God is with Russia (1)

What we are doing with regard to Russia has worried me. Many moons ago I taught myself to read Russian to help me support the suffering church during the darkest days of soviet state terrorism. Through this I learned that God is at work in Russia in a way that is as unique as Russia herself is.

To digress from the point, I remember spending - as did many - lots of time praying for Fr Alexander Ogarodnikov. he was an Orthodox priest imprisoned by the state for his work for the gospel. His conditions were terrible. Nobody except some powerless Christians cared about him. The West and its powerful leaders didn't care.

But, we prayed hard and then one day on the bus to work I was reading The Scotsman, Edinburgh' daily newspaper. Now, nothing is as secular and sold-out to ultra-liberalism than The Scotsman. Its a rag of a paper that tells lies about God and God's people. But that day, by God's good grace, the front left column said, 'Alexander Ogarodnikov released.'

I could have - perhaps should have - leapt for joy. Not only had God heard our private and quiet prayers, but even The Scotsman newspaper could not hold back God's truth from being told!

God loves Russia. During the terrible years of sovietism she struggled on, her church bleeding and dying in her Christ's example. And it was Christ who redeemed Russia from the communists, not least through the work of Pope John Paul II.

One of the Words of The Blessed Virgin Mary to the Roman Catholic Church was: pray fo the redemption of Russia and I will give her to you. One of the sadnesses is that they didn't, and He didn't.