Blessings of peace, mercy, and the love of Christ to all of you, my brothers and sisters.
Today, we gather under the gaze of the Almighty, who sees the suffering of the innocent, the cries of the oppressed, and the violence that stains our world. We remember the martyrs, like Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, who bore witness to the truth even unto death—not with swords, but with faith, not with hatred, but with love. Their sacrifice reminds us that the path of Christ is not one of vengeance, but of justice tempered with mercy.
The Scourge of Violence and the Sin of Sexual Violence
The story of Dinah in Genesis is a tragedy that echoes through the ages—a young woman violated, her dignity stripped away by cruelty. Today, we hear the same cries from the victims of Hamas, from the countless women and children brutalized in conflicts across the world. Sexual violence is not merely a weapon of war; it is a desecration of the divine image within every human being. It is a sin that cries out to heaven for justice.
But we must ask: What is our response? Do we turn away, or do we, like the Dinah Project, seek justice with courage and compassion? The Lord does not call us to indifference but to action—to protect the vulnerable, to demand accountability, and to heal the wounded. If we remain silent, we become complicit in the suffering. If we act, we become instruments of God’s justice.
The Humanitarian Crisis: A Test of Our Humanity
Our Lord tells us in Matthew’s Gospel: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Today, millions are strangers in their own land—displaced, hungry, and afraid. The people of Gaza, the refugees fleeing war, the children without homes—they are not statistics. They are Christ in disguise.
When governments speak of moving populations into camps, when borders become prisons, when human dignity is sacrificed for political expediency, we must ask: Where is our compassion? Where is our mercy? The Church cannot remain silent while the innocent suffer. We must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome the stranger—not as an act of charity, but as a sacred duty.
The Protection of the Innocent: A Divine Mandate
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones," Christ warns us. Yet how often do we fail them? Poisoned children in China, bombed schools in war zones, trafficked infants sold into slavery—these are not distant tragedies. They are indictments of a world that has forgotten the sanctity of life.
Every child is a gift from God, and every life is precious in His eyes. If we allow the innocent to perish through neglect, through greed, through indifference, then we betray the very heart of the Gospel. The Church must be a fortress for the defenseless, a voice for the voiceless.
The Crisis Within the Church: A Call to Renewal
Yet even as we look outward, we must also look inward. The Church today faces a crisis of credibility—scandals have shaken the faith of many, and too often, our leaders have failed to live as Christ commanded. But the solution is not despair—it is repentance, renewal, and radical love.
I call upon every one of you, my brothers and sisters, to be living witnesses of Christ’s mercy. Hold your shepherds accountable, but also support them in holiness. Rebuild trust through transparency, through service, through unwavering fidelity to the truth. The world will not listen to a divided Church, but it will heed a Church that radiates Christ’s love.
A Choice Between Two Futures
The road ahead is stark. If we continue in complacency, the world will descend deeper into violence, into famine, into moral decay. Wars will multiply, the innocent will perish, and the earth itself will groan under the weight of our sins.
But if we rise—if we act with courage, with faith, with love—then Christ will work miracles through us. Imagine a world where no child fears hunger, where no woman suffers violence, where no refugee is turned away. This is not a dream—it is the Kingdom of God breaking into our world.
The Time to Act Is Now
Let us leave this place not as passive spectators, but as soldiers of mercy. Feed the hungry. Shelter the homeless. Defend the weak. Demand justice. Pray without ceasing. And above all, love without limits.
The martyrs did not die for a faith of empty words. They died for a living Gospel—one that transforms the world. Will we honor their sacrifice? Will we be worthy of our calling?
The choice is ours. The hour is urgent. The Lord is watching.
Amen.
What can we do?
The world faces deep suffering—violence, displacement, and harm to the innocent. But each of us, in small and practical ways, can contribute to healing and justice. Here’s how:
Against Violence and Sexual Violence
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