Here the Enemy is Visible!

In 1986, G. Willikers crossed the Iron Curtain into Communist Bulgaria on a pilgrimage to Rila Monastery, the ancient spiritual home of St. John of Rila. Getting there became an adventure of its own—armed border guards, incomprehensible bus schedules, remote mountain villages, a supposedly broken taxi, and a terrifying ride through the Rila Mountains. But the most memorable part of the pilgrimage came afterward, in Sofia, where Willikers unexpectedly met two young Bulgarian Christians named Branimir and Robert. Living under an officially atheistic government, these men practiced their faith quietly but fearlessly. Christian books were so difficult to obtain that they secretly photographed pages, printed them on photographic paper, and sewed them together by hand—risking imprisonment so that other Christians could have books for prayer and spiritual instruction. Willikers has no photographs of Branimir and Robert. Taking them could have placed the men in danger. But he still has photographs of some of the handmade Christian books they produced, tangible reminders of a faith that Communist power could suppress but never extinguish. And Branimir said something that Willikers has remembered for nearly forty years. When told that Christians in the West admired believers who remained faithful under Communist persecution, Branimir replied that every Christian is given a test. Perhaps, he suggested, the Western Christian's test was even more difficult. “Here the enemy is visible.” Nearly four decades later, those words remain the heart of this pilgrimage. This is a story about Rila Monastery, Christianity behind the Iron Curtain, two Bulgarian believers whose faces were never photographed—and the very different battles Christians may face when following Christ. I'm G. Willikers. Thanks for coming along with me.