On the evening of 24 March, 1980, Oscar Romero, the Catholic
Archbishop of San Salvador was assassinated. Archbishop Romero
had been an increasingly outspoken figure against landowners
leaving people to die in their pursuit of profit, and the violence
endemic in a country which had been plunged into civil war.
Archbishop Romero reminds me of Stephen. Their circumstances
aren’t exactly the same, but Archbishop Romero’s story shows us
what can happen to someone who is peacefully seeking to serve
God.
Both Stephen and Archbishop Romero prayed for those who were
persecuting them.
We like to think of acts of service as nice, non-controversial things.
But of course, Christ came as one who served and was crucified for
it. What are the challenges in the places where God calls you to
service? How does knowing that Christ is the Lord, at the right hand
of God equip you to love the people around you in your day to day
life? Does that help you to pray even for people who frustrate you,
oppose you, or even attack you?
