So, we entered the temple and - oh, miracle! - I was immediately struck by the extraordinary appearance of the interior decoration! It was a church, one of a kind! Above the cross, which crowned the Iconostasis, was written in large Hebrew letters: "Yeshua a Mashiach Natsrof Malhegi Gehuda", that is, "Jesus is the Messiah of Nazareth King of the Jews".

Below are the same words in Greek and Roman. There were special inscriptions around the icons. Thus, around the icon of Christ were written the words from the first chapter of the Gospel of John: "We have found Him of Whom Moses wrote in the law and the prophets, Jesus..." (Chapter 1, Article 45).

In addition to the icons of famous Saints, the icons of the forefathers stood out: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as the Prophet David and all other prophets. Above the icon of the Most Pure Virgin Mary stood out an inscription inscribed in large letters: "Alma, Asher Haza Yesha Yahu", that is, "The Virgin foreseen by the Prophet Isaiah". It was so unusual for other Orthodox churches! My guide, Elder Grigentius, pointed me to the very top, where there was an inscription written in Greek: "Of the Jews, the Christian Church

It was as if I were in a dream, in the distant apostolic antiquity, when the first churches were built from Jewish Christians. The clothes of the parishioners themselves were special, such as the Jews of the East usually wear. All this struck me to the depths of my soul. But then the Royal Doors opened and a young deacon came out of them and, standing before them, loudly and impressively exclaimed in pure Hebrew:

"Bless, Vladyka!"

Then a majestic exclamation was heard from the altar: "Baruch ata Elochenu...", that is, "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, always now and ever, and unto the ages of ages!" I couldn't believe my ears! My god! After all, yesterday he was still a rabbi, and today he is already an Orthodox priest and serves the Divine Liturgy! Isn't this a miracle happening before our eyes! Faith, our faith, in the words of the Apostle John the Theologian, conquers the world! I was struck by the reverence and fear of God with which the people prayed. There were two choirs, one sang in Hebrew, the other in Greek, and they harmoniously complemented each other. The Liturgy proceeded in the usual order, as is customary in the Orthodox Church. I watched everything attentively and rejoiced when I saw my friend Isaac, who was now called Father John Chrysostom. When he left the altar and was heading for the ambo, he suddenly saw me. With joy, unable to restrain himself, he exclaimed: "Nicholas! Brother Nicholas!" and rushed to hug me! Everyone turned their eyes in our direction. I kissed his right hand with great love. I confess that I have never kissed the hand of anyone in my life with such reverence as this man! For he was truly a man who had become a real Christian..

Father John ascended the ambo, filled with living faith and love for people. Raising his eyes to heaven, as if asking for blessing and help from above, he began a sermon explaining the passage from the Holy Gospel of Luke, which is usually read on the feasts of the Mother of God: "Martha, Martha, take care and pray for many. And there is only one thing that is required. And Mary chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her..."11

"My beloved brothers! "Of all our race, you and I are almost the only ones who have chosen the good part of the Lord!" Ah, how bitter it is for all of us to see how our people, once the people of God, the chosen people of Israel, to whom all the promises belong, did not understand the time of the visit of the long-awaited Messiah and to this day are busy and fussing about many things, not knowing what their salvation consists in! Poisoned by fanatical rabbis, who have distorted the true meaning of divinely revealed prophecies, he hates the Truth that has appeared in the world and drives away from himself the Light that shone from the Most-Pure Virgin! And there is only one thing that is needed!

Mono! To hear the good Word of the Messiah who has come, to receive the Divine Light of the Truth given to us and to follow this Eternal Love that calls us to His Kingdom! This voice was heard by the once great Jew Saul, who was a disciple of the then famous teacher Gamaliel, and responded to it and from a persecutor turned into a universal preacher - the Apostle Paul, and with his fiery preaching drew thousands of pagans into the salvific nets of the Gospel truths! He was deeply concerned about the tragic doom of his blind blood brothers. Here is what he writes in his Epistle to the Romans: "Great is the sorrow and continual anguish of my heart: of those who are my kinsmen according to the flesh, that is, the Israelites, to whom belong the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the law, and the worship, and the promises; And their fathers, and of them Christ according to the flesh, God who is over all, blessed for ever, Amen!"

My friends, we, too, like the Apostle Paul, wish salvation from the bottom of our hearts to our brethren in the flesh, and we pity them with motherly love! Let us serve as much as possible to enlighten them! Prophets who spoke by the Holy Spirit will help us in this! Their voice, like the voice of God Himself, must pound in their hearts! For it was they, the prophets who lived among our people, who were the first apostles who foretold the coming of Christ, His preaching, His miracles. His sufferings, shameful Death and glorious Resurrection! Let us reveal this Truth to our brethren, let us help them to understand the meaning of the hidden prophecies, and they, like us, will follow the long-coming Messiah! The Lord was pleased to grant this good part to you and me! We are now the New Israel, true children of the Heavenly Father!

If the synagogues were empty and the Christian churches were filled with the lost sheep of the House of Israel, how our Lord, the True Shepherd, would rejoice, Who gave Himself up for us sinners, so that we too might become partakers of His blessedness! Great is the joy in heaven even for one sinner who repents, how indescribable will be the rejoicing over the return of the people of Israel to the arms of the Heavenly Father! Let us work diligently in this field, let us breathe hope into the tormented hearts of our brethren! Many trials await us - let us be courageous! The Way of the Cross is offered to us by the Lord – let us choose this good part of the Lord – and the prayer and intercession of the Mother of God will help us to bear the good yoke of the Lord! Her Veil is stretched over

with the whole world, and Her motherly tears intercede for the fallen Jewish race. Let us also pray for them, and I believe that our God, who looked upon the two mites of the widowed woman, will look upon our small mite, for it will be seen in his eyes more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices! Let us labor, my friends, and may the God of peace and Love be with us forever! Amen!"

Such was the preaching of my friend Isaac, such was the pathos of his ardent faith! We were filled with admiration and joy at his sweet words! Here he is. A new Chrysostom, born in the midst of God's chosen people!

After the sermon, the Liturgy continued as usual. "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts!" etc., they sang touchingly in the Hebrew language: "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kalosh Adonagi Zevaot", etc.