Remembering our sister, Asia

Another Christmas in jail for a Christian woman in Pakistan who has been charged with blasphemy:

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Her only hope for the future is to return to her family, to embrace her daughters, so she asks for our prayers while praying that other "brothers and sisters" will not go to prison on false charges of blasphemy. It will be another Christmas in jail, away from her loved ones, for Asia Bibi, the Christian mother of five children, locked in the women's prison Sheikpura (Punjab), sentenced to death by the " black law" pending appeal, still awaiting for the High Court of Lahore to set a date. Yesterday a delegation of the International Masihi Foundation, an NGO that deals with the legal protection of women, visited her to exchange greetings on the eve of the festive season. And for the first time since the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who was killed by his bodyguard in January last year, Asia has found herself before a large group of people so far, in fact, she could only speak with her husband and the lawyer during the weekly interview with relatives.

In her isolation cell, looking tired and aged, beyond her 46 years, fragile and very weak, she can barely stand up. Entering the room reserved for meetings escorted by two guards, she appears confused and her eyes run from right to left for the duration of the meeting, about 2 hours and 20 minutes, with alternating emotions ranging from tears to laughter, as well as long periods of silence. Her voice is weak, for the first 10 minutes she can not figure out if the members of the delegation are "friends or enemies." She stops talking when a prison guard enters the room and when they ask how she is treated by the prison authorities she looks away, as if she had not heard the question and closes in a stubborn silence.

Please visit AsiaNews for details of an interview with Asia Bibi, and remember to pray for those who will not be agonising over dinner menus, where to put extra guests, and whether or not there are enough presents under the tree. Also keep in mind those who will not drag themselves to another overcrowded Christmas Mass (where the C&E crowd takes all the good seats) because they must worship in secret, fearing police brutality, mob violence or hidden explosives.

And when you kneel before the creche this weekend, ask for the prayers of the abundant recent martyrs to inflame your faith to endure whatever comes. Although we may feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the myriad expectations of those around us, remember that God is what they need, just as He is what we need to fill us so that we can radiate His Divine Love to a confused world.