Over the past
week we heard about the death of two priests, one in Egypt and one in
Syria. Each were murdered for one reason: they were Christians and
gave their lives over to Our Lord Jesus Christ. There was little or
no coverage in the news regarding these events. These holy men died
in the most horrific way yet there was no outrage, condemnation, or
mourning. Their lives were dismissed without a passing thought from
the world. The way the events were covered demonstrates the state of
the world today and how this society is desensitized regarding world
events. We must fully understand that Christians are being persecuted
every day because of their faith. Entire families are being assaulted
and murdered just because they have a desire to worship God. Churches
are being systematically burned and religious communities are being
uprooted with the intent of ending Christianity in certain regions.
Yet, there is no effort to end this blatant violence and upheaval.
We can take
solace in the fact that persecution has always been a part of our
faith. To be fully united with the Crucified Christ we must suffer
each day with Christ. We are comforted by the knowledge that he died
for the entire world so that we could obtain eternal life. When we
encounter pain and suffering in our daily lives we are encouraged to
reflect on the Passion of the Lord. Christ's ordeal becomes our own
model to live by. God loves us so much that he wishes to share in our
suffering. He feels everything that we feel and he is with us through
it all.
There is a lot
of suffering in the world today perpetuated by our fallen nature.
There will never be an end to all the violence and strife until Jesus
Christ returns and his kingdom is brought to perfection. We as
Christians are called to action to rise above the culture of violence
and debauchery that is present and keep focused on the love of God
and our salvation. We must live separately from the allures and
temptations that society offers us and be an example for others to
follow. Where there is hate, we must teach love. Where there is
anger, we must show friendship. Where there is suffering, we must
promote charity. This must be done while keeping our Christian
identity. By doing this, we have the ability to become Christ-like
and transform not only ourselves but all those that we come in
contact with.
With everything
that is happening in the world today we cannot become discouraged.
World events and things that are occurring in our personal lives must
all serve as tools to focus ourselves on what is really important:
the love of God and the love that we share for our friends, families,
and all those suffering around the world. Society teaches us to
become bitter and angry when we are confronted with obstacles. Jesus
teaches us to embrace all the negative aspects of the world and
surrender to him. We need to be beg him to love us all the more so we
can overcome what we are confronted with and continue our journey of
faith. It is possible to overcome all adversity and enjoy God's
creation for what it is: beautiful. Each one of us is important and
God wants to know us intimately. There will be failures and
disappointments but there will also be successes and celebration. It
is hard to ignore all the good and focus on the bad. Yes there is a
lot of bad but there is definitely a greater amount of good. It must
be remembered that to enjoy the good we must always keep in mind the
ultimate good which is God.
As long as we
keep God in our lives everything will be wonderful. God will never
abandon us and he will always love us.
Deacon Tom
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