We Are Ready to Die
It happened that seven brothers
with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the
king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers,
speaking for the others, said: “What do you expect to achieve by questioning
us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.” 2
Maccabees 7:1-2
“Blessed are they who are
persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed
are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil
against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be
great in heaven.” Matthew 5:10-12
Piety
Martyrs of Uganda, pray for the faith where it is danger and for
Christians who must suffer because of their faith. Give them the same courage,
zeal, and joy you showed. And help those of us who live in places where
Christianity is accepted to remain aware of the persecution in other parts of
the world. Amen
Study
The Maryknoll Fathers reminded us “The time between Ascension and
Pentecost is filled with emptiness.” These days there is no physical presence
of Christ on earth or in the liturgical calendar (even though both are present
in Scripture.) The descent of the Holy Spirit has not yet occurred in the
liturgical calendar.
Yet we are still an "Easter" people. The sun which rises in the East, bringing
light, warmth and hope, is a symbol for the Christian of the rising Christ, the
Son who brings light, warmth, and hope. Today,
our path is illuminated by the story of the witness of St. Charles Lwanga and
his martyred companions. This provides
an interesting modern parallel to our first reading of the seven brothers murdered
by the king for refusing to eat pork in violation of church law.
According to the introductory notes in the New American Bible (Revised
Edition), the two Books of Maccabees contain independent accounts of events (in
part identical) that accompanied the attempted suppression of Judaism in
Palestine in the second century B.C. The vigorous reaction to this attempt
established for a time the religious and political independence of the Jews.[i]
We hear examples of fidelity to the law as the expression of Israel’s
love for God. The conflict described today and throughout is a struggle, not
simply between Jew and Gentile, but between those who would uphold the law and
those, Jews or Gentiles, who would destroy it.
Such also is the battle we study in Acts of the Apostles between the early
Christian Church (the “Way”) and those who would suppress it.
The story of Christian persecution does not end there.
For those of us who
think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church
grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the
present day.
The Society of
Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for
6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would
outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new
converts that the White Fathers couldn't reach. Many of these converts lived and
taught at King Mwanga's court.[ii]
However, their spiritual life upset the king and he sentenced them to a
death march and execution. Thirteen
Catholics and eleven Protestants died with Charles Lwanga on that June 3 day.
They died calling on the name of Jesus and proclaiming, “You can burn our
bodies, but you cannot harm our souls.”
Action
We really are not alone in these days between Ascension and
Pentecost. We have the Sacred Scriptures,
traditional of the faith, and the sacraments as our refuge. What gives you
support until Pentecost?
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