On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II
canonized a group of 117 martyrs who died for the Roman Catholic Faith in
Vietnam during the nineteenth century. Members of this group included 8
bishops, 50 priests, 59 lay Catholics.
Christian
Persecution in Vietnam was not limited to the 19th Century however,
but existed since the time the Faith was first brought to Vietnam by the
Jesuits in the 1600s. One of the
Vietnamese kings saw Christianity as a threat to his rule, so he banned all
foreign missionaries and tried to make all Vietnamese deny their faith by
trampling on a crucifix.
Between
100,000 and 300,000 Catholics in Vietnam were subjected to great hardship in
the persecutions of the 19th century, many were killed, including foreign
missionaries from France and Spain. In
1862, the last of the martyrs were 17 laypersons, one of them a 9-year-old.
St. Andrew Dung-Lac was a native Vietnamese
diocesan priest. He came from a poor, non-Christian family and was taught by a
Christian lay catechist. He worked in the missions with French Missionary
Priests. He was imprisoned and repeatedly tortured during the persecutions of
Minh-Meng, the emperor of Vietnam between 1820 and 1840 who was famed for his
persecutions of the Christians
As
John Paul II reiterated during the canonization homily, “the blood of the
martyrs, is the seed of the Church.”
Where Christians struggle to remain faithful, where sacrifice is made
for the spread of the Gospel, it is there that Christianity flourishes, where
souls are brought to Christ.
The
19th Century persecution of Christians in Vietnam was among the most
terrible in the long history of Christian martyrdom.
Yet, the Church in Vietnam today is alive and vigorous and blessed with strong and faithful bishops, dedicated
religious, and courageous and committed laypeople. Though, I read recently that persecution of
Catholics is again rearing its ugly head in Vietnam, especially of Catholics
who oppose the Communist Party there.
As
we come to the end of another Church year and prepare for the celebration of
Advent, we are challenged by the witness of the martyrs. It is the martyr who is truly prepared for
the coming of Christ. He has readied his
soul with virtue, and the deepest trust and faith in God.
Though
we may not be called upon by God to give the witness of martyrdom, we still
seek to make our souls like theirs: faithful amidst the trials of this life,
making our lives a pleasing sacrifice to Christ for the glory of God and
salvation of souls.
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