September 20 2023 - St. Andrew Kim & Korean Martyrs - Satan's Opposition to Church Growth vs. Courageous Christian Witness

 

Today we celebrate the memorial of the Korean martyrs. The first Catholic missionary arrived in Korea at a time of great strife—during the Japanese invasion of Korea under Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1593. But missionary efforts were pretty minimal for about 200 years. And it wasn’t until the late 1700s that a native Korean named Yi Seung-hun studied Chinese translations of Catholic texts and sought out a Jesuit missionary in Beijing for baptism. He returned to Korea with a handful of fellow Catholics and really began to spread the faith. 

In 1801, 300 Catholics were martyred by the government of the Joseon Dynasty chiefly for the our faith’s opposition to ancestral "worship" which the State prescribed as a cornerstone of Korean culture. So our faith, really has it’s origins in Korea, in standing up to the idolatrous state religion. Yi Seung-hun was among those first martyrs.

St. Andrew Kim was from a Korean family who suffered under those persecutions. He became a deacon in 1844, and a year later was ordained as Korea’s first Catholic priest. He returned to Korea and traveled around Catholic communities teaching, mostly at night. He tried to get French missionaries into the country, but was arrested on June 5, 1846, and beheaded on September 16 at the age of 25.

The first Catholic priest of a people, martyred. 

Satan’s opposition to the Catholic Church’s taking root in Korea has been mighty. But the witness, and the courage of the Korean Catholics sustained by the grace of God has been mightier. The number of Catholics in the past 20 years in South Korea has increased by 48.6 percent, and today 11.1% of South Koreans are Catholic. The North Korean Government opposes the growth of Christianity with terrible ferocity. But compare the growth of the Church in South Korea to what is going on here in the United States. Sunday Mass attendance has declined that much in the last 20 years. Nuptial masses has decreased by over 40 percent in 20 years. . 

Today we celebrate not just two, but the hundreds of Korean martyrs who died witnessing to the truth of Jesus Christ. No doubt, they have something to teach us in standing up against Satan in this land, may we allow ourselves to be inspired by their courageous witness and imitate them in their fervor for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

27th Week in OT 2019 - Friday - Irrational Opposition to Jesus

As Jesus’ mission progressed, the Lord began to face mounting opposition from his critics. His critics even began to criticize the good he was doing. When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic, the Jewish leaders accused him of blasphemy; when he allowed the sinful woman to anoint and honor Him, a Pharisee was upset that he allowed such a woman to touch him.  Jesus was constantly being ridiculed for reaching out and eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. And, we heard in the Gospel, how Pharisees accuse Jesus of using the power of the devil to cast out a demon.

In the present age, the good work of the Church is similarly criticized.  When she speaks about the dignity of marriage, she is criticized and called anti-Gay.  When she speaks about the evil of abortion, she is criticized as being anti-woman.  When she speaks about the importance of holding on to the timeless truth that comes from God she is called anti-progress. When Pope Benedict spoke out against certain violent tendencies in Islam, he was criticized for being anti-tolerance.  When Pope Francis spoke wrote about the dangers of unfettered capitalism, “the cult of money and the dictatorship” of an inhumane economy, he was lambasted and called ignorant. Priests who are faithful to their duty to obey Church law are labeled as rigid or unpastoral.

The Church has been labeled anti-freedom, anti-science, anti-human flourishing.  And yet, she is the greatest instrument of true progress, true freedom, and true joy.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that there will always be irrational resistance towards the Church, toward the Christian message.  But that doesn’t mean we stop working or compromise the Truth.  Resistance to the Gospel doesn’t mean that we have the authority to change it.  We might have to state it more clearly, with greater conviction.  We might simply have to suffer for it. 

We shouldn’t be surprised that working for the spread of the truth feels like a constant, uphill battle.  Christ continued his ministry despite the opposition.  And so must we. 

May we be faithful when we face opposition in our Gospel mission for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That Christians may be faithful to evangelization, especially in the face of opposition, and for Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, “that the breath of the Holy Spirit may engender a new missionary ‘spring’ in the Church.

For those who have fallen into error, for Catholics who have grown lukewarm in their faith, for those who have left the Church, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For an increase in devotion to Our Lady’s Holy Rosary, and that we may all come to more fully imitate Our Lady’s faith and purity.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

4th Week of Lent 2018 - Friday - Fortitude in facing inevitable opposition

The turning point in the Gospel of Luke is when Jesus turns toward Jerusalem. In Luke, Jesus public ministry takes place throughout Galilee: preaching, teaching, and performing miracles over a three year period.

In the Gospel of john, Jesus is constantly going back and forth from Jerusalem. John records four visits to the Holy City, each filled with dramatic action.

His first visit takes place near the feast of Passover, as does his final visit. It’s on this first visit that Jesus drives the merchants and money-changers from the temple. Already in this first visit, many came to believe in Him, but many came to reject Him.

In his second visit, again at the time of a Jewish feast, Jesus heals the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. His actions again are controversial, for he cures the man on the Sabbath, claiming the authority of God, to do so. For this, John tells us that the Jews tried to kill him all the more.

Today’s Gospel takes place on the third visit, this time near the feast of Tabernacles, around late September, early october. Though he was facing death threats, he knew his time had not yet come, but opposition and tension continues to mount when Jesus claims he is sent by God his Father to testify to the truth, and that the world hates him because the world hates the truth; truth exposes wickedness, bringing its darkness to light.

When the first reading from the book of Wisdom says that the righteous man is obnoxious to the wicked, it is certainly speaking about Jesus. He speaks the truth, he exposes lies and hard hearts, he shows the wicked to be debased in their ways, and so they revile him, they seek to silence Him, torture Him, and kill Him.

At the last supper, Jesus is going to remind his disciples that if the world hates them, remember that it’s because they hated him first.

Part of the Lenten fasting and penance is to toughen us up a bit, like soldiers in boot camp. We willingly undergo so hardship, knowing that the hardship the righteous man faces from the world is going to be greater. And if we can’t withstand a bit of fasting, how are we going to hold fast to the faith when we face real opposition.

Paul writes to Timothy, that all those who seek to live according to the righteousness of Jesus Christ will be persecuted. We may experience that resistance externally, in the form of opposition from the world, even from family members. Or we may experience that resistance internally, in the form of temptations, doubts, and anxiety. Probably both.

So may our Lenten observances help us: to grow in fortitude and courage--to remain steadfast in the face of inevitable opposition, that we may be instruments of his truth. May we know the closeness of the Lord who draws near to the righteous who cry out to Him for deliverance from evil for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.