Pope's Mission Prayer Intention for September

September 02, 2013 - The Mission Prayer Intention of the Pope during the month of September is for persecuted Christians in various parts of the world, that they may be prophets of Christ’s love by their witness. It is estimated that more Christians were killed for their faith in the 20^th century than in the first 19 centuries combined. The 21st century has continued this terrible trend. The situation in the Muslim and Arab world is a clear case. In South Asia too the situation is not very different, especially the terrible atrocities on the Christians of eastern India’s Odisha state, in and after August 2008. Earlier this year Archbishop Silvano Tomasi reported to the United Nations that over 100,000 Christians are killed every year for their faith. As early as the 2^nd century, Tertullian, the early Church father had written, “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity.” In a comment on August 25, the 5^th anniversary of Odisha’s anti-Christian violence, Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar marveled that the Church in Odisha today is blooming with increased vocations to priesthood and religious life, and growing number of Christians, many of them former persecutors. Archbishop Barwa said this is because of the resilience of Christians, marked by their rock-like faith, forgiving attitude and continuing works of mercy and love without bitterness and vendetta, just as Christ Himself did. During this month, Pope Francis is calling us to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. “They are suffering! They carry their faith even to martyrdom,” he said. To be united with the persecuted we must stay informed and pray, he said. At the same time the Holy Father calls us to lobby for and promote the right to religious freedom for everyone, not just Christians alone. Every man and every woman must be free in his or her profession of religion, whatever it may be, because all are God’s children. Let’s join Pope Francis this month in praying that Christians suffering persecution in many parts of the world may by their witness be prophets of Christ’s love.