God Has Promised: Advice from My Saint to a Prince

"...You were right to come to me," she said; "with God's aid, I am certain I can help you. No matter what trials He sends us, if we have faith in Him and confidence in our prayers, He will give us the strength to bear them. When doubt assails you, do not despair - kneel before an icon of the Savior and pray; you will feel better at once. The tears you have just shed came from your heart. Always be guided by your heart rather than by your head, and your life will be transformed. Happiness does not consist in living in a palace or enjoying a large fortune; these can be lost. True happiness is something that neither men nor events can take from you. You will find it in Faith, in Hope and in Charity. Try to make those around you happy, and you will be happy yourself."

"..."Don't worry," she said, "I know more about you than you think. That is why I am so much interested in you. Anyone who is capable of doing much evil is also capable of doing much good, if he sets about it in the right way. No matter bow serious the offense, it is redeemed by sincere repentance, Remember, the only thing that defiles the soul is spiritual sin; it can remain pure in spite of carnal weaknesses. It is your soul that I am thinking of, and I want to lay it open to you. Fate has given you everything that a man could wish; you have received much, and much will be asked of you. Do not forget your responsibilities; you must set an example and earn the respect of others. The trials you are going through will teach you that life is not just a pastime. Think of all the good you can do! And all the evil! I have prayed much for you, and believe that Our Lord will hear me and help you."

~ Grand Duchess and Holy New Martyr of Russia, St Elizabeth Fyodorovna to Prince Felix Yussupov

Lost Spendor, The Memoirs of Prince Yussupov, Chapter XIII

St Elizabeth is remembered on 5 July and she is my patron. Happy (Belated) Name Day to me! She was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of the Russian Imperial family just before the Revolution. She converted to Orthodoxy from Lutheranism not long after her marriage after watching him and the rest of the family, and reading about the faith. St Elizabeth's younger sister, Alexandra, married Tsar Nicholas.

The Grand Duchess is a model to me of forgiveness and in displaying humility, acceptance, and mercy. I am so remiss in all those things. For example, her husband was assassinated by a bomb lobbed into his car by a terrorist (1905), outside the building where she was doing charity work. The blast was so powerful that the Grand Duke's fingers (with the rings still on) were found on the roof of a nearby building. The Grand Duchess heard the blast and ran outside. When she saw what happened, she gathered up the pieces of her husband's body herself and had them taken to her private chapel where she prayed for hours before going to clean the blood from her hands and change her clothes. After the funeral, she went to the prison where the assassin was kept and forgave him for the murder of her husband. After she left him, she petitioned the Tsar (her brother in law) not to execute the man. After this she withdrew from imperial social life and concentrated on charity work. Eventually she became a nun, founding St Mary and Martha Convent where the sisters could concentrate on working AND listening to God.

Like the rest of the imperial family, St Elizabeth was imprisoned and martyred by the revolutionaries in 1918. She was taken from her convent, along with another nun, St Barbara. According to reports, at no time did she rail against her captors but she always prayed for them and spent her time comforting the other members of the family with whom she was arrested.

I love reading Elizabeth's story. Like myself she was a convert and her journey to Orthodoxy was very similar to my own in some ways. Her words always inspired me and her life as it is recorded is a marvelous example. I'm sure I am a constant annoyance to her--I fall constantly but through the prayers of St Elizabeth I am able to stand and try again.

Rejoice, thou who didst deem mercy greater than sacrifice;
Rejoice, thou who prayest for sinners and penitents!
Rejoice, thou who didst bear thy cross to a new Golgotha
Rejoice, thou who didst not reject the crown of thorns offered thee!
Rejoice, thou didst put jealousy to flight
Rejoice, thou who reprovest thou who fall away from truth and grace!
Rejoice, thou who didst not set the love of family above the love of God
Rejoice, thou who didst fulfill the words of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who didst seek out the good in every man
Rejoice, thou who was sent unto Russia, to turn her away from evil to the good!
Rejoice, thou who dost ever cry out to Christ: Lord, have mercy
Rejoice, thou who standest invisible in our midst as we pray!