Daily Devotion

“In short, the ruin is almost entire, the work of forty years is nearly annihilated; the courage of missionaries, nevertheless, is not on the wane; we shall begin over again, assured of success in the end, for “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians;” unless God design to punish unhappy China, that has abused His grace for centuries. Let us hope that He will grant pardon, so many persons, even among the mandarins, are innocent of the atrocities committed. We love, and will ever love, our poor people of China; pray for them and for us.”

Alphonse Favier · Letter of Bishop Alphonse Favier accompanying his siege journal (1900), in The Heart of Pekin: Bishop A. Favier's Diary of the Siege, May–August, 1900, ed. Jos. Freri (Boston: Marlier & Co., 1901), pp. 16–17

Scripture

Matthew 5:44-45 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven, who causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Reflection

After the siege of the Beitang in 1900, Bishop Alphonse Favier saw forty years of work nearly annihilated, yet he spoke of beginning over again, hoped that God would pardon the many who were innocent of the atrocities, and wrote, "We love, and will ever love, our poor people of China." To keep loving after being wounded is the hardest lesson in Jesus' teaching to "love your enemies"; revenge cannot heal wounds, only the love of Christ brings true healing. Reflecting on our lives today, although we haven't experienced war, we often feel bitterness over trivial offenses, building walls of isolation in our hearts. Jesus commands us to pray for those who persecute us, so that we can use the power of the cross to dismantle hatred and liberate our souls. True followers of Christ do not love others in good times, but choose to be bridges of peace even in times of loss, overcoming malice with love.