was instigated and promoted by covert American policies backed up by billions of dollars in order to demonize Russia.  There is another issue that we avoid talking about and that is the Western Christian bias against the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church.  This has been going on ever since the Roman Catholic Church began undermining the Eastern Orthodox Church with Charlemagne in the eighth century.  

As second letter was published in the same paper on Thursday, May 21, 2015 by a so-called Orthodox Christian who is a Slav.  The letter says: “Recall Jesus’ words about public prayer.  I read in bemusement and sadness, “Russian leaders show their love of Christ,” (May 18).  The writer, though credentialed, has no concept of the dog and pony shows run by Moscow.  This has been an issue throughout the centuries.  Many volumes have been written about this.  Russia is now run once again by the Orthodox Taliban.  I am a person who is Orthodox and Slavic.  It is interesting that the author does not look at life through the eyes of the Gospels.  Everything in Orthodoxy uses the Gospels to understand items, even other parts of the Bible, Church laws, everyday issues etc.  There cannot be any cognitive dissonance and theological gymnastics to explain things away.

It is interesting to note: Matthew 6:5-6: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”


ST. SERAPHIM OF SAROV

You can tell by both of these letters how terribly biased these people are against Russia and the Orthodox Church.  Especially the second letter calls contemporary Orthodox Russia Orthodox Taliban.  How can a Christian Church be equated with Islamic terrorists? They use scripture to defend their arguments against my position but they have absolutely no idea about the history of the Orthodox Church and how it has had to fight against the forces of darkness throughout the centuries.   It has taken the brunt of Islamic attacks ever since Islam appeared on the stage of history beginning in the late sixth century.  The military defense of Holy Orthodoxy was made necessary by those who have desired to destroy the Church established by Jesus Christ.  I say this because of the many revelations that Orthodox Christian mystics have received throughout Christian history.  One of the greatest mystics of Orthodox Christian history is St. Seraphim of Sarov who lived in the late 18th century and reposed in the Lord in 1833.  Listen to the messages that he received from the Lord of Hosts.

“One day a Tsar will glorify me.”  Tsar Nicholas the Second glorified St. Seraphim in 1903.  “After this turmoil will take place in Russia.  Much blood will flow because the people will revolt against the Tsar but God will eventually glorify the Tsar.  After this happening, a half century later, sinners will become arrogant.  This will take place without any shame.  The Lord, while seeing this unrepentant evil in their hearts, will allow their evil ways to persist for a short while.  But their sins will come back to bite them and their immoral behavior will fall upon them.  The Russian earth will turn red from the rivers of blood.

Before the birth of the Antichrist, a long protracted war and revolution will take place in Russia.  It will be beyond anything that can be imagined and the blood-letting will be unimaginable.  Many people who are faithful to their country will be lost.  The properties of the Church and the Monasteries will be lost.  The Churches of the Lord will be vandalized.  The good people will be robbed and will be put to death. Rivers of Russian blood will flow but the Lord will have compassion on Russia and will bring her back from the road of sorrows to glory.

The Lord revealed to me, Poor Seraphim, that there will be great sorrow on Russian soil and Orthodoxy will be stomped upon, the Bishops and priests of the Church of God will move away from the holiness of Orthodoxy.  And for this reason, God will punish them severely.  I, Poor Seraphim, prayed to the Lord for three days and nights to deny me the Kingdom of God in order to have mercy on these Bishops and priests.  But the Lord answered: ‘I will not show any mercy on them because they teach the wisdom of man and because they honor me with their words but their hearts are very far from me.’

The Lord revealed to me, Poor Seraphim that I would live for more than one hundred years.  (St. Seraphim died a physical death in 1833 at the age of 73.  His relics were hidden away during the reign of communism and were miraculously recovered in 1991 after being stored in a Soviet anti-religious museum for 70 years. This caused a sensation throughout post-Soviet Russia and throughout the Orthodox world.  A religious procession escorted the relics, on foot, all the way from Moscow to Diveyvo Convent where they remain to this day.  This is what St. Seraphim meant when he said he would live for more than one hundred years.) During that time the Russian Bishops will become so disbelieving that they will no longer believe in the most important dogma of Christianity, the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the dead.  It is because of this that the desire of the Lord God to take me away for a short while from this life, and then, in order to bring about the restitution of faith in the Resurrection, He will resurrect me.  After my resurrection, I will travel to Sarov at Diveyevo where I will teach world-wide repentance.

Because of this important miracle, people will gather at Diveyevo from all over the world and they will seek repentance.  I will reveal the remains of four people.  Then Diveyevo will become a universal miracle from where the Lord will send the Light of Salvation, not only to Russia but to the whole world during the days of the Antichrist.  I will reveal the remains of the four people and I will lay down with them and become the fifth relic.  But then the end of all things will come about.  I believe that the eighth millennium will have occurred when this happens.  

All things will pass away and the end will come.  The Monasteries will be destroyed but the Bloodless Sacrifice will be celebrated at Diveyevo until the coming of the Lord.  Constantinople and Jerusalem will be occupied by the powers of Russia and others.  Turkey will be dissolved.  The largest part of Turkey will be taken by the Russians.  Russia, in union with other powers, will take control of Venice and approximately seven million Venetians will be governed by the House of Hapsburgs and then the Austrian Empire will be established.

The Antichrist will be born in Russia between St. Petersburg and Moscow, in a big city that will established after the union of all the Slavic people with Russia.  It will be the second capitol of the Russian Kingdom and it will be named Moscow-Petrograd, the City of the End Times.  This is the name it will receive from the Lord God, the Holy Spirit, Who knows all things.

Before the birth of the Antichrist, the Eighth Ecumenical Council must be called into session for all Churches, it will be held under the leadership of one Leader, Christ, and it will be held only under the protective Veil of the Mother of the Lord.  And according to the Prophecy of St. Nilus of Mt. Athos, the Myrrh-streaming ‘the Eighth and last Ecumenical Council will take place in order to deal with the heresies and in order to separate the chaff from the wheat.’  The purpose of this Council is to unite and renew all the Holy Churches of Christ, as one powerful force against the Antichrist.  This will be done under one Leader, Christ the Savior and under the protection of the Veil of His Holy Mother.  This Council will anathematize all the various branches of Christianity, regardless of their identification as churches, whose leaders have only one purpose: one world government.

These churches, with the excuse of establishing a world government for the purpose of world prosperity and financial development, will instead do the following; with the help of fanatics, they will create anarchy in all the nations of the world and they will destroy Christianity.  And finally, with the power of gold controlled by them, they will subjugate the whole world to become Anti-Christian, under the leadership of one person, a universal monarch, a Tsar that declares war on God, one kingdom for the whole world, the world of the Antichrist.”

As I conclude this commentary on the geopolitical machinations that are taking place today, we should know that many of the Orthodox Christian prophecies that go back to the 10th century almost unanimously agree on most of the revelations that St. Seraphim has received.   I leave to you, my dear brothers and sisters in the living Christ, to study the revealed truth of Jesus Christ and then come to your own conclusions as to what is happening in the world today.  We cannot fight against the will of God. But we are called to become god-like.  For the fruits of such spiritual struggles give us the ability to communicate directly with the world to come.  May God bless all mankind and may every soul in the world be saved by the Love of God.  

Fr. Constantine J. Simones, Waterford, CT, USA, cjsimones300@gmail.com