Pakistan / Blood

Before I even went to church, yesterday, there was news on Facebook of the suicide bombing of a large, historic Christian church in Pakistan.  There were about 600 worshipers and about 60 killed.  The news of such horrendous massacres reach us almost every day nowadays, though nothing quite like this, usually with the violence perpetrated by Al Qaeda or Sunni Muslims.  It could put a pall on every day.  Everywhere Christians are hurt and persecuted in the vilest ways, with churches and property destroyed, people abducted and disappearing, fleeing and becoming refugees.

At church, communing, it became particularly meaningful again, that we are participating in Christ's body and blood.  Why blood?  Why crucifixtion?  Why such nasty imagary? -- They often say to us. -- Because we suffer.  Because we die.  Because our Lord died.  Just like we do.  Because of sin and evil.

In the sacrament we all participate.  Your blood spilled in Pakistan is my blood, is Christ's blood.

People look to be "one".  This is how we are one.  We are one in the blood.  We "are" one.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/world/asia/pakistan-church-bombing.html?_r=0

Even the suicide bomber.  He wants to go to Paradise and this is how he thinks he will do it.  But the price for his paradise is already paid by the One whom he persecutes.





On someone's FB post there was this comment, which helped some:

 Herr, wie lange noch? Wir haben den Zusammenbruch des Kommunismus erlebt. Und der Stein aus Dan. 2 rollt weiter. Dann, wenn es niemand meint, wird auch der radikale Islam seine Kraft verlieren.


--It means: "O Lord, how long?"  We have experienced the collapse of communism.  And the stone from Daniel  2 rolls on further.  Then, when no one thinks it, also radical Islam will lose its power.