Defending Christ Amid Chaos

On March 4, 2016, four Catholic sisters belonging to Blessed Mother Teresa’s order, Missionaries of Charity, were among the sixteen peopled murdered by terrorists in Yemen. The news prompted a widespread reaction by both secular and faith-based media. On Sunday, March 6, 2016, Pope Francis told an audience the sisters “gave their blood for the Church,” and said they are modern-day martyrs and victims of “this indifference of globalization.” Their martyrdom is something all Catholics should pay attention to because it epitomizes what it means to have a “total love for God,” as Pope Benedict XVI described in his General Audience address in 2010. There is, however, another facet of this tragedy that many are not familiar with.

A week after the massacre took place, I was shown a detailed handwritten account by a survivor who described what happened before, during, and after the tragedy. The person’s description is reminiscent of many other horrendous stories of Christians killed in recent years. It even brought back memories of the 1998 murders of three Missionary of Charity sisters, who were shot and killed as they left a hospital in the city of Al Hudaydah. Yet, though horrific the description was, something apart from the murders jumped out at me. The account mentioned the actions of a priest, who stayed behind to pray in the chapel after celebrating morning Mass. The survivor wrote:

“Meanwhile at the convent, Father had heard the screaming and consumed all the Hosts. He had no time to consume the large Host so he threw the oil out of the sanctuary lamp and dissolved it in the water.”

The person went on to describe how this priest, Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil S.D.B, was put into a car and taken away. As of the writing of this article, his whereabouts and condition are still unknown.

Upon hearing all the chaos and gunfire outside the chapel, Fr. Tom’s first instinct was to protect the Hosts. He could’ve tried escaping, hid, or done anything else, but he didn’t. Why? Because the Hosts must’ve been consecrated; making them the real (not symbolic) Flesh, Soul and Divinity of Christ. Although not in human bodily form, Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist and Fr. Tom’s actions demonstrated his conviction in this.

His actions proved to be the right decision because the terrorists desecrated the church. The survivor wrote, “All the religious articles were smashed and destroyed – Our Lady, Crucifix, altar, Tabernacle, lectionary stand – even their prayer books and Bibles.” If Fr. Tom had not done what he did, they would have surely desecrated Christ in the Eucharist too.

Fr. Tom is a Salesian of Don Bosco priest, and those who know of this order, should not be surprised with his instinctual actions. The Salesians are one of the “many” religious orders known for their devotion to the Holy Eucharist. For them, it makes up the second pillar of their spirituality. Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B. said this about Don Bosco:

“Don Bosco was a "vir eucharisticus", that is, a saint formed through and through by the Eucharist. He was so passionate about the Eucharist that he communicated his passion to the young people he carefully prepared for communion with the Lord through the sacrament of Reconciliation. For Don Bosco, Confession and the Eucharist were the two sacraments that inculcated in young people the Christian virtues and holiness.” [i]

The instinctual actions of Fr. Tom should prompt us to reflect on how passionate we are about the Eucharist. Do we really believe in Christ’s real presence in it? If put in his shoes; would we have done the same? Some of us might emphatically and boldly say “Yes,” but unless we are actually in that situation, I believe it is almost impossible to answer that last question. Our human instincts to survive and avoid the likeliness of torture, suffering, and death would certainly come into play. Thoughts about ever seeing our loved ones can also affect our response. In the end, it will be our level of faith in Christ’s real presence that will determine the outcome.

It would behoove us to pay attention to the relevancy of Fr. Tom’s belief in the Eucharist, both on a personal and broader level. On a personal level, we should at least reflect on how much it is part of our daily lives. Don Bosco used to remind people, “If you want many graces, pay many visits to Jesus in the Sacrament; if you want few graces, pay him few". On a broader level, we should make this the first priority in trying to resolve every problem or crisis in society, as well as within the Church. If we believe as Fr. Tom does in the Eucharist; our world would be much more pleasing to God.

Let us continue to pray for Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, and for the repose of all the souls of those killed in the massacre.

Oremus: Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetuat luceat eis. Requiescant in pace.

[i] The Four Pillars of Salesian Spirituality: http://www.ewtn.com/library/SPIRIT/SALESPIR.HTM