Martyrdom in Yemen

During Holy Week, a parishioner from a congregation I previously served asked me to pray privately that Father Tom, an acquaintance of hers, would not be crucified by ISIS on Good Friday.

But those radical Islamist thugs and nihilists went ahead with their threat, killing a priest who bravely volunteered to minister in Yemen despite the dangers. It's tragically sad and infuriating.

Please pray for Christians being persecuted by Islamic-rooted terrorists, asking God to help them witness for Christ boldly and humbly in the face of persecution.

Ask God's Holy Spirit to use their witness to win their persecutors to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Please pray also for the governments of sovereign nations as they employ their resources to protect their citizens from acts of terrorism and to bring terrorists to justice.

Finally, please ask God to comfort and encourage Father Tom's family and friends with the promise of Jesus in which he believed:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." (John 3:16-8)