The life of discipleship brings many joys and consolations—not least among them the hope we have in Christ—but it also demands something of us. When Jesus calls us to follow him, he also calls us to take up our crosses. This week, we remember especially those who have steadfastly held onto hope, remaining true to their faith in the face of oppression, violence and even death.
On Sunday, more than 2,000 Vietnamese Catholics gathered at St Patrick’s Cathedral to remember and honour the up to 300,000 Vietnamese martyrs whose stories of courage and faithfulness remain a source of inspiration for all of us.
As St Patrick’s Cathedral is lit up in red this week as part of Aid to the Church in Need’s Red November campaign, we hear about some of the ways we can stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world.
And in light of Pope Francis’ words on World Day of the Poor last Sunday—when he reminded us that Christian hope ‘needs us and our commitment, needs our faith expressed in works of charity, needs Christians who do not look the other way’—we share the story of the Richmond Churches Food Centre, an ecumenical initiative that has been quietly feeding people in need, and feeding hope, since the 1980s.
