STOP THIS!
An Excerpt from the book,
Father Arseny, and account of the Soviet Gulag
The weather outside was ferocious. Many prisoners froze to death and
many new prisoners arrived to work in their stead. It was a difficult
time for everybody, but the "political" prisoners had it worst of all.
For two days in a row their rations were stolen by the prisoners who
were criminals. That night, after roll call and the locking of the
barracks, a large fight erupted between the two factions over these
rations.
Avsenkov took the leadership of the "politicals."
The criminals were headed by "Ivan the Brown." He was a hardened
criminal, a good for nothing, and a murderer many times over. In camp
he had also killed more than once; he liked card games in which the one
who lost paid with his life.
The battle that evening was over the rations which
the criminals had taken laughingly they said that they were used
to taking what did not belong to them. The camp administrators, for
reasons of personal safety, were always on the side of the criminals.
The fight started with fists, and then logs, then
knives appeared in the hands of the criminals. Knives were, of course,
forbidden. The guards searched for them but never seemed to find them.
One of the prisoners, a soldier, was cut up; several "politicals" had
their heads cracked. The criminals knew how to work together; most of
the "politicals" could only shout and were afraid to help their own.
The criminals were cruel. They were winning over the "politicals";
blood was flowing.
Father Arseny ran to Sazikov and begged him, "Help!
Please help, Ivan Alexandrovich! They are cutting people up. There is
blood everywhere. I ask you in the name of God to stop this! The
criminals will listen to you!" Sazikov only laughed and said, "Sure,
they will listen to me, but why don't you help with your God? Ivan the
Brown has already killed two of your friends, and now he is going to
kill Avsenkov. Your God seems not to notice this!"
Father Arseny looked all around him. He saw blood on
people, he heard screams, swearing, and moans, and his soul was full of
pain for their suffering.
He lifted his arms, went into the very midst of the
heated fight and said in a clear and loud voice, "In the name of God, I
order you! Stop this!" He blessed them with sign of the cross and said
in a whisper, "Now, help the wounded," and he headed for his bunk.
There he stood, as if in a different world, as if surrounded by light.
He stood there, having receded into himself, oravine. He did not hear
the dead being carried to the door, nor did he see the wounded being
helped. He stood, his attention focused on prayer.
All was quiet in the barracks now. You could only
hear people getting into their bunks, and the moaning of a seriously
wounded man. Sazikov came near Father Arseny and said, "Forgive me,
Father Arseny. I doubted your God. I see now that He exists. It even
scares me. A great power is given to one who believes in Him. Even I am
frightened. Forgive me for making fun of you,"
In two days, Avsenkov came to Father Arseny after work and said, "Thank
you. You saved my life! You believe in God unconditionally and, looking
at you, I'm also beginning to understand that He exists."
Life plodded along. Prisoners came, worked, then
were buried in the frozen ground. Others came to replace them and the
cycle started over.
There was no more stealing of rations. If some
criminals forgot this new way of life and did steal, the others taught
them a hard lesson. Father Arseny worked as usual, beyond his own
strength, but he was never discouraged.
In the barracks in which Father Arseny lived, many
people from different backgrounds were thrown together to die. This
situation caused much friction between different groups and Father
Arseny served as a buffer for the pain and suffering of all the
factions involved. With a warm and kind word he knew how to comfort
their souls. A person could be a believer, a Communist, a criminal, or
any other kind of prisoner Father Arseny always found the
right words for each individual. These words went deep into one's soul
and helped him live, gave him hope for the future and often helped him
become a better person.
In some strange way Sazikov and Avsenkov became
closer. What could a criminal and a Communist idealist have in common?
They were somehow invisibly united by Father Arseny.
This story was
recounted by Avsenkov, Sazikov and three other prisoners.