A man named Akash Bashir was born in Pakistan in1994. He graduated from Don Bosco Technical Institute and was an active member of his Catholic parish community, regularly volunteering to help. During a shift volunteering as a security guard at St. John's Catholic Church in 2015, he noticed a man trying to enter wearing an explosive belt around his waist. Akash blocked his path and said, "I will die, but I will not let you go in." The suicide bomber detonated the explosives, killing himself, Akash, and two others outside the church building with them. He is now the first Pakistani Catholic who has been named as a servant of God in the process of canonization for the way he gave up his life for the faith in order to save others. More than 1,000 Pakistani Catholics were attending Sunday Mass when he was killed. On the anniversary of the date on which he was killed, March 15, 2015, we invoke his intercession and his prayers for all who enduring religious persecution throughout the world.
Our reading today from the Book of Wisdom talks about a good and virtuous man who is not respected or revered, but rather condemned to a shameful death. Rather than wanting to follow his example of goodness, others see this virtuous man as being annoying and opposing the way of life. Not only is this a prophecy of what Jesus goes through on his journey to the cross, it speaks of those who are persecuted for their faith in the modern world today, such as Akash Bashir. Do we stand by the side of virtue and goodness, or do we justify the ways we turn our backs on our faith? Do we make time for so many different things in our lives, but have little time for God? Yes, where do we stand?
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