14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ~ James 2:14-24
There are a lot of videos currently circulating of Muslims publicly performing Matam. It’s a ritual done mainly by Shia Muslims during Muharram. This one ritual is part of a larger mourning process that should put every Christian to shame. See, these Shia Muslims get together and chant as they beat their chests because they believe that mourning should be felt physically in the body. This is meant to express solidarity and grief that words can’t carry or express. It’s intended to be a physical vow of loyalty to what Husayn stood for.
See, all of this is to show loyalty to the grandson of their prophet Muhammad, Husayn Ibn Ali. He was killed at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, standing against tyranny. They beat their chests in loyalty to him and in commemoration of his death. The intensity can range from light beating to intense pounding, causing bruising. The devotion they have to their religion and the faith they have to physically beat themselves should shame any Christian.
See, as Christians, we don’t even sacrifice our time to go to church on Sunday mornings. Or our TV time to pray. We don’t make time to enter the presence of our God, the Creator of the entire Universe, yet we claim to have the one true religion. Either we don’t have the one true religion, or we don’t truly believe that we do. We don’t have a god who will throw us away simply because he doesn’t want us. No, we serve a God who seals us Himself until He Himself comes to get us to be with Him forever. He assures us of His love for us. A God who is faithful even when we are not. We cling so hard to grace and love that we abuse it. We don’t want to contribute anything to the relationship. So, what are we to do? Live our lives as if our religion is the only true one and that our God is the only true God, because it is, and He is as well.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do More Than The Matam.