How can the Faith survive without access to the sacraments? Is it possible for the laity to spread the Gospel without the clergy–without even knowing a single priest?
I knew nothing of the Church and faith of South Korea just a few months ago. Sure, I knew that there were some martyrs and St. Andrew Kim had some companions, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I assumed their story was similar to other stories of evangelization through colonization.
Boy, was I wrong.
Thanks to the passion of Meg Hunter-Kilmer and a deep dive to prepare people for a pilgrimage to South Korea (that’s happening now- pray for them!), I have been introduced to the most captivating story of evangelization since perhaps the year 33 AD.
South Korea, as Meg likes to say, evangelized themselves.
It wasn’t the clergy. Nor was it missionaries. It was a young man, Yi Byeok, searching for truth. It was a group that gathered around to study and search and pursue answers. It was a book in Chinese written by Servant of God Matteo Ricci. It was a 14 year search, as these people read and searched and then began to live it. They became convinced that Catholicism was true, and they sacrificed everything for it. They would worship every seven days, knowing they were called to keep holy the Lord’s day, but not even knowing what day that was.
When one of them went to China, he was baptized and returned to Korea, smuggling in other religious books and prepared to baptize his friends. Notably, he baptized Yi Byeok “John the Baptist.” In less than a year, there were a thousand Catholics in South Korea. There was not a single priest in the country for the first ten years. But the Faith continued to spread.
If this isn’t inspiring enough, the red that Father wears as he celebrates today’s feast day reminds us of what awaited them after baptism. Christianity, seen as an outside influence and a threat to the caste system, was outlawed. Yi Byeok was imprisoned in his house. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, were imprisoned and brutally martyred for the faith.
When Andrew Kim Tae-gon was chosen to go to China to study for the priesthood, he knew what that meant. His great grandfather and great uncle had already been martyred. His father would be martyred while he was away. After his ordination in China, he returned home and began ministering in secret. He was arrested seven months later, and after months of brutal torture, was martyred at the age of 25.
Throughout the 19th century, there were five main persecutions against Christians in Korea. Today, many of the most important shrines in Korea are shrines to the martyrs– many known, their stories well documented, others unknown and buried in unmarked graves.
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, in Tertullian’s words. Today, Catholics make up 11% of the population of South Korea. It is one of the fastest-growing churches in Eastern Asia.
Stop for a minute and think back to my first questions. It’s easy to make excuses for the lack of evangelical fervor in the United States. It’s the priests’ fault. It’s the bishops’ fault. There aren’t enough daily Masses, there aren’t enough confession opportunities, there isn’t good catechesis. It’s the post-Vatican II Mass. It’s the conservatives. It’s the liberals.
Hogwash. Why can’t we do what 16 year-old Yi Byeok did? Are we hungry enough for the truth to search for it? Are we convinced enough of the truth to die for it?
How often do I take my knowledge of the truth for granted? Do I take my access to the sacraments for granted?
It’s easy to point fingers. Let’s try meditating on the witness of the thousands of people who died for the truth in Korea. People who perhaps never had the chance to receive Communion before they died. Never got to go to Confession. Never owned a Bible or a Catechism.
Do I have an ounce of their zeal, their courage, their desire to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ?
“We have come into the world by God’s grace; by that same grace 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 alone and not in fact?”
St. Andrew Kim-Taegon
Photo: Used with Permission Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han)
