Where are OUR Prophets?

“Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him.” I’d be hard pressed to come up with a better opener than Jeremiah’s to get your attention, so I’m not even going to try. Jeremiah is calling out his oppressors, confident that he will prevail, because the Lord is at his side. That theme of persecution and overcoming fear is throughout our readings this weekend, beginning with the prophet Jeremiah and the psalm, and carrying through to the Gospel as Jesus sends out the apostles on a mission.

We think of religious persecution as a relic of the past, a piece of history from the early years of the Church. We learn about saints and martyrs in catechism — maybe even think about them on their feast days — thankful that WE no longer live in such barbaric times. But here’s the thing: religious persecution is not a “THEN” thing - it’s a “NOW” thing.

Persecution of Christians may not be something we see in our streets, but it’s QUITE real in other parts of the world. In Africa, China, India, and many Islamic countries, Christians are still martyred on a regular basis. We never hear about it in our secular press, but it’s very real. In fact, there have been more Christian martyrs in just the last century than in all the previous nineteen centuries combined. And a study just released by the Catholic charity ACN showed it’s getting worse, with over half the world’s population now living in countries where people are actively persecuted for their religious beliefs.

Most of the countries called out in the ACN report are in Africa or Asia, but religious persecution is NOT just a third world thing. It’s alive and well in so-called “enlightened” western societies as well. It just shows up in a different way. Our persecution is just more subtle, more stealthy.

Because here’s another interesting finding that came out of those recent studies. What they found was the Church is actually growing where it’s being openly and aggressively persecuted, in spite of the hardship and danger and hostility. And yet, here in the supposedly more tolerant nations like the U.S. and Western Europe, we’re seeing a decline in church attendance and active religious practice. The Church is in decline.

To western minds, that might not seem logical. But Tertullian, a second century Christian apologist, famously wrote: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” And what was true 2000 years ago is no less true today. But Satan has gotten smarter. In a highly developed pluralistic democratic society like ours, he doesn’t physically attack Christians for what they believe. That only creates more martyrs - a strategy that’s clearly failed. Instead, he now attacks WHAT we believe, using all the tools at his disposal to erode the very basis of our faith, little by little, bit by bit. It’s a strategy that seems to be working. And we don’t even realize our faith, our core beliefs, are under attack.

Let’s face it, it’s hard to be a believer in our modern society. Let’s do a quick comparison between the ancients and our “enlightened” society. The prophet Jeremiah challenged the Jews for failing to keep the Sabbath holy, to reserve it for God and family. For most Americans today, Sunday is all about shopping and sports. Who has time for God or church? Jeremiah condemned the Jews for infant sacrifice and infanticide, holdovers from their pagan neighbors. Today we call it abortion, masquerading as health care, and tens of thousands are sacrificed every year.

Where’s the public outcry? Where are OUR prophets? Just like in Jeremiah’s time, those who raise a voice to oppose our public sins are mocked, marginalized, derided, and vilified as intolerant, bigots, haters by the media and civil society. Leaders of faith live in fear of offending someone — of being “cancelled” by the howling mob on social media.

We’re even afraid to live our faith too openly. Let’s do a quick test. Think about the last time you took your family out to eat. Fast food or fine dining — it doesn’t matter. So here’s the test: Before you started eating, did you say grace? Did you see anyone around you say grace? I doubt it. Most people here in Mobile claim to be Christians. So why do you think that is?

Truly, we’re living in a time of religious persecution, even if we don’t recognize it. We may not fear for our lives, but we’ve allowed our faith to become invisible to others, something we keep private, locked away. But that’s not who we’re called to be.

Which brings us to our Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is sending the apostles on a mission to bring the Good News of salvation to a people desperately in need. They know they’ll face persecution and hardship. As Pope Francis rightly says, “There is no Christian mission marked by tranquility.” But Christ tells them not to be afraid — “Fear no one” You’ve GOTthis, because I’ve got your back. GODhas your back. And if you’re faithful to me in THIS life, I’ll be there for you in the NEXT.

The Apostles are being called to mission today in our Gospel, AND SO ARE WE. It’s time to recognize the stealth persecution of our faith and take a stand. The whole point of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount // in our Gospel readings these past few weeks // is a call to be VISIBLE witnesses to our faith. It’s on us to answer that call, and take a stand against the evil we see around us. Will we become martyrs, “the seed of the Church,” as Tertullian put it? Unlikely — but the TRUE power of the martyrs lies not in the bloodthey shed, but in their steadfast WITNESS to their FAITH.

It’s time to step beyond our fear, and embrace Christ’s promise — “I am with you always.” We owe it to each other, ourselves, our families, and our society to become FEARLESS public witnesses to our faith — to stop worrying about being “politically correct,” to put ourselves out there, and take a stand for Truth in the face of the evil we see around us. You might be surprised at the impact we can have, if we only have the faith to try.

And what’s the worst that could happen? A bit of public discomfort in exchange for eternal life? That’s a deal we ALL should take.