Homily: Sept 20 2016 - St Andrew Kim and holy martyrs of Korea - "those who hear the word and act on it"

Saint Andrew Kim was the first native-born Korean priest, and he was beheaded for the faith. He, and St. Paul Chong Hasang with their 111 companions were martyred over the course of many years, but were canonized together by Saint John Paul II in 1984.

For centuries, Catholicism was seen as a threat to Korean customs and traditions, so Christianity took root in Korea only after much struggle and effort. But when it did begin to take root, those roots were strong.

Andrew wrote to his fellow Christians the following words: “We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?”

What good is baptism if we are Christian in name only? Jesus offers a similar sentiment in the Gospel today: what good is it being simply being called a brother of Christ? “My brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The martyrs, through their faithful witness, show us what it truly means to be a brother of Christ. Because he so cared for the souls of his fellow Koreans, St. Andrew risked his life smuggling missionaries into Korea, so that his native countrymen might have the Word of God preached to them—that they might discover how Christianity isn’t a threat to Korea, it is the path to it’s true greatness. He was captured, tortured, and killed for his care for souls.

At their 1984 canonization ceremony, Saint John Paul II called Saint Andrew Kim, Saint Paul and their 111 companions “the leaven” that lead to the splendid flowering of the Church in Korea.
How are we called to be “leaven” today—the leaven that will lead to the flowering of the Church in our own land? What will we do today that will lead souls to Christ? What will our Christian witness look like today in our own limited capacity?

How might we, like St. Andrew, "smuggle" the Gospel into the lives of our grandchildren, neighbors...

The blood of the martyrs is the most powerful leaven in the Church, inspired by the heroic sacrifices of the martyrs, may the Holy Spirit teach us to pour ourselves out in faithful service this day, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.