A contemporary Latin American memorial...
Illustration
A contemporary Latin American memorial service for Christian martyrs who have died for their faith sounds the note of final triumph. The names of these people attending the service are read one at a time, and after each name is read the person replies: Presente! (I am here.) Later the names of those persons who have been killed on behalf of their Christian testimony are read, and after each martyr's name is read, the whole group responds for them: Presente! Some of the names are well-known figures: for example, Camilo Torres and Archbishop Romero; for the most part, however, they are ordinary people who have suffered for the cause of Christ. Here is a sense of the communion of the saints, a determination to carry on their work in the present, and a conviction that no matter how long the persecution may persist eventually God will overcome. Like the promise to readers of Daniel's tract in a similar time of violent unrest, the hope is set forth in that "many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake ... to everlasting life." -- Hasler
(Reprinted from Emphasis, November-December, 1991)
(Reprinted from Emphasis, November-December, 1991)
