When Churches Bleed: A Cry for Unity at the Foot of the Cross
In recent years—and as recently as just days ago in Syria—we have witnessed devastating attacks on churches during sacred moments of worship. From Saint Elias Church in Damascus to the sanctuaries of Nigeria, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the Philippines , the blood of the faithful has mingled with the altar of sacrifice. They died as they came to meet Christ in the Eucharist. They died not as Protestants, Catholics, or Orthodox—but as Christians, as Christ’s beloved. And I wonder: Why does God allow such horrific things to happen in His house, during His liturgy, at the hour of offering? Is it possible that God weeps not only for the lives lost but also for the disunity of His Church ? Have we, the Body of Christ, grown accustomed to division, to the excommunications and estrangements we justify in His name? The Lord Jesus did not offer up His prayer in John 17 for institutional pride or theological rivalry, but for oneness : “That they may all be one; even ...