Dear friends, as we reflect on the final solemn days of Jesus’ earthly ministry within the Jewish territory, we keep in mind the fact that Jesus remains a paradigm for authentic Christian witnessing. The content of His final prayers for the Church He was about to leave behind significantly captures the fact that God is the beginning and end of all our purposes. Jesus started with prayer, and now is ending with prayer in recognition of God’s glory even in the face of trials and persecution that awaited Him. Moreover, this is what gives impetus to Paul’s own final days as he looks forward to the tragedy that awaits him in Jerusalem, but not after the Christian faith has moved beyond the Jewish territory to penetrate the Gentile hearts.
Interestingly, within this same spirit of witnessing, the story of the Young Martyrs of Uganda whose memorials we celebrate today, becomes a motivation to fight the good fight and run any good race to the finish, bearing in mind that we are working for God’s glory. If possible, to die fighting for the Godly cause. This motivation can spread through other areas of life, to stand and fight for a good cause. From Jesus to Paul and then to the Young Martyrs of Uganda, it was their word against the world’s. Yet the glory of God must always prevail, even when it seems like the world is winning.
For people like Charles Lwanga and his companions, they stood their ground to maintain the demands of their Christian faith, even at the threats of death and horrors. They were eventually burnt alive for refusing to give in to the King’s demand to engage in immoral acts. But their story didn’t die with their death more than hundred years ago. Their story still lives and will continue to outlive injustice, evil, oppression and human wickedness, all to the glory of God. Legend even has it that St. Kizito one of the Martyrs, who was only 13 or 15yrs even his captors to convey the firewood that was to be used in setting him and his colleagues ablaze. This action challenges the Christian young people of our own time, a time when youths are compromising Christian values in order to accommodate their own kind of Christianity.
The Ugandan scenario also challenges Christians to whom truth has become a big luxury because they have to curry favour from a life of lies and deceits.
Jesus prayed for authentic witnessing, Paul understood the assignment, the Martyrs of Uganda paid a price: what are you doing today as a witness? What kind of witness are you?
The Lord be with you
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