Mount Zion Ryan

…since my last post.

I’ve had the blogrims lately. That’s a word I’m inventing. Here is the dictionary entry:
Main Entry: blog·grim
Pronunciation: ‘bläg-gr&m
Function: noun
Etymology: Modern English blog combined with megrim.
1 a : lack of enthusiasm about blogging. b : condition when a blogger has nothing to say and no desire to say it.

‘Kay so there’s one.
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Here’s another:
Some Orthodox blogger (sorry I can’t remeber who) was pretty vocal about the whole “cartoon” issue. One of his complaints went like this:
“Gosh darn and what about all the abuse the modern media heaps on Christianity. There’s that “creative expression” [I won't call it art] that involves an image of Our Lord and a jar of urine and that one that involves an image of the Theotokos and a pile of elephant dung. What about that!”

Tough, I say. Show me where the scriptures say being a Christian gets you the easy life. Ask Job if he thought it was easy remaining true to his faith. Or any of the apostles or thousands of martyrs who where killed for thier faith.

Christ did not promise happiness or an easy life, but rather struggle and adversity. Read the lives of the Saints and tell me they had it easier as they increased in theosis.

St. John of Kronstadt was despised by much of the establishment.

Likewise with St. John of San Francisco, heck they even took him to court and accused him of embezzlement.

St. Raphael was removed from the Altar at the Antiochian church in Moscow (where he was it’s priest-in-charge) for standing up to the corrupt election of the new Patriarch of Antioch. He was later arrested in New York for inciting a riot. Turns out the Melkite Catholics didn’t like having an Orthodox priest in town, drawing worshipers from their own edifcaces.

I have touched upon this in a previous post. here is the recap:
1) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (matt 5:10)
2) Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Matt 5:11-12)

Does this prayer by Saint Nikolai of Ohrid and South Canaan strike you as the words of a man who expects “The World” to be kind toward Christians?
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Since this one is so long, I’ll only post two today. Plus I’ve the blogrims!

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