"I Loved Martyrdom, Which so Strangely Cleanses the Soul"*
ST. LUKE THE DOCTOR AND ARCHBISHOP OF CRIMEA
1877-1961
*This
is a talk given by Archimandrite Father Nektarios Antonopoulos
regarding the wondrous and martyric life of St. Luke, Archbishop of
Simferopol and Crimea – a doctor, miraculous person and confessor of the
faith. It is a strong and touching text, rich with photographs. The
talk was presented along with a slideshow of photographs in our
monastery's reception area on Tuesday, November 23, after the having
received the relics St. Luke.
The
life of this great saint has a lot to teach us about the life in
Christ. Also, it is of great importance that through his life's vivid
martyrdom, a resonant answer is given to two controversial views. First,
his two positions – renown doctor and bishop – rejects the premise
that science is in conflict with religion. Second, the unjust, cruel
torture he suffered and the shameless disdain for this great scientist,
his discoveries, his studies and progressive practices – to a point
that he had been considered a "second category citizen" – unveil the
atrocity of atheistic totalitarian regimes. St. Luke's life ought to be
studied not only from a religious and medical point of view – as is
already the case – but also socially, politically and historically. It
can provide multiple answers to ignorance and propaganda.
