Dear brothers and sisters!
Throughout its historical existence, the Orthodox Church has placed spiritual hope in the prayerful intercession of His holy chosen ones before the Lord. The martyrs and confessors of Christ, who, according to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, stand before the throne and before the Lamb in white robes (Rev. 7:9), have a special intercession for the believing people. Their ascetic life and suffering feat are preserved in the church memory for the edification of future generations, so that we learn from them to imitate God as beloved children (Eph. 5:1).
One of such saints of God, who shone on the land of Kazakhstan in the twentieth century, was the holy martyr Alexander, Archbishop of Semipalatinsk. This year, we prayerfully remember a special date - the centenary of his archpastoral consecration. In the distant year of 1923, a special will of God was accomplished over a humble servant of the altar of the Lord, who had dedicated his life to Christ from a young age, for "no one receives this honor of himself, but he who is called of God" (Heb. 5:4).
Many of those who suffered for the faith in the 20th century, zealous for piety, wanted to live at the dawn of the Christian era - at a time when fidelity to Christ was sealed with martyr's blood. Young Alexander Shchukin, as the future holy martyr was called in the world, grew up quiet and modest, from childhood he dreamed of becoming a priest and strove to imitate the ancient ascetics. The Lord fulfilled Alexander's good heartfelt desire - he became a pastor, and then an archpastor in the ancient Nizhny Novgorod region. The bishop lived in the Zheltovodsky Monastery, founded in the 15th century by the famous spiritual elder and miracle worker, the Venerable Makarii of Unzhensky and Zheltovodsky. Imitating the educational work of the monastery's founder, Bishop Alexander organized the teaching of the Law of God to children within its walls. He often preached, fearlessly denouncing the apostasy from faith, the closing of churches, and the destruction of holy places. In the fall of 1928, the saint was arrested and imprisoned in Nizhny Novgorod. In exchange for his freedom, the enemies of the Church offered him to stop preaching, but he, like the ancient prophet, chose rather to suffer with the people of God (Heb. 11:25). They beat him, mocked him, trying to break his will, exhausted him with hunger and interrogations, but he meekly answered his torturers: "My body is in your power, and you can do with it what you want, but I will not give you my soul." "Where there is sorrow, there is grace; and where there is grace, there is consolation and strength to bear sorrow," St. John Chrysostom teaches us. The testimony of one of the hierarch's cellmates has been preserved. The man who was imprisoned with him reported to the authorities: "Being a monk, Shchukin preaches asceticism and encourages everyone in the cell to pray, demonstrating his zeal in this." This is evidence of the strength of the spirit of the saint, whom neither death, nor life, nor the present, nor the future could separate from Christ (Rom. 8:38). On the groundless charge of spreading counter-revolutionary beliefs, the bishop was sentenced to three years in the camps, which he served in the harsh conditions of the Solovetsky Islands. After his release, he returned to his hierarchical work. In the conditions of increasing persecution of Orthodoxy, seeing the reprisal threatening the bishop, his spiritual children and relatives persuaded him to retire. "No matter how much I love you," Archbishop Alexander responded to their persuasion, "I did not take up the staff in order to leave it." With all available forces - sermons, letters, conversations - he affirmed faith in the people, strengthened piety, proclaimed the Gospel truth, nurtured devotion to the Holy Church and active, creative love for God and neighbors in the flock. In September 1936, the bishop was appointed to the Semipalatinsk diocese, and a year later he was arrested by the authorities of the city of Semipalatinsk, wishing to hinder his preaching activities, which attracted a large number of people to the church fold. During interrogations, Archbishop Alexander held on courageously, he did not sign any of the charges, and held on courageously during interrogations. On October 30, 1937, the bishop was shot and buried in a common grave, along with other sufferers.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” said the Lord to those who believe in him (Matthew 11:28). Fulfilling the promise, the Creator in every era of history reveals the righteous, creates powers for His saints, pleasing Him in every generation. We reverently preserve and honor the holy memory of the life, feats of confession and martyrdom of Archbishop Alexander of Semipalatinsk, who during the persecutions testified to his faith, hope and love for Christ and His Holy Church even unto death. Following the Apostle Paul, he boldly testifies that “whether we live, we live for the Lord; whether we die, we die for the Lord” (Rom. 14:8). The Bishop became a faithful servant of the Life-giving Spirit, who demonstrated the spiritual strength of the Church in the trials of the recent past, in great patience, in calamities, in needs, in difficult circumstances, under blows (2 Cor. 6:4,5). Enduring great sorrows, he preserved peace in his heart, became a lamp of faith for those who came into contact with them.m of people. Being so constrained by external circumstances, he endured all the trials he encountered with firmness and humility, as befits every ascetic and worker in the field of Christ.
I wish that the life example of Archbishop Alexander, his prayers at the Throne of God would give us the strength and courage to be worthy of our Christian calling, to fight sin, to do deeds of love and mercy, “so that people would see our good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
By the intercession of the holy martyr Alexander and the intercession of all the saints who shone in the land of Kazakhstan, may the Lord give us all His gracious help on our path in life.
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