Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians

On Sept. 8 there will be a new shrine in England honoring Mary. It will be dedicated under the title of Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians. Fr. Kiely, the priest leading the effort to establish this new shrine, stated, “This is the first shrine in Europe specifically dedicated to prayer for the active persecution of Christians now all over the world. It’s certainly the first shrine in Europe dedicated to Mary, Mother of Persecuted Christians.”
This shrine draws attention to the fact, much overlooked in news reports, that Christians throughout the world are often facing persecution because of their faith. According to the advocacy group Open Doors USA, more than 360 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution and discrimination, and 5,898 were killed for their faith in the past year alone.
“Many Catholics just aren’t aware of the intensity of worldwide persecution. So this is part of that process of trying to raise awareness, but having the spiritual at the very center,” said Fr. Kiely.
The persecution of our brothers and sisters in the faith has many similarities with the persecution of early Christians in pagan times. The reason is simple; a culture without God does not wish to tolerate those who love God.
There was a letter written probably between 150 and 250 AD to a man named Diognetus. We do not know who wrote it or who is Diognetus to whom it was written. However, it has survived through the ages because it so powerfully expresses the persecution Christians face. It is too long to share in its entirety, but allow me to share some of it:
“Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind by nation, language, or custom. They do not live apart in separate cities of their own, speaking a strange dialect, nor do they adopt an eccentric way of life … They live in Greek or barbarian cities, following local customs of clothing, diet, and housing. Yet the amazing and admittedly unusual nature of their citizenship is evident.
“They live as aliens in their homelands, participating as citizens, yet suffering as strangers. For them, every foreign country is a motherland, and their motherland a foreign land. They marry and have children like everyone else, but they do not expose their infants to death. They share their possessions, but do not practice wife-swapping. They live in the flesh, but refuse to define life by reference to the flesh. While they pass their time on earth, their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the law of the land, but their lives transcend mere law. They love everyone, yet everyone persecutes them. They are ignored or condemned, and if they are sentenced to death, they are quickened with life. Although they are poor, they enrich many. Though in great need, they abound in everything …
“To put it in a nutshell; what the soul is in the body, so are Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through every part of the body, and Christians throughout all the cities of the world. The soul inhabits the body but is not part of the body, and Christians inhabit the world but are not of the world.
“The soul is invisible, hidden in a body, and while Christians in the world are recognizable, their spirituality remains invisible. The soul hinders the satisfaction of fleshly lusts, and therefore the flesh hates it and wages war on it, even though the soul has done the flesh no wrong; similarly, although Christians have done the world no wrong, the world hates them just because they oppose worldly pleasures. The soul loves the flesh which hates it, and Christians love those who hate them.”
In the face of persecution our answer must be perseverance in faith, love and a renewed commitment to share the Good News with others. As Fr. Kiely stated as he prepares to open the new shrine: “I always say, prayer isn’t a last resort, it’s a first resort. And also, prayer is not an excuse for inaction, prayer should prompt action. So I would hope that when people come to pray, they will also try to get involved in some way.”