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3 DENVER CATHOLIC | JULY 2022 303.468.9885 • TheCatholicFoundation.com Call us to learn more Deacon Steve Stemper Lisa Kukura Joshua Gideon " So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith. Galatians 6:10 Why The Catholic Foundation? We are your completely legally independent, trustworthy Catholic legacy partners. No agendas No fees Simply…a team of faithful Catholic experts wanting to help. A P R O - L I FE , C AT H O L I C R E S P O N S E TO AT TACK S In the wake of the draft opinion on the Dobbs case being leaked, some of our churches and both Catholic and non-Catholic pro-life centers have been attacked. We should not be surprised when this happens. In fact, the attacks speak to the effectiveness of our witness for life. As Jesus told the disciples, "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. … Remember the word that I said to you … If they persecuted me, they will persecute you …" (Jn 15:18-20). So, how should we respond when we are attacked and vilified? Jesus told us not to be surprised when we are persecuted because the Gospel exposes sins, exposes the "father of lies," and when sin is exposed to the light it can either lead to repentance or to a harden- ing of heart and a descent into hatred. This is a temp- tation both for those far from God and for those who live the faith but are on the receiving end of evil. We must be on guard so that we do not allow evil to turn us toward hatred. Instead, we must beg God for the grace to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Cf. Mt 5:44). We can draw inspiration for this supernatural strug- gle by looking to previous generations of persecuted Christians and to those who are suffering for the faith today. I was recently reading about our brothers and sisters in Nigeria who routinely bear the heavy cross of brutal attacks that have taken the lives of dozens, including the elderly and children. Just a few weeks ago, 50 parishioners were bombed and gunned down while they celebrated Pentecost at St. Francis Xavier Church in the southwestern town of Owo. At the funeral for many of the victims, the grieving parish was encouraged not to let the tragedy crush them. "People of God," Bishop Emmanuel Badejo said, "tragedy and sorrow, small or great, have the capacity to batter and crush us only if we succumb to them. … Today, difficult though it is, let us choose more to give thanks to God that he gave our departed brethren the life, the faith and the privilege of belonging to Him and of returning to Him even in this incomprehensible manner." When we suffer for protecting children in the womb, for believing that God made us male and female, for upholding the sanctity of marriage, for insisting on the dignity of migrants, for fighting racism, or any attack on the image and likeness of God, let us seek to imitate our brothers and sisters in the faith who turn to the Lord for strength and perseverance. Let us seek to also imitate the Apostles, who were whipped for preaching about Jesus and rejoiced when they were considered worthy to suffer for preaching about Jesus (Cf. Acts 5:41). Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn and the mother of Jesus, pray for us and protect us!