What comes to our minds when we hear the word "Korea"?
Perhaps, the first thing we ask is "Is it North or South Korea?"
The second thing that comes to our minds is Kimchi, Korea's staple food.
For Filipinos, there are three other things they remember about Korea.
First, the Japanese occupation. The elderly recall that Korean combatants collaborated with the Japanese soldiers in attacking the Philippines. They say that the Korean soldiers were more violent and brutal than the Japanese.
Second, Sandara Parks.
Third, the telenovelas.
But Korea should also remind us of our Christian Faith. Our liturgy today leads us to remember our Asian brethren from Korea who offered their lives for Jesus.
Korea was evangelized not by missionary priests and religious. The Christian Faith was brought to Korea during the 17th century by laypersons, crossing the sea from mainland China. For many years, Christian communities continued to multiply in Korea without the benefit of priests and religious. Strong and vibrant Christian communities flourished under lay leadership.
It was only in 1836 when members of the Paris Foreign Mission Society secretly arrived in Korea. Persecution was never absent in the history of the Church in Korea. Making a headcount of Korean martyrs in the persecutions of 1839, 1846, 1866, and 1867, the total is one hundred and three. Among these martyrs were Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, a layman. While there were Korean bishops and priests among the martyrs, laypersons outnumbered them. The Korean martyrs are not only our brethren in the Faith. They are also our Asian brethren. We share ethnicity with them just as we are in communion with them by virtue of a common baptism. They are our pride even as they are sources of our inspiration in bearing witness to Christ even unto death.
By the way, in case we have forgotten, let us remember that Jesus is Asian too. He was born in Israel, a country that belongs to the region the former "Asia Minor". Retrieve the Asian face of Christ. Show the world the Asian face of Jesus. Not a mere invitation, this is a mandate for the Church in Asia. For Filipinos, coming from the only Christian nation in the Far East, this is a double mandate. - Fr. Bobby T. (Sabbath)
REFLECTION QUESTION: How do I bear witness to Christ?
Thank You, Jesus, for the many men and women who died for the Faith. Help me show my gratitude by living the Faith fully and credibly always. Amen.
St. Candida, martyr and virgin, pray for us.
