THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime
TO THE
POINT OF GIVING
HIS
VERY LIFE
Realizing
that he could not stop him, he told him,
“I will
not let you pass even if I have to give up my life.”
Thus, it was—the suicide bomber
set off the charge.
My
good friends and readers of various Salesian media:
I
greet you very cordially at the beginning of this new academic year, which we
trust will be filled with hope, new plans, a beautiful family atmosphere, and
the desire to live intensely even in
serving others. I say “even” because it cannot be taken for granted that
all young people want to serve others; still, many, many do.
You
know how greatly I enjoy sharing with you those life events that have touched my heart. That is why today, in
the face of so many plans, dreams, and prospects for the new school year, I
want to tell you the story of a young man. He is very much like so many young
people from our houses, playgrounds, and groups: young volunteer missioners,
young people doing public service, or animators of oratories and youth centers
who also enjoy being with each other, the friends with whom they continue to
share the beauty of life.
This
young man about whom I will speak next is a Salesian past pupil from Pakistan
who “simply” allowed himself to be blown up—a martyr—to save dozens of lives.
Certainly, I am not asking you to do this, but I am telling you that young
people are capable of everything, even the greatest acts of heroism.
The story of Akash Bashir
Akash Bashir’s life is surprisingly ordinary. Born into a humble family of deep, sincere faith, Akash was a Catholic lad and a Salesian past pupil. He had studied at one of our Salesian schools in Pakistan in Youhanabad, the Christian quarter of the city of Lahore.
Akash
led a life just like that of any other young person of our world. It was spent with
his family and friends, at school and work, playing sports, and in prayer. Of
course, in a country like Pakistan, which is of a conservative Muslim faith,
being a young Catholic is no little matter; faith is not just a title or a family
tradition, it is an identity. What made him different was a simple but
significant common thread throughout his life: that of service. Every moment of
Akash’s life was an act of service; in fact, he died serving his neighborhood
community. He served and gave of himself to the point of giving his very life.
On
March 15, 2015, while Mass was being celebrated in St. John’s Parish in
Youhanabad, the group of security guards made up of young volunteers, to which
Akash Bashir belonged, faithfully guarded the entrance. Something unusual
happened that day. Akash realized that a man with explosives under his clothes wanted
to blow himself up inside the church. He held him back, spoke to him, and
prevented him from entering, but realizing that he could not stop him, he told
him, “I will not let you pass even if I have to give up my life.” At that
moment, Akash hugged him tightly, using his body as a shield to contain the
explosion. Thus, it was—the suicide bomber set off the charge. Our young
alumnus died, offering his own life to save the lives of the hundreds of
people, boys, girls, mothers, adolescents, and men who were praying at that
time inside the church. Akash was only 20 years old.
This
event deeply impressed us as Salesians and the Salesian Family. Naturally, we
are unable to and do not want to forget young Akash. His simple, normal life,
we would say, is undoubtedly a very meaningful, important, and momentous
example for young Christians living in Lahore, and throughout both Pakistan
and our Salesian world.
His
mother said, “Akash was a piece of my heart. But our happiness is greater than
our pain because he did not die because he was an addict or in an accident. He
was a simple youth who died on the Lord’s road, saving the priest and the
parishioners. Akash is already our saint.”
Today,
Akash’s younger brother, Arsalan, is part of the security team in their church.
“We did not stop him because we did not want to impede our children from
serving the Church,” his mother stated.
Young martyrs of today
There
may be those who have forgotten the value of service. Perhaps we Christians
have forgotten that the commandment to love God also implies love and service
to our neighbor. Akash understood it very well and incarnated it in his young
life. Being faithful in little things, he was able to be faithful in big ones,
too. Through the offering of his life, he saved those hundreds of families.
Akash Bashir’s death reflects the love of Jesus on the Cross for the salvation
of many.
This life of service, of deep, simple prayer, and of love of neighbor is, without a doubt, the most evident charismatic sign of the Salesian educational system. Every student in any of our works knows that to reach sanctity all it takes is to be happy, deeply loving both God and the many people whom we hold dear; to take care of those whom we hardly even know; to be responsible in ordinary duties; to serve; and to pray. Akash Bashir is the living example of this. He is an example of holiness for any Christian, an example for all the young Christians of the world. Thus, it is possible to be a saint today!
In
a particular way, Akash represents young Pakistani Christians and those in
religious minorities. Akash Bashir is the standard, icon, and voice of so many
Christians who are attacked, persecuted, humiliated, and martyred in
non-Catholic countries. Akash is the voice of so many brave young people who
are capable of giving their lives for the Faith despite poverty, religious
extremism, indifference, social inequality, discrimination, and life’s
difficulties.
I
cite here some of these young saints or blesseds, such as St. Dominic Savio
(+1857), St. Maria Goretti (+1902), Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (+1925), St. José
Sanchez del Río (+1928), and the recently beatified Carlo Acutis (+2006).
Like
theirs, perhaps as an “anonymous saint,” Akash Bashir’s life and martyrdom in
today’s world is the light of Faith that bursts forth from the darkness of
hatred.
Akash’s
life is powerful evidence of the Catholic Church of today that reminds us of
the first Christian communities of the past. They lived immersed in cultures
and philosophies opposed to the Faith of Jesus the Christ. The communities of
the Acts of the Apostles were also a minority, but with an immeasurable faith
in God. The life and martyrdom of this 20-year-old Pakistani makes us recognize
the power of God’s Holy Spirit, who is alive and present in the least expected
places—in the humble, in the persecuted, in the young, and in the “little ones”
(the anawim) of God.
Akash
Bashir, our Salesian alumnus from Pakistan, is a living testimony to our
Preventive System, an example for our young people, and a blessing to our
religious minorities.
I
wish the best to you all—your families, communities, and works—and a beautiful
beginning of the academic year.
Fr. Angel
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