By Beth
DeCristofaro
… compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What
will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the
Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I
consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the
ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of
God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24)
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said … I glorified
you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. (John 17:1, 4)
Piety
St. Charles Lwanga
and the Martyrs of Uganda, we ask your prayers of intercession on behalf of all
who suffer from the unjust exercise of authority. May you who were so cruelly
persecuted for your faith in Jesus Christ intercede for all who are oppressed,
that they might be comforted by the Divine Mercy and empowered by the gift and
grace of fortitude. May justice be the goal of all people and may all who are
called by the name Christian join together in works of redemption directed at
the sins and the structures of sin that afflict our communities. Amen.
(from www.justpeace.org)
Study
Just a little over
100 years ago, Charles Lwanga and more than 20 others became the first martyrs
in a bloody oppression during which 100 Ugandan Christians died under a brutal
king. Like so many other persecutions,
this one came from someone seeing a threat to his power. Charles also protected others from the
immorality of the royal court. Power and
entrenched systems still do not take kindly to those who speak truth and hold
others accountable.
For Paul, being
accountable as witness for Jesus was, in fact, a sacred trust. Today, we see people of many religions being
killed for their beliefs by governments, ideologues, or even other oppressed
peoples. Atrocities seem to abound in
the news. In spite of repeated attempts
to wipe out the faithful, God’s people continue to multiply and God’s glory
shines in the actions and prayers of those who accomplish His work. Check out an inspiring website of which, I am
sure, Charles would be proud at http://www.dacb.org/index.html.
Action
Much is demanded of
those who have much. What am I doing for
oppressed people who have as much right to freedom of worship as I have? Consider contributing financially or
personally to projects such as Dictionary
of African Christian Biography or Kairos (which serves prisoners) or
your local Catholic Worker House. Keep
all in prayer who seek to accomplish God’s work despite imprisonment and
hardships.
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