Memorial of Korean Martyrs

As Christians striving to imitate the self-giving and self-sacrificing love of Christ, we forget that receiving help and allowing others to serve us is integral to being Christ’s disciples. Although Jesus insisted that he had come to serve and not to be served, there were occasions when he did allow others to minister to and serve him. The home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus was one such setting and today’s gospel indicates another. We read that several women accompanied Jesus and the apostles providing for them from their resources. This is a reminder that pride and a mistaken sense of self-sufficiency can stand in the way of allowing others to extend Christ’s love and grace to us. May our noble Korean Martyrs who so generously laid down their lives for Christ thus inspire us to not only lay down our lives in service to one another, but also be the gracious and humble recipients of Christ’s love and care that reaches us through others.