CERCADO, Geran Kearn L.

RE 114 7:30 – 9:30

BSA-2
Reflection

What are the current experiences of Church persecution?

Persecution has been a part of Christianity from the beginning, and it has
continued in different forms ever since. The list goes on and on: stonings, stake burnings,
imprisonment, family estrangement, and so on. The blood of martyrs has stained history,
and the testimony of those who have suffered for Christ has enriched it. Nero, the Roman
Emperor, set fire to Rome and blamed it on Christians when he was chastised for it.
During his reign, Peter and Paul were martyred.
Christians have long been subjected to suffering and persecution. Indeed, our faith is
based on someone who was murdered, also crucified. We not only pronounce His death,
but as His adherents, we also take seriously the mantra, "Take up your cross and follow
me." We follow in the footsteps of our Lord, who was rejected, tortured, and crucified,
knowing that we, too, will meet the same fate. This was especially true for early Christians
in Antiquity, who knew that being baptized meant certain death. Almost every one of
Jesus' apostles was killed or banished. Peter was crucified upside down, according to
legend, because he did not believe he was worthy of dying in the same manner as his
Lord.
It's difficult to feel powerless. It's much more difficult to risk your life for your beliefs. But
there's one more thing that gives us Christians peace, and I think it does the same for
current persecuted Christians. It's understanding that even though our words are
silenced, the gospel continues to speak clearly for those who hear it. Let us not
romanticize or pray about what they are going through. Let us learn from history and not
underestimate the oppressed Christians of the past, while also not being calloused to
current persecution and the persecuted. Let us continue to pray for our oppressed
brothers and sisters, asking God to save them, put an end to their persecutions, console
them in their suffering, and strengthen them even if it means death. Let us raise our voices
in support of them, weep for them, thank God for them, and love them. Let us not lose
heart, if only because we know and believe that Jesus has gone before us, that He is with
us, and that His Word cannot be restrained.