Death of Huguenot Elie Neau
“Sir, do not pity me, for could you but see the secret pleasures my heart experiences, you would think me happy.” Neau, speaking to his persecuters
Elie Neau started no major movements, preached no recorded sermons, wrote no oft recited hymns, and has only one published work attributed to him (which describes in detail current and past protestants enslaved on the galleys of King Louis). Instead, Neau is remembered as a man of faith, whose firm believe in his Huguenot predecessors led him right into the arms of church persecution.
After spending several years in prison, aboard slave galleys, and in the hands of pirates, he fled to New York, and ended up at Trinity Church, where he worked hard on education programs for the children of Native Americans and slaves. He believed that education held the key to truly equalizing society.
Neau reminds us we will face persecution from all sides, but in many cases, from the organizations and groups who claim to serve the same Lord and master. The key seems to be focusing not on the despair and frustration of oppression, but instead on the living work of becoming Christ's image and helping those in need of true freedom.