…when you came to the Church, you did so with your mind. You made a decision to visit, to learn about the faith, and to embrace something greater than you had ever known previously. Now as your journey begins, while the mind will still no doubt play a role, your attention must now turn to the transformation of your heart, which goes beyond logic.
“Although I know how dreadful my shackles of sin are, I hide behind them with a noble appearance from all who might see. I appear to be robed in the beautiful clothes of reverence, but my soul is entangled with shameful thoughts. Before all who might see, I am reverent, but inside, I am filled with all manner of indecency.”
When the tzar and his family were under house arrest, the government would make it a point to send the most hateful and harshest of guards to keep watch on the family. Despite the vitriol that was spilled out against them; the tzar, his wife and children, always responded with meekness, kindness, and humility. After some time, those virtues would eventually win over the guards, and many became sympathetic and friendly to the plight of the royals.
