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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Jesus said to Mathew, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved”. Mathew, a tax collector, knew a thing or two about being hated.
You may not know this: there are about 100,000 Christians who live in modern day Iran. They are part of the Armenian Apostolic Church. St. Thaddeus brought Christianity to Persia in the first century. Today a monastery still stands in his memory. But Christians in Iran are severely persecuted. Their homes are vandalized. It is not safe for them to walk in public. Their wives and daughters who don’t follow Muslim dress codes are subject to arrest, sometimes grabbed right off the streets.
There are about 200,000 Coptic Christians in Egypt. They are so hated that on Christmas Eve a van pulled up outside of their church and fired into the crowd. Eight were killed.
These churches are not thriving; they are dying. When young people are able, they move away to other countries where it is safer to practice their faith. Who could blame them?
Which brings me to an important question: How would your faith be different it were dangerous to be a Christ-follower? If you were an outcast in your own world, would you still be able to claim your faith?
We are blessed that in the United States, it’s still considered virtuous to be a religious person.
This month we observe the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It’s a celebration of Christ’s unending love for you and me… for humanity. Jesus led a sinless life, and suffered an unimaginably harsh death on the Cross. And for who? For you and me… who are filthy with sin. That must have been hard. Remember that the next time you find being a Christian difficult, or, perhaps, just somewhat inconvenient. Other Christians are enduring more than you and me. And Jesus endured even more for our salvation. The Sacred Heart of Jesus loves us more than we can even imagine.
Chris Conley
I hope you’ll consider becoming a regular donor to the Gospel TLC. It’s a recovery home in Weston for men who are trying to beat addiction. If you’d like to become a monthly donor, click here.
They also need food and household items, like meat, chicken, vegetables, eggs and sausage. Those things can be dropped off at the Gospel TLC building, near the hospital, on Cross Pointe Boulevard in Weston.
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