Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
Father Francois Mourad died at the hands of Syrian rebels on June 23. They said he was collaborating with the Assad regime.
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic who was the only Christian in the Pakistani Cabinet, died in March 2011 when his car was sprayed with bullets. He had been under attack for his efforts to promote interfaith dialogue, including opposition to Pakistan’s 
blasphemy laws, which include death for anyone who defames Muhammad.
Annalena Tonelli, a Catholic aid worker, was shot to death in Kenya in October 2003. She had battled to stop female genital mutilation in Africa and helped care for AIDS and tuberculosis patients.
Catholics here in the United States risk their reputations if not their lives to stand up for the issues that most resonate with them: the Health and Human Services’ mandate that most employers’ health insurance policies cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing devices. Voting rights. Immigration reform. Legalized abortion. Capital punishment.
Sometimes, it feels like no matter where Christians may stand politically, someone or someones are ready to challenge us verbally or physically about some aspect of our most deeply held religious beliefs. May we always remember Jesus’s message from Matthew’s Gospel: “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” May that promise guide us and the work the Father calls us to do.
