We could go on and on posting pictures of the old, the young, the men, the women – all coming to Church under conditions Americans cannot even begin to imagine. For Holy Week services, and for Pascha, they will all be back. Regardless of what is happening around them.

Their witness will do more to save souls than any online apologetics, any preaching from any pulpit, any book, any song, or any movie. Talk is cheap. Proclaiming the Risen Lord from the comfort of your sofa impresses no one. Inspires no one. What these Christians do, under extreme circumstances, tells the entire world, “Our God is real!” They don’t just talk the talk. They actually walk the walk.

Christians have always known that personal holiness was the most effective witness. The Christian martyrs dying in public executions drew more souls to Christ than anything else in the first few centuries of the Church. It isn’t what you say, but what you do that really shows what you believe. Which is why hypocrisy is so damaging to the Church. Does a villain in a cassock who abuses children really believe in a just and loving God? Does an obvious coward really believe that the Tomb is Empty and that Christ has conquered death?

Social science has noticed the phenomenon that people are impressed more by what they see than what they hear. Actions that concretely demonstrate belief are called “Credibility Enhancing Displays.” https://orthodoxreflections.com/recovering-credibility-from-the-shame-of-the-lost-pascha/