The Saints of the South

‘The Church in The British Isles will only begin to grow when She begins to again venerate Her own Saints.’ -- (Saint Arsenios of Paros)

Dark times are upon us in the South, as elsewhere in the world.  A corrupt oligarchy of bankers, corporate executives, academics, et al. holds sway; most people are too enthralled by comfort and entertainment to care; and the Church generally is in too much disarray to confront these evils forcefully at present.

Yet as St Arsenios declares above, we can revive the souls in our beloved Southland if we are faithful to pray to and venerate our Saints.  But who are the Saints of the South?  Unfortunately, she is not known to have brought forth any (or else they remain unknown).  To whom ought we to pray then?  To the saints of Wales, Essex, Scotland, Cornwall, Ireland, etc.:  our ancestors - fathers and mothers - in the flesh and in the faith from the Irish and British islands. 

We are in very truth their physical and spiritual children.  Therefore, according to the words of Christ, ‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children . . . ’  (St Matthew 7.9-11)  If this is what we expect of our immediate, earthly parents, how much more will these heavenly parents of ours, the saints of Britain and Ireland, who have been sanctified by the grace of God, give us good gifts if we ask of them!

So, then, let us honor the saints of old, let us light the votive candles and pray before their icons.  Let us seek their intercessions every day for their sons and daughters in the South.  For we do not seek a great and powerful empire here on earth, but rather to build up a mighty nation in Heaven to the glory of God -- the Heavenly South.  Regarding such a country, St Nikolai Velimirovich writes

To the soul of the Serb the heavenly world was from time immemorial nearer and more present than the earthly world. He always saw many more relatives in the heavenly world than in the earthly. Therefore, he always took great care to remember the dead, to light candles and have their priests hold memorial services (pomens) for the repose of their souls.

And he prepared himself with service to Christ so that he himself might cross over to that higher world with faith, virtue and honor, and join his kindred before the face of Christ. There, only there lies the great Heavenly Serbia.

Ah, that Great Heavenly Serbia! It symbolizes that Great Serbia already realized long ago. We believe that there are well over a hundred million baptized Serbs there, who during their earthly life served Christ or suffered for Christ over the centuries, for ages of ages. And more of them are there in the light of paradise from periods of struggle, bondage, and suffering than from periods of freedom and easy living.

Those who are more like Christ are closer to Christ in the heavenly world. We believe in accordance with the Gospel, that some peoples, far greater than the Serbian people on earth, will be lesser in the heavenly kingdom. Even the Lord Himself said that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. And the suffering Lazarus shall shine among the first in heaven, while the rich man shall sink among the last into the darkness of hell.

The Heavenly Serbia lies in paradise,
As fragrant and beautiful as a rose in May.
Here reside our holy fathers and forefathers,
Who attained their goal through the venerable cross.
Here reside the Serbian zhupans, kings, and tsars,
And the knights of the cross both recent and ancient.
Here the mothers of heroes and their sisters too,
Refined by suffering, shine as brightly as gold.
Here the ranks of those who keep the fasts and meek saints,
Live with a vast number of our dear relatives.
Here venerable monks and nuns, pale through fasting,
Cheerfully behold the eternal light of God.
Here live those who celebrate saints and found churches,
Strugglers and sufferers, both younger and older,
Sweet virgin maidens and tiny little children,
Who suffered as members of the flock of Christ,
Cut down by the sword, burned to death in tongues of fire,
Snapped off and blown down by the wind like tender twigs.
Here are the household masters, who in their own home,
Lit the vigil lights to the Pre-Eternal God.
Glorious master craftsmen, all skilled in their craft,
All of them are there, among the heavenly flock.
Prisoners from dungeons, patients from hospitals,
The suffering, the poor, the downtrodden on earth,
Are rejoicing in heaven around Saint Sava,
As sons of the King in the glory of the King.
The glorious Chetniks, the avengers of God,
Many "God-beseechers", many benefactors,
Widows in mourning, and mothers without children,
All have found their place in heaven among God's saints.
The peasant princes, and those who rose up with them,
And all of our other glorious ancestors,
Who lived in the most bitter and harshest of times,
Yet considered the impossible possible.
Many generations of the very best stock,
A people beyond number, the people of God
This is that eternal Heavenly Serbia,
Which shines for God like a constellation of stars.

(The Serbian People As a Servant of God, chapters 79-81, http://www.sv-luka.org/library/ServantOfGod.html)

An eternal Heavenly South, which shines for God like a beautiful arrangement of stars:  There is an end worthy of our devotion, of our time and ascetic toil!

But we must begin by looking to the saints who have gone before us, as examples to follow and honor and as helpers to beseech.  Only then will a Holy South begin to grow on earth and in Heaven.

Appendix 1 - Saints Associated with the South

(For English and Celtic saints)

http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/athlifea.htm

http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/natlocst.htm

http://www.oodegr.com/english/brit_celt_orthodoxy/brit_celt_orthodoxy.htm

http://www.oodegr.com/english/istorika/britain/British_saints.htm

  http://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/downloads/359_LIVES_OF_THE_BRITISH_SAINTS_2_.pdf

(For African Saints)

http://www.mosestheblack.org/home2.html

(For French, Spanish, and German saints)

http://www.oodegr.com/english/istorika/europe/orthodox_evangelists_west_europe.htm

Appendix 2 - Praying to Departed Christians

For those who may be uncomfortable asking the departed saints to pray for us, remember these things:

1. God is not the God of the dead but of the living (St Matthew 22:32).

2. Christ has one body, one Church (I Corinthians 1:13, 12:12, 13, Ephesians 4:4), not two - one for the living and one for the departed.  Since we remain united with them in Christ, we may therefore continue to ask our departed brothers and sisters to pray for and help us just as we ask Christians still on earth to do so.

3. The saints in Heaven remain concerned about what is happening on earth and bring those concerns before the Lord (Revelation 6:9, 10).

4. The prayers of the righteous avail much (James 5:16).