To Know and to Love Jesus

“If Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.”

Today we celebrate the feast of the Korean martyrs. The Greek word for “martyr,” martyros, actually means “witness.” So, a martyr is someone who makes some kind of testimony. In this case, they confirm that testimony by surrendering even their lives. So, the question is what did these martyrs testify to?

The history of Korean Catholicism is actually quite interesting. For every other nation in this world, Christianity was spread through missionaries, through their preaching and the witness of their good deeds. But the Koreans discovered Christianity—specifically Catholicism—through their ambassadors to China, where there were already Jesuit missionaries. The crazy thing is that you would’ve thought these politicians brought back the Bible, but no; they brought back the theological works of an Italian Jesuit.

They didn’t read the word of God itself; all they had to do was read about Jesus, and they believed it to be true. Without reading the words of St. Paul, they believed in the words we just read today: Christ has been raised, and therefore there is a resurrection of the dead. And so, immediately they sought the Jesuits in China to come and baptize them and to bring them the Sacraments. And immediately, the Korean Catholics were persecuted.

But even in the face of that persecution, St. Andrew, the first Korean priest, and his companions were so convinced that there was a God who loved them so much that He knew even the hairs on their heads. They were convinced that Jesus knew them and loved them. And they were willing to die for that testimony.

My sons and daughters in Christ, I hope the witness of the Korean martyrs can inspire you to at least pick up one book about your faith today. It can be the Bible; it can be a spiritual work. But make sure you’re open to learning about your faith, because the more we come to know a person, the more we can come to love that person. And the most important person to get to know and love is Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit, ever one God, unto the ages of the ages. Amen.