I’m writing this in the days following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk. Two weeks prior, a gunman killed children at Annunciation Church. It’s shocking to me that we live in a world where killing people who don’t believe the same as we do is an option.
All of this to say that in today’s Gospel, we hear that by forsaking the world for the Word, we will suffer persecution. Jesus does not hide that. He showed us His own suffering and we saw Charlie Kirk give up his life for his beliefs that were more religious than political. He advocated for an end to abortion. He argued against the abuse of “gender affirming” treatments on children. He proclaimed Jesus as his Savior. Likely, he died because of these beliefs.
Peggy Noonan, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a Catholic, wrote that despite the backlash we hear that offering prayers isn’t actionable enough, prayer is in fact one of the greatest actions we can take. Finding solace, strength, and fortitude through God helps us to continue living in a world that is increasingly hostile to religion. Praying for conversion for those who hate is necessary.
Now is the time we have to assess where we stand. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to suffer and possibly die for Jesus, and if that answer is yes, boldly proclaim the truth we know. It’s easy to keep our opinions to ourselves. The opposing forces are loud and play dirty. Rather than staying silent and falling into despair, we need to take the risk, say the truth, and be willing to take what is hurled back at us.
We know that Jesus won the war. Are we willing to fight the battles?
Estoy escribiendo esta reflexión unos días después del asesinato a tiros de Charlie Kirk. Dos semanas antes, un pistolero mató a niños en la Iglesia de la Anunciación. Me resulta impactante vivir en un mundo donde matar a quienes no comparten nuestras creencias es una opción.
Todo esto comprueba lo que dice el Evangelio de hoy – que al renunciar al mundo por la Palabra, sufriremos persecución. Jesús no lo oculta. Nos mostró su propio sufrimiento, y vimos a Charlie Kirk dar su vida por sus creencias, que eran más religiosas que políticas. Abogaba por el fin del aborto. Se oponía al abuso de los tratamientos de “afirmación de género” en los niños. Proclamaba a Jesús como su Salvador. Probablemente, murió a causa de estas creencias.
Peggy Noonan, una columnista católica del Wall Street Journal, escribió que, a pesar de las críticas que escuchamos de que ofrecer oraciones no es suficiente, la oración es, de hecho, una de las acciones más importantes que podemos realizar. Encontrar consuelo, fuerza y fortaleza en Dios nos ayuda a seguir viviendo en un mundo cada vez más hostil a la religión. Orar por la conversión de quienes nos odian es necesario.
Ahora es el momento de evaluar nuestra posición. Debemos preguntarnos si estamos dispuestos a sufrir y posiblemente morir por Jesús, y si la respuesta es sí, proclamar con valentía la verdad que conocemos. Es fácil guardar nuestras opiniones para nosotros mismos. Las fuerzas opositoras son ruidosas y actúan con malas intenciones. En lugar de permanecer en silencio y caer en la desesperación, debemos arriesgarnos, decir la verdad y estar dispuestos a afrontar las consecuencias.
Sabemos que Jesús ganó la guerra. ¿Estamos dispuestos a luchar en las batallas?
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, new.diocesan.com/, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.
Feature Image Credit: henry perks, unsplash.com/photos/person-in-brown-long-sleeve-shirt-NhbZCIyoI-s
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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