"All-forgiveness" in matters of faith is given on the condition of repentance, renunciation of one's errors, of one's "dissent": otherwise, no matter how much we forgive, God will not forgive!

Remember what terrible anathemas the Apostle Paul pronounces on those who believe differently, who preach differently: "If we are an angel from heaven, you hear: even we, i.e. the Apostles, even an angel from heaven!" "He preaches good tidings to you, if he preaches good tidings to you, let him be anathema!" This is not enough: the Apostle considered it necessary to repeat more: "As I have prophesied and now I say: If anyone preaches good news to you, if you have received it, let him be anathema!" This is how strictly we must protect the purity of the Orthodox faith! It is not cloying courtesy and kissing with false teachers (you hear, madam: false teachers), not "all-forgiveness" towards the murderers of Orthodox souls that they preach and command us, but threaten them with terrible anathemas, and give us the right to do so "differently" who preach and deceive with their false teaching to anathematize those who preach "differently" and deceive with their false teaching! And woe to us if we close our eyes to the activities of various "dissenters" and instill in the Orthodox to be indifferent to their preaching and listen to such suggestions as the "dissenter" makes to me: "May there be peace between you and us... let people of different persuasions and opinions live side by side and glorify God, each in his own way... All these are only flattering words: let each pray to God in his own way, but not dare to touch the conscience of another, but, after all, both you, "other believers", and we, the Orthodox, consider each of us to be pure and salvific, it is clear that each would like to convert another to his faith, and this is why you need this freedom. This "love, all-forgiveness" that you emphasize so much is in order to more easily seduce the children of Orthodoxy into your heresy. And in your heart you despise us, though you will never admit it. Live quietly, pray in your own way, do not dare to touch the Orthodox soul, and we will all be at peace with you—we will only pity you. And if you, in the name of "peace, love" and other sweet words, creep up on the treasure of the Orthodox faith, then we will draw the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and a terrible anathema will thunder over your heads... True, you are not afraid of it, but it will be useful for those who have not yet lost faith in the Church of Christ, who know and believe that her word does not return in the flesh of the Church.

You say that "God receives into His bosom (?) all those who believe differently, who think differently... The Lord made no distinction between His children"... Well, that's not what the Apostle Paul thinks, that's not what the Apostle Paul teaches. If it were so, then he would not threaten "dissenters, dissidents" with such terrible anathemas, and even repeat them. In your opinion, perhaps, the heretic Tolstoy will also receive salvation, despite his excommunication from the Church? Then why did the Lord create His Church? And he promised her that even the gates of hell would not prevail against her?! After all, if it is all about "love and compassion, forgiveness and peace," then why all the care for the Church, all these ecumenical councils, the teaching of the Holy Fathers, the feats and sufferings of confessors? Follow Tolstoy, repeat the word love and you will be saved... No, not so, my "dissenter" correspondent: do you know that even good deeds cannot be done for salvation, if you do not believe rightly? Are you surprised? Don't you understand me? And you will not understand if you do not humbly assimilate the teachings of the Orthodox Church! The fact of the matter is that we believe and confess that the saving grace of God is poured out only in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, and without such grace it is impossible to do truly salvific good. And whoever leaves the Church deprives himself of this grace. The pagans also do good, but this good only brings them closer to the Church, as was the case with Cornelius the centurion, and cannot save them: for this it is necessary to enter into the bosom of the Church through the salvific sacraments of the Church. Do you believe so? Of course not? Then what are we going to talk about? I will say one thing: if you are sincerely looking for the truth, then do not hide under an anonymous person, write me your address and I will lovingly answer your "doubts and requests", to the best of my ability and free time. And if you infect others with your indeferentism in relation to the purity of the Orthodox faith, then you too – forgive me – I speak the truth, I do not lie: and you are threatened with the same anathema that the Apostle subjected to all "those who believe differently and preach differently." As for my personal infirmities, my lack of service to the Church of Vologda, I will say one thing: I saw all this in myself, grieved over it, told the Church authorities many times about my infirmities, but waited for the will of God when it would speak clearly in the will of the Church authorities. The hour came, and I joyfully left the pulpit, in which I was too strong to serve. This, I think, is enough for you. Shall I add more: according to our Orthodox understanding, it is not the sheep who judge the shepherd, but the shepherd the sheep. But you must be forgiven for this: after all, you are a "dissenter"...

In conclusion, one request: to spare me extracts from the Gospel in French... Perhaps you never read the Gospels in Russian? But, after all, you write well in Russian. Why should I, who do not know French, read French quotations in your letter? Then I have the right to write to you in Greek, it is easier for me, and the language is truly apostolic! Why this fashion? it is the Flaunting of the language of a foreign people, infected with unbelief, Freemasonry, infecting our Fatherland with these ailments??? Or do you prefer the Gospel in French than in Russian?.. Ah, madam! After all, this is how far apart we are: well, where can we agree on such important issues as the salvation of the soul, faith, love, etc.?..

My readers will be surprised that I have allocated so much space for an answer to some anonymous correspondent from Vologda.

It's not about Vologda, not about the anonymous lady. This letter is the most characteristic expression of the contagion of Freemasonry, indifference to the truths of faith, which in recent years has begun to prevail in certain intellectual circles of our society. I pronounced the word: Freemasonry. Yes, thank God, now the mask has already been torn off from this age-old enemy of Christ's truth. We know something of his plans and intentions, we know that his goal is the destruction of Christianity on earth, the transformation of all mankind into cattle fit only for the service of Freemasons, or rather, Jews, who, as it has long been known, consider all people to be brutes without a human soul, brutes to which God gave only human form, so that the Jews would not be disgusted with the use of these cattle. This is not a slander against the Jews: it is literally read in their Talmudic writings. This goal, of course, is hindered by Christianity, and of all Christian confessions, by Orthodoxy, the purest Christian teaching, and therefore the most hated by the Jews. And so, all false tricks, all sophisms, all slanders against Orthodoxy have been set in motion, all sects, all heresies, all godless teachings have been drawn into cooperation in the destruction of Orthodoxy, in order to shake this pillar of the truth of Christ. And since you cannot immediately turn an Orthodox person into godlessness, then first they try to seduce him into some sect, like Shtunda, Baptism, Molokans, then come spiritism, occultism, Buddhism, and finally outright godlessness... So this is who our semi-intellectuals of all ranks, sexes and conditions, who preach indifference in the confession of Christianity, serve: after all, they serve the Freemasons and the Jews! This is what we, pastors, must warn the Orthodox faithful against with all our might. That is why it is impossible not to reveal all the harm of those sweet-talking, supposedly peaceful, rantings that we hear from our "dissidents," who do not think in the Russian way, consciously or unconsciously, but completely unfoundedly, sometimes hiding behind the alleged Gospel teaching about love and lavishing reproaches and even scolding on us, the pastors of the Church, for our alleged intolerance towards them, the believers of other faiths. We quote the words of the Apostles, who branded the sectarians of their time with the words: wolves, waterless clouds, etc. This is not in the spirit of Christ's teaching. Take these reproaches, gentlemen of Tolstoy's non-resistance, to the holy Apostles, if you have the boldness to do so.. And we fear the threat of Him who has a sharp sword on both sides: "As thou art neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." (Acts 3:16).

THE GLORIOUS TERCENTENARY

"By God the kingdom reigns.

I have exalted the chosen one from among My people."

The Lord loves our Orthodox Russia, which was once called holy for a reason, and now sins so much and grievously before God, loves and lovingly punishes, and has mercy on us, and in the very punishment He shows the way to redemption. Only be attentive, Russian people, to the inscrutable ways of God's Providence, and you will clearly see in them the finger of God, showing you where and in what to seek salvation in your native country.

For several years now, as if a poisonous fog has covered our Russian land, and such spiritual turmoil has been going over it, such as it did not know in the days of the evil Tatars: is it necessary to speak in detail about what was happening in our days and is still happening in our Russia?.. All the commandments of God, blasphemy, blasphemy, all kinds of debauchery, and, finally, such crimes are forgotten, trampled underfoot, which bring the believing heart to horror, about which the hand refuses to write, the tongue is dumb to speak... The sinful heart feels that the wrath of God, like a terrible thunder from heaven, is about to burst out over us and there will be no mercy for us...

And so, in such a sorrowful time, when the Russian soul has suffered so much, exhausted by hopeless grief, the merciful God, like a loving Father, calls it to repentance, reassures it with His help, as if saying to it: look back, remember the days past, repent and be of good cheer! Thy fathers once sinned and sinned grievously; but they also knew how to repent, they turned to Me in repentance, and I had mercy on them, and My blessing rested upon them again. I am the same now as I was then: and now I am ready to open My fatherly embrace before you, I am ready to send you My blessing, only repent, abandon the path of perdition on which you stand!

Is not this voice of God heard in those bright memories which, one after another, arise and pass before us in bright visions precisely in our troubled days? Is it not God's manifest mercy to us, sinners, that the troubles of our time were allowed to pass because of our sins, not before these great anniversaries – the remembrance of grave misfortunes in Russia and God's great mercies to our ancestors?

A year ago, a wondrous image of an indestructible fighter arose before us, the Hieromartyr Patriarch Hermogen, who not only by his authoritative, formidable word, but also by his very deed, by his martyrdom, showed how the Russian people should defend their native Orthodox faith, their native Russian land, the native legacy of history and their ancestors. And now, as three hundred years ago, his last words to the Russian people, which have come down to us, resound imperiously in Russian hearts: "May mercy from the Lord God be upon those who go to purify the Muscovite state, and blessing from our humility, and may wrath be poured out from God on accursed traitors, and from our humility may they be cursed in this age and in the future!" that these words may resound eternally in the Russian conscience, in the Russian heart, as an inviolable testament of the Mother Church, the mother of old Russia, Holy and Orthodox Russia!