Martyrdom, Red and White
The Paschaltide of 2019 has been like no other in recent memory. The iconic Notre Dame Cathedral burnt down under circumstances which seemed to be all to readily classified as accidental. Whether the famed cathedral was the victim of carelessness, an industrial accident, or something more nefarious may never be known. What is beyond doubt, however, is the act of pure religious hatred which was behind the martyrdom of hundreds of Catholics across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. It was clearly an act of Islamic terror, and it was difficult for even the most committed globalist to play down that fact. (Oh, but didn’t they try! “Easter worshippers?” Really???)
Those who were murdered for their faith in Christ are martyrs, witnesses to the Savior who redeemed them. Palm fronds in hand, they are ready to intercede for us here on Earth if we ask them.
Holy Martyrs of Sri Lanka, pray for us.
Martyrdom comes in two forms. There’s the red martyrdom, such as took place Easter Sunday 2019 (and every other day of the year) when Christians shed their blood at the hands of those at war with Christ. There’s also white martyrdom. This can be thought of as a bloodless martyrdom, where Christians are subjected to hatred, vitriol, persecution, threats of violence, ridicule, social ostracism, and public humiliation.
As CCM correspondent Hank Igitur shows us in the following clip, not every persecutor of Catholics is to be found outside of the Catholic faith…