A prayer for a priest abducted by ISIS
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done"
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Peace be with you! We are still in shock
from the brutal murder of the four Missionaries of Charity and 12 collaborators
in Aden on March 4. We pray for the repose of their souls. At the same time we
implore the four martyrs to intercede for Yemen and for the whole Middle East
that peace may come and violence cease.
Since March 4, Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a
Salesian priest, who has been serving in Yemen for several years, has been missing.
Since the day he was kidnapped we do not know what has happened to him or where
he is. There is still hope that he may be freed. As we are celebrating the
Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord, I ask all of you to pray for Father Tom, especially
during the adoration hours on Maundy Thursday after the celebration of the Last
Supper Mass. United with Jesus, with Father Tom and many others who are
persecuted we pray: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet
not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We pray that the same angel who
comforted Jesus may give strength to all who are in danger and strengthen them
in the hours of darkness.
I wish to express my solidarity and
compassion with all who are affected by the events in Aden: the family members,
the Missionaries of Charity, the Congregation of the Salesian Fathers, and not least
the patients of the home and the few Christians remaining without a shepherd
during this time of trial. We pray for the conversion of the evildoers and make
our own, the prayer of Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they do
not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). We believe that Golgotha is not the
end. Jesus is the Christ, the Risen Lord who lives and reigns forever. In Him I
wish you all a very Happy Easter.
Bishop Paul Hinder Apostolic Vicar of
Southern Arabia Abu Dhabi, March 22,
2016
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