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Gospel:
Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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From the very beginning of Christianity, governments have tried squashing the Church. This was first true under the Roman Empire. For centuries, emperors led sporadic purges, causing Christians to be martyred by the thousands.
But, mysteriously, the Church continued to grow.
This was even true in the 20th century. From 1926-1929, for example, an estimated 30,000 Catholics were killed by the Mexican government in what was known as the Cristero War.
Catholics fought against their government because there was not a separation between Church and State, but a complete subordination of the Church to the State.
Many Catholics gave their lives for their beliefs – and, mysteriously, the Church continued to grow.
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Today we remember, in particular, the 10,000 martyrs who died in Korea after the Gospel first reached its shores.
Christian missionaries taught them that everyone was equal in their dignity by virtue of their baptism, a radical shift their traditional class-based system.
The purity of these Christians’ faith challenged the powers that be, leading to widespread persecution.
And, mysteriously, the Church continued to grow.
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The martyrs remind us that we are, as Jesus says,“the light of the world…the salt of the earth…and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against us.”
May their example strengthen us to continue bearing witness to the Truth.
As we do, mysteriously, the Church will continue to grow.
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Image credits: (1) CatholicAnswers.com (2) Gospel Teaching Life Church, WordPress (3) Faith Community Church