Speaking the Truth with Love - Memorial Korean Martyrs

readings 092025 

The Korean martyrs,
Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn.
Saint Paul Chŏng Ha-sang.
And many others,
Knew who they belonged to.
And they stood in that truth—
Even when it cost them everything.

Do you remember a moment when truth met you face to face?
It doesn’t just happen once.
It happens again and again in a life.
Some moments are quiet.
Some are dramatic.
But they all ask the same thing:
Will you face it?

My first was when I was seven.
It was a candy bar.
I walked out of the store with it in my hand—
No money exchanged.
No receipt.
I don’t think I meant to steal it.
But I did.

My parents didn’t let it slide.
They didn’t yell.
They didn’t shame.
They simply said,
“Go back. Tell the truth.”
Alone.

So I did.
I walked in, heart pounding, cheeks burning.
The store owner looked at me—
He knew me.
Knew my family.
Probably a cousin twice removed.
I said, “I’m sorry. I took this without paying.”
He grunted, “Don’t do that again.”
And that was it.

But it wasn’t just about the candy.
It was about truth.
And love.
Because love doesn’t ignore the truth.
Love walks us into it.
Love stands beside us as we face it.
And love, when it’s real, changes us.

Saint Paul tells Timothy:
“Keep the commandment without stain or reproach.”
Live faithfully.
Live honestly.
Live as if God is watching—because He is.

And Jesus speaks of the sower.
The seed is the Word.
But the soil—that’s us.
Only the good and generous heart bears fruit.

The martyrs we remember today—
They were that soil.
They faced the truth of their faith.
And their joy wasn’t shallow.
It was rooted in this:
“The Lord is God. He made us. His we are.”

We may not face prison.
But we face ridicule.
We face misunderstanding.
We face the temptation to stay silent when truth is needed.

So today—
Let the seed fall deep.
Let it take root.
Let us speak the truth—with love.
And let our lives bear fruit that will last.

Prayer: Rooted in Truth and Love

Lord Jesus,
You are the Word sown in silence,
the Light that reveals what is hidden,
and the Voice that calls us by name.

You do not turn away from truth.
You walk us into it.
You stand beside us when it’s hard.
And Your love—when we let it—transforms us.

Make our hearts good soil.
Where honesty can take root.
Where mercy can grow.
Where courage can bloom.

Let our lives bear fruit—
not for our glory,
but for Yours.
Now and forever.

Amen.