Asenath Naeem, Communication Officer for Caritas Pakistan
By Asenath Naeem, Communication Officer for Caritas Pakistan
It was a different feeling going for Mass this Sunday. My heart was still heavy after seeing images of blood spattered All Saints Church where twin suicide blasts killed 86 congregation members in Peshawar.
They were the same people like me, going for a regular mass with their families and friends. Nobody knew it was the last time they were meeting, I wondered.
Security has been tightened on the major churches across the country since then. However there were no security concerns at the church I attend in Bahar Colony, a predominantly Christian majority locality in Lahore. Located amid narrow streets, such small churches are often ranked lower in the government security plan.
To my surprise, the church building was jam packed with people. Together we all prayed for the souls of the deceased and for those wounded in the attack.
I wonder how terrible it is for the survivors who are badly injured, I wonder if they shed tears over their physical pain or over the loss of the lives they faced. It is true that Christian history is rich in having the blood of martyrs flowing from the day the Christianity originated till today, seeing these in real life is more painful.
Now I wonder how easy is it to kill the innocent for any noble cause what so ever and what is the worth of blood. Does any amount of compensation justifies the worth of martyr’s blood.
Perhaps not. As a Pakistani Christian, I take comfort in believing that the blood of martyrs is the seed of Church. And I pray that this seed helps to blossom the faith of those who are alive , I also pray that this seed may calm the violent protesters making them realize that to reply violence with violence is not the Christian spirit and I pray that Love of Christ abounds in the hearts and binds the Christian community in perfect harmony . Amen !
This story was originally published by Caritas Pakistan