Ten seconds into this video and you think you’ve seen it before: the sound of firearms, of men shouting in an all too familiar language that we’ve heard over and over again in news sound bites.
Twenty seconds into this video and you’re “sympathetic” towards the woman’s plea, “isn’t it bad over there.”
Thirty seconds in and you’re baffled by the image of the whole room, and you’re struggling to comprehend the whole scenario. The pain almost becomes more real by the contrast between the woman and those who are standing around silent; “sympathy,” you understand, isn’t the proper response.
Forty seconds in… “Save us! In the name of humanity! Save us!” and you realize, though you thought you’d seen it before – and maybe you had – this was something that you could not turn away from.
That was certainly my experience of this video, and I hope, in some way, it is yours too.
Guilty Silence
The words of Msgr. Mirkis really hit me hard, especially in light of the way that I responded to those first forty seconds. He was describing me, and my complacency in thinking that I’d seen it before:
“Everything becomes normal… The first time shock, but the third time – normal.”
But the persecution of others should have never become normal. It’s an outrage, and it’s right that his response to this attitude is anger.
And yet the video remains so hopeful!
We hear how the persecution is showing the Christians just what a valuable treasure it is that they have. And there’s a call to stand firm, to be courageous, and to profess the faith with more commitment and zeal than they have in the past. It’s quite remarkable and words escape me.
For our part, the video calls for our prayers. And we must pray! For this is how we must respond in the very first instant to that woman’s cry for help, and this is how we break out of the normalization of their persecution. We must pray fervently, and we must pray with a simple and profound trust in the reality of the power that our prayers possess.
But what do we pray for? An end to the persecution? The conversion of the persecutors to Christ? We all have our own prayer of the heart, but let us pray as intercessors for our Christian brothers and sisters, in filial trust in God, and with steadfast perseverance in love.
This is still going on today. Right now. And so I invite you, having read this article, to stop and pray now: set down your device, turn off the radio, and pray for our brothers and sisters, for we must not stay silent.
- How To Overcome Distractions In Prayer
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Growing up, I would hear stories of saints who would spend hours and hours with God in prayer. I would hear about how St. Padre Pio would wake up at 3:30 AM to prepare to celebrate Mass, pray for 2 hours, and how his Mass would last 3 HOURS!… Read more: How To Overcome Distractions In Prayer - Questions Children May Ask About Miscarriage — And Catholic Answers Parents Can Give
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly “Mommy, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” There are some conversations you wish you didn’t have to have with your children. We had just announced our pregnancy 2 short weeks ago. After a traumatic visit to the ER, I lost my baby at 15 weeks. Not only did I… Read more: Questions Children May Ask About Miscarriage — And Catholic Answers Parents Can Give - Beyond the Click: eCatholic and The Catholic University of America on Finding True Fruitfulness in Digital Ministry
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly There is a palpable peace you feel in a well-run parish. When administrative foundations are set in place with care and intention, the noise of the work fades and what remains is a community built on systems that actually support those who serve. Having worked in ministry myself—both as… Read more: Beyond the Click: eCatholic and The Catholic University of America on Finding True Fruitfulness in Digital Ministry - How To Create A Space For Prayer In Your Home
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly “Be still and know that I am God!” – Psalm 46:11 Our homes are meant to be domestic churches. They are places where we live out our faith not only on Sundays, but in the ordinary moments of everyday life. Creating a prayer space in our home can be… Read more: How To Create A Space For Prayer In Your Home - 10 Things We’ve Learned In 30 Years Of Marriage
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly We often enter marriage with our own worldview, shaped by how we were raised, our DNA, our wounds, our culture, and our education, and we assume our spouse shares a similar worldview. These assumptions are precisely the fertile soil that gives birth to the weeds of misunderstandings… Read more: 10 Things We’ve Learned In 30 Years Of Marriage
