“The writing is on the wall” is a popular phrase to indicate that a message is clear. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ message to believers is super clear, “they will seize and persecute you.” This warning does not set off alarms for most of us. However, in many lands around the world, Catholics encounter persecution daily.
Listen to the true account of 20-year-old Servant of God Akash Bashir martyred standing guard at his parish church of Saint John in Lahore, Pakistan. Born in 1994, Akash was an active member of his family’s parish church of Saint John, often helping the needy.
After the 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, violence against Christians increased in Pakistan. Akash’s early teen years were punctuated by regular reports of mass shootings against Christians. In 2009, 2011, and 2013, 100 Christian homes were set on fire following rumors of blasphemous remarks by Christians. At All Saints Church in Peshawar, 75 people were massacred by a suicide bomber.
On Sunday, March 15, 2015, Akash showed up to his volunteer security post shortly before the 11 a.m. Mass at Saint John’s Catholic Church, just as he had done regularly since joining the guards four months earlier. At the same time, a suicide bomber made his way to Saint John’s, which was packed with worshipers. The bomber walked up to Akash and confronted him at the Church’s entrance. Akash quickly hugged the man to his body to prevent him from going inside. “I will die,” he told the man, “but I will not let you go in.” Unable to escape Akash’s grasp, the attacker set off the bomb, killing himself and Akash immediately.
Because of Akash’s faith and courage, more than 1000 worshipers were saved. Recalling the incident later, Akash’s mother said, “Akash was a piece of my heart. But our happiness is greater than our pain … He was a simple youth who died on the Lord’s road, saving the priest and parishioners. Akash is already our saint.”
On January 31, 2022, seven years after the blast, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore announced that the Vatican had named Akash Bashir a Servant of God, the first step in the canonization process. Akash is the first Pakistani Christian to be given this honor.
One of Akash’s brothers, Arsalan, has taken his place guarding Saint John’s Church. Rather than focus on the persecution, the people and family of Akash’s parish respond as Jesus asks all of us. They consider themselves “blessed” and strive to offer peace in the face of violence and mercy in place of hatred.
Father Wilfred J. Raymond, C.S.C. (Father Willy), a native of Old Town, Maine, is the eighth of 12 children. He joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1964 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College in 1967 and a master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. He served in ministry at Stonehill College (1979-1992), Holy Cross leadership (1994-2000), National Director of Family Theater Productions, Hollywood (2000-2014), and President of Holy Cross Family Ministries (2014-2022). In addition to English, he is conversant in French and Spanish. He remains a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, even though he has served as Chaplain for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
