Tuesday Reflection by Sr. Rosemary Finnegan, O.P.
Readings from: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/0920-memorial-andrew-kim-taegon.cfm
Two weeks ago, I was flying back from Chicago, and it was by far the bumpiest ride I think I’ve ever had. The storms up and down the country journeyed with us. It reminded me of a thought I had read: “God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.”
The Korean martyrs we honor today certainly did not have a calm passage in this life, but we believe, because of their faith and courage, that they now have a safe landing in eternity. St. Andrew Kim, the first native born Korean priest, and St. Paul Chong, a lay leader, were martyred with more that 100 companions who died for their faith in a persecution of Christians that lasted for 30 years in the mid-19th century. It is estimated that over 10,000 Christian women and men died during this time, and other times, of tyranny. Fr. Andrew Kim was only ordained two years when he was captured, tortured, and beheaded in 1846.
Before he was killed, Andrew wrote his fellow Christians: “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?”
His quote certainly echoes a verse from our gospel today which says: “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit himself?”
We can be very inspired by the Catholic Church in Korea. In the 17th century, Korea was cut off from the rest of the world; Christianity there was non-existent. Japanese soldiers began to secretly baptize the Korean people who learned to love this Catholic faith. For decades they grew as a lay community and were persecuted by the government, but they continued to meet together, pray and study some underground materials. Finally, missionaries arrived and missions were established. It was the first time the Korean people had seen a priest. This faithful church was indeed ‘greatly blessed’, as our gospel says, ‘because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.’ This is a people who did not have a calm passage because of severe persecutions, but now enjoy a safe landing.
As we thank God for these martyrs today, I’d like to end with the prayer of Thomas Merton, a prayer which speaks to the reality of these martyrs, the Korean Church, and all faithful followers:
“I do not see the road ahead of me, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost, for you are ever with me. Amen”
