22 August / 4 September

In the summer of 1918, Bishop Macary (Gnevushev) of Vyazem was shot in Smolensk, together with 13 others arrested with him. They were driven out into an uninhabited area and placed with their backs to a freshly-dug pit. They were executed one at a time, at point-blank range, the rifle muzzle pressed against each forehead. Vladyka was the last to die. With his prayer rope in his hands, he prayed for and blessed each one, saying “Depart in peace.” When Bishop Macary’s turn came, he saw that the Red Army soldier’s hand twitched. Seeing fear in the executioner’s eyes, the Holy Hierarch said: “My son, don’t let your heart be troubled. Do the will of the one who sent you. Several years later, this soldier, a simple peasant, was an inpatient at a psychiatric hospital. Each night, he would dream of the Holy Hierarch, blessing him. “I understand that we killed a holy man. Otherwise, how could he have known that a chill had struck my heart? Yet he knew, and out of compassion he blessed me, and now he appears to me, blesses me, as if to say that he is not angry with me. But I know that my sin cannot be forgiven. For me, God’s light has become unpleasant. I am not worthy of life, and no longer want to live.”