The Feast of the Apostle of Germany, St Boniface.

"In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3: 12).

Friday 5th June 2020, 9th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Boniface (680 - 754), Bishop and Martyr. The well educated English priest St Boniface was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize the German tribes. Boniface was consecrated the first Bishop of Germany. He organized the Church in Germany but was martyred in Friesland (present day Netherlands) when he went to preach there. St Boniface is the patron saint of Germany.

Today is also the first Friday in June 2020.

"My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials." (Sirach 2: 1). No priest or prophet is ignorant of this truth. Paul is repeating a very obvious wisdom to Timothy. "In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3: 12). Commitment to the service of God is not for the faint of heart. When the Bishop Boniface left his native shores to travel to Germany, he must have sensed that he would not be coming home alive to England.

The present age has been reputed to be the bloodiest for Christian missionaries. Consider the constant and undying persecution of the Church in China and Sudan. Missionaries compelled by the love of Christ are still finding their way into these hostile countries.

Jesus Christ is the light of the nations. He shines through His missionaries. The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com