TOMORROW’S SUNDAY

It could well be 20 years since, in this column, I wrote of the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero, assassinated at the altar of the Church of the Divine Providence in San Salvador. A single bullet took the life of this man of God while he was celebrating mass. Only a few weeks ago Father Jacques Hamel was murdered as he was saying mass at his church near Rouen. Words are inadequate to express our sorrow for such terrible deeds, but it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge the supreme sacrifice of those of our Christian family who have given their lives in the service of God, their Father. At his enthronement as Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey reminded us that more Christians had been martyred in the 20th century than in any of the centuries that preceded it. Sadly, it is so easy for us to take such sacrifice for granted. Paradoxically, Christianity appears to grow when confronted by adversity. That is not easy to grasp in our celebrity-obsessed culture, almost as poisoned by our devotion to comfort, as it is by money. Jessica Deleporte, Father Hamel’s niece, speaks of her determination – despite everything – to be tolerant and understanding. Such magnanimous determination is worthy of our response. Perhaps, as we reflect upon the tragedy of Rouen, we shall take no more for granted, and press on in the race of life which lies ahead.

George E Brown, Humbledon Methodist Church