Yesterday as I peacefully attended the Eucharistic Celebration of the Easter with all its joy and glory, news came about the bombing in #SriLanka. They were like me and you went there out of love to celebrate the victory of our Lord, for He is risen. Full of anticipation, went there to honor and share the banquet of our King not knowing that it will be their last for those who died and a horrific scene that I know not if when they will ever erase in their hearts and the effects it will bring in their lives especially the children.
I am deeply wounded by the continuous persecution of our Church, when I heard the news and saw pictures online, as per those who knows me, I cannot bear to look at graphical contents, how much more those innocent ones who said yes to the invitation of the Eternal Father to celebrate the Easter Mass, I can Imagine their Easter joy may be some of them have family Easter gatherings. Can we for a moment enter the scene?, full of anticipation then suddenly boom, they died professing their faith and this touches my very core deeply, our modern martyrs, in the world we live now, we will never be certain if one of these days, we will be one of those modern martyrs as well. It’s a painful, tragic, and sudden but an honorable death.
While I was in prayer this came to mind, the conversion of St. Paul, as it is written St. Paul persecuted the early Christians, he is one of those who stoned to death St. Stephen and was so determined to kill St. Peter and all the Christians, while on His way to Damascus, “Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,* he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. 3On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:1-6)
Jesus told St. Paul, “why are you persecuting Me”, notice how Jesus claimed the Christians as His, and its St. Peter whom St. Paul really wanted to eradicate with, this was given to me in a new light, St. Paul is after St. Peter and Jesus tells St. Paul that he is persecuting Him (Jesus), Jesus clearly states that we are one body and Jesus is our head, we are inseparable with Him (1 Corinthians 12:12-26), and what has this to do with St. Peter?, we can see it at (Matthew 16:16-19) “Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood* has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,*and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.19l I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.* Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In every assault, persecution, defamation done to our Church and to each individual is done to our Lord, for we are one in Him, what one suffers the rest also suffers, what one rejoices the other as well.
One does not require to be a terrorist to insult the Church that Jesus lovingly passed on to St. Peter which we lavishly enjoy the sacraments with nor in-need of explosives to be called one, if a member of the Catholic Church defames one of its members, if a non-catholic Christian slams the Blessed Virgin, other Christians, Priests, Religious then we are of no difference to them,
As Christians we are all called to love “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34), this love is not the love that the world tells us, this love is a sacrificial love, the love that empties itself so others can have a room, its denying yourself and making you least among others, its a love that only Jesus has, and one will posses this kind of love by encountering Him and experiencing it, "you cannot give what you do not have" as what people say, and I find it very true to this day.
My prayers are not only for #SriLanka but for all the persecuted Christians that they may steadfast in faith and in prayer, that they may share their sufferings and joy to our Lord, and that they may set their eyes eternally. It is in this situation that we are supposed to pray more for each other and not cause it to divide, division is the work of the enemy, may we not, but all the more pray for grace of faith and courage and not be afraid to step out of the house, still worship and profess our faith boldly as we ought to, may we still, though persecuted show them love, compassion and pray for our persecutors, doing it all for our love to our persecuted King who conquered death and sin for us, for only by love that came from Him we will be set apart, that they may witness Jesus is indeed risen in each one of us. (John 13:35).
If it brought you good fruit, please share as it may potentially (hopefully) bring good fruit to some. If not please kindly send me an email correcting my fault, please let us walk hand in hand in this narrow road ahead of us.
May Christ the King, my King, reign in everyone's hearts!
Shalom
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