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.
- Mass Around The World: The Philippines
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Catholic Mass is the exact same everywhere, right? A theologian might immediately answer “Yes!” or “It should be!” Someone who has traveled might answer differently, thinking not theologically but culturally. Music, dress, and postures vary. Mass is the same and different; people have the same Catholic faith and different… Read more: Mass Around The World: The Philippines - How To Be Happy: Four Keys To Happiness
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly This article was originally published HERE. Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there… Read more: How To Be Happy: Four Keys To Happiness - Lifestyle For Catholics To Try Implementing On Earth Day (And Every Day!)
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly “Nature is a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise” (Laudato Si’, 12). So how have we,… Read more: Lifestyle For Catholics To Try Implementing On Earth Day (And Every Day!) - 5 Saints Who Were Converts
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Saints come from all walks of life and each is unique in their own way. They are people who have made a total commitment to God and to their fellow man. Many do sacrifice themselves for others, displaying the ultimate love referenced by Jesus in the Gospel. Converts to… Read more: 5 Saints Who Were Converts - Does The Bible Really Mention Unicorns?
Facebook Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Print Friendly Every so often, someone discovers the word “unicorn” in an old English Bible and instantly assumes Scripture is a Narnia prequel. Or that they got a fanfic Bible or something. And honestly, I get it. The mental image of a lone unicorn trotting through the wilderness in the book… Read more: Does The Bible Really Mention Unicorns?
