CatholicEthics.Blogspot.com
“We do not want you
to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so
that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who
have fallen asleep.” -1 Thes 4:13-14
Another day, another news report, another attack on
Christians. This time, at a sleepy little backroad Baptist Church in Texas,
defenseless families - women, children and elderly - were mercilessly shot down
in cold blood by a self-proclaimed atheist. Yesterday, the day before, and for
more days and years now than we care to remember, Christians in Iraq, in
Africa, and where ever ISIS has spread have suffered the satanic attacks of
those who hate Christians. Whether at a parish church in France, a Christmas
Mass in Egypt, or a children's school in Pakistan, these violent and vile
attacks on Christians occur because they are Christians. The perpetrators often
demand, at the point of a gun, that the victims renounce their faith, and when
they refuse, they are executed. Yet somehow, Christians, and especially
Catholics, are told so often by the news media and the world that they are the
“haters”, the bigots, the guilty ones, that many have come to believe it
themselves. Somehow, the media narrative is more concerned with gun control, Islamophobia,
racism, or anything but the true cause: demonic hatred of Jesus Christ and His
followers.
As followers of the crucified Lord, Catholics can expect
persecution and even martyrdom, but we should also stand ready to defend our
Christian faith to the very end. We should know our own history, not the
convoluted stuff of black legends, but the whole truth. We should be aware that
the Catholic Church founded the first hospitals, universities, and orphanages,
and is one of the world’s largest charitable organizations. We should study the
teachings of the Church, which are based in love and truth, always recognizing
the dignity of the human person, while standing against behaviors that cause
harm to the soul. We should be proud that Catholics have historically withstood
persecution by atheist, pagan, communist, secularist, and even Protestant-led
governments, and have responded with love and faith, giving witness to their
persecuted Lord, and in the end, perhaps even converting the hearts of their
persecutors.
So do not be discouraged when you see persecution, but keep
the light of Christ burning in your heart. Fill your lamps with the oil of
faith, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, courage, and love. Speak the truth in
love, even when it’s unpopular, and never hesitate to defend the Name of Jesus.
Stay awake. Be ready.
Comments
Post a Comment