Homily: February 6 - Saint Paul Miki and companions

During the 16th century, the Catholic faith reached Japan by the efforts of the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier. Jesuit outreach to the Japanese continued after his death, and around 200,000 Japanese had entered the Church by 1587.  Paul Miki joined the Jesuits in 1580 as a young man, and became known for his eloquent preaching, and helped many Buddhists to embrace Christianity.

Religious tensions led to a period of persecution-- churches were destroyed and missionaries were forced to work in secret.  Miki and his companions were arrested, and condemned to death.  Paul Miki and his 25 companions were forced to march from Kyoto to Nagasaki, a 600 mile march, where they then February 5, 1597.

The group was made up of 6 Franciscans, from Spain, Mexico, and India, 3 Japanese Jesuits, and 17 lay Catholics.  They were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church. They were all crucified by being attached to crosses with ropes and chains and then put to death by the thrust of a lance. 

When missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith that Paul Miki and his companions died for.

From the Cross, Paul Miki gave his final sermon.  He said, “All of you who are here, please, listen to me. I am a Japanese by birth, and a brother of the Society of Jesus. I have committed no crime, and the only reason why I am put to death is that I have been teaching the doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy to die for such a cause, and see my death as a great blessing from the Lord.  I want to stress and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no way to salvation other than the Christian way.  The Christian religion tells us to forgive our enemies and those who do harm us, and so I say that I forgive the king and those responsible for my death. I have no hatred for the king; indeed, I wish that he and all the Japanese would become Christians.”

When John Paul II visited Nagasaki in 1981, he said, “In this holy place, people of all walks of life gave proof that love is stronger than death. They embodied the essence of the Christian message, the spirit of the Beatitudes, so that all who look up to them may be inspired to let their lives be shaped by unselfish love of God and love of neighbor.”

May we like Paul Miki and his companions be found faithful in witnessing to the unselfish love of God and neighbor, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.