The Church in Korea had no priests to celebrate the sacraments for twelve years! Yet, when the first priest arrived there were 4,000 Catholics. The Korean saints were martyred from 1839 to 1867; Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries in 1984 when he visited Korea. Of those, 47 were laywomen and 45 were laymen. Today there are almost 5.1 million Catholics.
The New Evangelization preached and promoted by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis depends not just on the hierarchy but on all of us, especially the laity. We are called to re-propose “the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith” due to the secularization of the culture. Most, if not all of us, know of friends, relatives, colleagues who have given up on Christ and his Church; who have fallen to the siren song of the modern rejection of God: “Where is your God?” Even Jesus was taunted on the cross: “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him” (Mt. 27:43). We are called, as the laity, to share our faith in the living God, in the Christ who saves us from sin and death and despair.
How do we do that? By loving and being willing to stand up for the faith, for the Church, for God. The Korean martyrs faced physical torture and death. We need to face the emotional and social torture that will come. We need to pray for our society, for our persecutors, for those who revile the truth. We need to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist frequently. And thus, we will be willing to be the Body of Christ for our world. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
If you are interested in reading more about the saints, go to Mr. Mueting’s Saint Weblog at http://mrmuetingsaints.
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