HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK OF EASTER, YEAR B

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF 3RD WEEK OF EASTER, YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: Perseverance and Faithfulness in the Face of Persecution

BY: Bishop Gerald M. Musa

According to St. Paul, “Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. In the early years of Christianity, “Great persecution arose against the Church in Jerusalem'” (Acts of the Apostles 8:1b). This period of persecution became a blessing in disguise for the Church as believers who were scattered by the persecution went about preaching the word and breaking new grounds in evangelisation.

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Persecution of Christians continues even in our present world. In April 2022, a report from cruxnow.com showed there was great persecution of Christians in China under XI Jinping as Christians were repressed, and unjustly imprisoned; places of worship were demolished and crosses removed. Besides, in 2021 Afghanistan, India, and Nigeria were considered countries of particular concern as regards freedom of religion. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) cited various cases in Nigeria where Churches were burned down and worshippers killed; a case of violent mob attack where a religious leader was killed over the conversion of a Muslim to Christianity, and threatening messages issued to Churches in states with a high level of intolerance.

Today, the new frontier of persecution is digital persecution where disinformation and censorship are used against Christians and other religious minorities. Jesus encourages his followers to remain peaceful and faithful in the tough situations of persecution (Matthew 5:11-12). How do we respond to turbulent situations of persecution and mistreatment?

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