This is Bishop Nikolai's reply to a non-Orthodox priest's question: Why is God punishing Orthodox Russia?
Are you certain that the present suffering of the Russian people is a punishment from God? I confess that I am not certain. Look, we can fall into sin if we consider every suffering, be it of one individual or a whole people, as a punishment from God. Three crosses on Golgotha teach us to be careful in the evaluation of suffering, whoever it may be. Was Christ crucified because He was being punished by God? In the long procession of sufferers we see prophets, apostles, and many obviously righteous men and women. Their sufferings undoubtedly weren't punishments of God. If they were suffering because of sins, the sins were not their own. Thus the One Who was without sin, He Who took upon Himself the greatest torments, was, indisputably, tormented because of sins, not His own, but for those of all mankind. The sufferings of Holy Russia are, undoubtedly, because of sins, but for whose sins? It is necessary to explain this. Remember the well-known incident in the Holy Scriptures, when the Lord explained to the Jews the death of those eighteen people on whom the tower collapsed in Siloam. He told them that they perished not because they were more sinful or more guilty than all men in Jerusalem, but so that their deaths would serve as a warning to those who were more sinful than they. By far they weren't the most sinful: "I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).
Is Russia the most sinful country, in that she bears the most severe suffering of all peoples? Two things are obvious to the whole world; first, that the Russian people are burning in a fire of torments as once did the Three Youths in the Babylonian furnace; and second, the materialistic and atheistic theories which brought this flame to Russia did not have their origins in the Russian Orthodox people, but in non-Orthodox peoples. All remains a mystery of the providence of God. We cannot penetrate into this terrible mystery. For a comparison of the torments of the Russian people we can look at the righteous and long-suffering Job,- whose suffering brought him benefit, and now brings benefit to many, many others. We can look upon the sufferings of Russia as a signal from God to all the other peoples, so that they can avoid materialism in theory, in practice, in thought, and in deed.
All the well-known people of a spiritual life spoke out during the last century concerning the insanity and disaster of those theories. But their words could not convince. That is why the horror of those theories were permitted in practice. As once the tower of Siloam collapsed on those eighteen, the contemporary tower of all the false ideas and theories has now collapsed upon the great Russian people for the human race to see, so that they may sober up from those destructive and soul-killing theories. Who will dare to say that this contemporary tower of lies collapsed upon Russia because Russia is more sinful than the rest and continue to hear Christ's warning also in our days: "O people and tribes! I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." For an example of the Lord's warnings, we can look at our world's past. Not one revolution ended with that with which it began. History teaches us this. Quite often that which a revolution in the beginning destroys and persecutes, in the end is restored with recognition and triumph. This, of course, can be related to faith in Christ: being persecuted, it is not banished; being spat upon, it is not polluted; being beaten, it is not killed. it is obvious that neither the Slavic, nor the universal mission of Russia is in that which is now in Russia, but in that which will come at the end of the revolution.
In any case, the world can and must wholeheartedly use for its edification and correction the present suffering by fire of the Russian people. The Russian people undoubtedly will come out of this fire holier, stronger, and greater than it ever was before. No good blacksmith throws nails into the fire to be rid of them, he does it to make something better out of them. We think and believe that the Creator of the Russian people allowed this great people to experience this flame of suffering not to punish and kill it, but in order that by its terrible example other peoples may come to their senses and understand that the Russian people will be even more greatly glorified before heaven and earth.
Bishop Nikolai (Velimirovic) +1956