Modern martyrys

By DEACON WALTER AYRES- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

(Editor's note: "Rooted in Love: The Life and Martyrdom of Sister Dorothy Stang, SND de Namur" will be presented Sept. 20, 7 p.m., in the RPI Chapel and Cultural Center in Troy. Tickets are $15. Call 453-6654 or see www.ccrcda.org/peacejustice.htm. The play is sponsored by Catholic Charities' Commission on Peace and Justice, for which Deacon Ayres is director.)

When an American nun living in Brazil helped organize poor farmers who were being harassed by illegal loggers and ranchers, her opponents had a simple solution. It involved six bullets.

In 2005, Sister Dorothy Stang became a modern-day martyr. But if the killers or the people who hired them thought that murder was the answer to their problems, they were wrong. As so often happens in the case of martyrs, their causes live on long after they die.

Sister Dorothy is now known as the "martyr of the Amazon." Books have been written about her. A movie was made and an opera composed. The plight of the poor farmers became well-known, and nearly 20,000 square miles of the Amazon have been placed under federal environmental protection.

As Roman author Tertullian noted, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."

This is a thought to keep in mind as we witness the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. For the first time in 16 centuries, there are no Masses being celebrated in the Iraqi city of Mosul; Catholics are being beheaded for their faith.

Still, we are called to be hopeful, to understand that today's martyrs may lead to tomorrow's growth. Remember Jesus' words when Peter said that Jesus would never have to suffer and be killed: "You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

This does not mean we stand idly by and do nothing. We pray for those who are persecuted, and for the persecutors. We contact our legislators to promote policies to address the situation. As many parishes are doing this month, we donate to a collection to provide humanitarian relief and pastoral support for our affected brothers and sisters in the Middle East.

Decades from now, the Church may again flourish in these lands where Christians suffer so much. Just as Catholic churches line the streets of Rome where Christians were once persecuted, churches may again flourish in these lands where our faith had its start.

In the meantime, we pray, act and trust in God. [[In-content Ad]]