Red Wednesday and Week 2025

This week, beginning Tuesday evening, November 18, 2025, our two sister churches, St. Gregory the Great and Holy Cross, have been illuminated with red lights. That scenery reminded me of the churches that were set on fire, of the martyrdom of Christians. Red is the colour of martyrdom, of love that gives life. It is the colour of the blood of many that is shed more than ever before, in our generation, and across the world.

Thus, the red-lit churches remind one of literal persecution by atheistic and anti-theistic regimes in some countries, where the freedom of religion is outlawed unjustly. In other countries, Christians are abducted, religiously cleansed from their homes and lands. In Ecumenism of the passion and blood of the Body of Christ, the Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, and Protestants are abducted, tortured, intimidated, forced to pay religious tax, abused, forcibly married and converted, assaulted, mistreated or killed. That happens today in some countries of central Africa simply because the Christians love and follow Jesus as God. There are some countries with a ‘silent Church,’ which may remind us of those Christians who were surviving as if under an iron fist behind the Iron Curtain in the last century. Furthermore, we hear that in some Western Christian countries, such as Germany, public multi-century lasting Christmas celebrations and bazaars will be cancelled this year due to the authorities' fear of some who threaten to harm people and property.

In sum, as always, Christ is attacked in Christians today directly and indirectly, openly and covertly, with lies; violently or through various types of intimidation and discrimination. They spew their diabolical hate against Christ in Christians, limiting our rights and freedoms, hurting our bodies, seeking to alienate our youth and destroy our souls, desecrating our sanctuaries and altars, burning our churches and homes.

Then, even if we Christians anywhere around the world lose everything, property and life, may we never lose our souls, our Faith, Christ. In our hurts and discouragements, feelings of frustration, abandonment, and betrayals, when crying loudly or with the silent cries of the heart in the presence of God, when assaulted and even killed, may all Christians here and around the world remember and know that Christ is the King. He is always with His People, us, His Church.

On this Red Wednesday and Week, let us pray that the ‘blood of martyrs – of those who died out of love for Christ – may continue to be the seed of many, holy Christians. Learn more https://acn-canada.org/red-wednesday/