"Brothers and sisters: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith."
- Hebrews 12: 1-2
If you're keeping up, you'll notice that the consistent message of the daily readings, and those from this past weekend is that of encouragement in the face of trial. Today, we are asked to be encouraged by "the cloud of witnesses", or those who have gone before us, to succeed, survive, or persevere, in the face of challenge.
Today is the Memorial of St. Agatha, another woman martyred at the hands of some powerful jerk who wanted more from her than she was willing to give. Minding her own business, and living her life of faith, she was singled out and ultimately tortured because she knew that she was more than an object of some king's desire. She was a witness for goodness and Truth.
A Woman in New Delhi: On December 16, 2012, a young woman and her companion boarded a New Delhi bus for home after seeing the film "Life of Pi". A gang of five men attacked them, raping and killing her. An outraged community protested, the police found the five, and the perpetrators are now standing trial. In its wake lie a bitter family, a scarred community, and a dead woman who simply went out with her boyfriend to see a movie. In the face of such evil, a people will ultimately find the good, for under Indian Law, the name of the victim has been withheld, only to be personalized by the media, and others, using pseudonyms like Jagruti ("awareness"), Amanat ("treasure"), Nirbhaya ("fearless one"), and Damini ("lightning") to describe her and the witness she has shown to all who remember her!
While its obvious that this kind of thing HAS TO STOP, let it be known that God's love and hope always wins in the end. Justice will prevail, and a young woman, martyred at the hands of evil, will continue to rise and shine. She will now, and forever be, a witness... a treasure... a fearless one who has unleashed a lightning strike of hope, that, whether in New Delhi in 2012, or in Scicily back in the sixth century, VIOLENCE LIKE THIS WILL NEVER BE TOLERATED.
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