By means of the homily, the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of the Christian life are expounded from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year. The homily is strongly recommended since it forms part of the liturgy itself. It should not be omitted except for a serious reason.
So this weekend I'm leading a reflection on the beauty of Vatican II, and that comes from paragraph 52 of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Prior to Vatican II, homilies were often omitted or not always related to the readings, but the Council returned the focus of the liturgy to include that of the Word.
As we go through the liturgical calendar, I think it is important not only to celebrate the Feast of the Saints, but also to learn or to remember a little about their life and how it relates to the readings and our lives today. So I'll touch on both the saints of the day and the theme of the retreat and how they relate to the Gospel message, remembering that Christ is present at Mass in four ways. The Eucharist, the priest, the people, all of us here, and in His Word.
Today we celebrate the memorial. The Eucharist is the memorial of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, priest and martyr, St. Paul Chong Ha-Sang, catechist and martyr, and their companions, over 1,000 Korean men, women, and children who gave their lives for Christ in the 19th century. Their story is one of extraordinary faith, perseverance, and love of the Word of God.
And how fitting that today's Gospel is the parable of the sower, which speaks directly about the seed of faith falling on different types of soil.
The Catholic faith first came to Korea not through foreign missionaries, but through laypeople, scholars who discovered Christian writings from China in the late 18th century. They were so moved by the Gospel that they baptized one another and began spreading the faith without priests. For decades, the Korean church was largely founded and led by lay Catholics, who thirsted for Christ and awaited priests to bring the sacraments.
Into this soil of yearning faith, Andrew Kim was born. He became the first native Korean Catholic priest, ordained in 1845 after years of danger and exile. Only one year later, at the age of 25, he was arrested, tortured, and executed for the crime of bringing the gospel into Korea. Before his death, he wrote, "We have received baptism, so let us live as Christians, for beyond the mountain of death lies the great happiness of heaven."
Alongside him, we enter Paul Chong Ha-Sang, a lay catechist who worked tirelessly to organize the Church, writing letters to the pope begging for missionaries. He, too, was martyred, showing that holiness is not limited to priests or religious, but is a call for all the baptized.
Altogether, more than 10,000 Korean Catholics were martyred between 1791 and 1866. In 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized 103 of them as saints, calling them witnesses to the power of faith rooted in Christ.
In the 8th chapter of Luke, Jesus describes the word of God as seed. Some seed falls on the path and is trampled, some on rocky ground where it withers, some among thorns where it is choked, and some on good soil where it bears fruit a hundredfold. The Korean martyrs are a living example of good soil. The word of God entered their hearts and took such deep root that no persecution, no torture, no fear of death could uproot it. They show us what it means to bear fruit, not just personal holiness, but fruit for the Church, because today the Korean Catholic Church numbers millions, one of the most vibrant in the world, watered by the blood of its martyrs.
By contrast, Jesus warns us of other soils. The rocky ground is like shallow faith that disappears when trials come. The thorns are like worldly distractions, wealth, or comfort that chokes out our faith. The Korean martyrs remind us, if faith is shown, shallow or divided, it will not last. But if faith is rooted in Christ, it will endure anything.
So what does this mean for us? Most of us will not face violent persecution, but we still face the temptation to be rocky or thorny soil. How often do we hear the word of God, but let it pass by because we are too distracted, too busy, or too comfortable? How often do we shrink from living as Catholics because we fear what others will think? The martyrs ask us, Is the word of God truly rooted in your life? Does it shape your choices, your priorities, your courage to stand for the truth? Are you willing to sacrifice comfort, reputation, or even relationships to remain full of Christ?
The Korean martyrs remind us that the seed of the Church always grows from sacrifice. Tertullian once wrote, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." That was true in the early Church, and it was true in Korea. Because of their faith, today millions worship Christ in freedom. Their blood became the water that nourished the soil of faith for generations to come.
Yes, today's gospel calls us to be good soil. The Korean martyrs show us what it looks like in the most radical way. Total fidelity to Christ, even to death. While we may not be asked to die for our faith, we are asked to live for it daily with courage, perseverance, and love. May St. Andrew Kim and St. Paul Chong Ha-Sang and their companions intercede for us that the seeds of God's word may take root in our hearts, bear fruit in our lives, and inspire us to live as fearless witnesses of Christ.
This parable also helps us to understand the gift of the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II, held in the early 1960s, was a moment when the Church asked, "How do we make sure the seed of God's word falls into good soil in the modern world?" The council wasn't about changing the seed. The gospel never changes. The council was about helping the soil of the world receive the word more fruitfully.
Think about Dei Verbum, the Constitution on Divine Revelation. Vatican II encouraged all Catholics, not just priests and scholars, to encounter God's word in Scripture. Before Vatican II, many Catholics rarely opened the Bible. After the council, the Church gave us the lectionary, readings at daily and Sunday Mass, so that over a few years, we hear most of the Bible proclaimed. The soil of our hearts is now being watered every time we gather at Mass.
Or think about Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. It calls us to a full, conscious, and active participation in the Mass. Not to be passive spectators, but to let the liturgy be seed that sinks into our hearts, shaping us into Christ's disciples. The Mass moved from Latin alone into the languages of the people, not because Latin was bad, but because the Church wanted every person to hear the Gospel, hear the Word of God clearly in the soil of their own culture and language.
And then there's Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic Constitution on the Church, reminding us that holiness is not just for priests, deacons, nuns, or monks. It taught that the universal call to holiness. That's Vatican II saying every person in the pew has a vocation to let the Word bear fruit, in marriage, in family, at work, and in society.
So what does that mean for us today? It means we can't just let the seed bounce off our path while we check our phones during the readings. We can't just let it sprout on Sunday and wither on Monday when real life gets hard. We can't let it be choked out by anxieties about bills, careers, or politics. Instead, Vatican II invites us to be the good soil. Open the scriptures, read them at home, listen attentively at Mass because the lectionary is a treasure chest. Enter into the liturgy with full heart, knowing it is Christ who speaks and acts. And live your vocation whether as a parent, a worker, a student, or a retiree. With the conviction that you are called to holiness.
Yes, the seed is always good. God's Word is always powerful. The question is, what kind of soil am I bringing to Mass today? Vatican II reminds us that the Church exists to help to help us become the good soil through Scripture, through the liturgy, through our call to holiness. If we open our hearts to the Lord, the word will take root and our lives will bear fruit 30, 60, a hundredfold for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.