It’s impossible to explain to the non-Orthodox what Easter means to the Orthodox people. We had services every day this week, twice yesterday and today. These are very long, grueling services. Really beautiful but physically taxing. I have no idea how our 72-year-old priest with a pacemaker is managing to do it. Even I’m exhausted, and I just stand there while he has to sing for hours every day. And carry a heavy wooden cross on his back on Thursday among other things. You can only do this out of a profound religious feeling, is what I’m saying.
The Russians, in the meantime, have gone completely rabid. They’ve been bombing residential areas like crazy. Bombing churches on Easter night. They’ve posted horrific videos of raping their own soldiers in ways I won’t describe to spare your feelings. During Holy Week! I accidentally came across one of such videos that Twitter decided not to blank, and now I’ll never be able to get out of my head. I will never understand how anybody can support something like that. I will never understand how it’s humanly possible to root for these people.
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