Comparison

Reflection Date: September 16, 2026 | Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 7:31-35

Children of God:
The Joseon dynasty ruled Korea from the late fourteenth century until the twentieth early century, and its political and social order was deeply shaped by Confucian values, which made the arrival of Catholic Christianity a serious challenge to the established system. 

Catholicism first spread in Korea largely through Korean laypeople who encountered Catholic writings and ideas, rather than through foreign missionaries, and its teaching about the equal dignity of people and its rejection of traditional ancestral rites raised concerns among Joseon authorities. 

The government increasingly regarded Catholicism as a dangerous foreign influence and a threat to the social hierarchy, especially because Catholics refused practices that the state associated with loyalty to family and society. 

Several major persecutions followed, including the persecution of 1839, when many Korean Catholics and three French missionaries were executed. 

Saint Andrew Kim Taegon grew up in this atmosphere of danger, and members of his own family suffered martyrdom because of their Catholic faith. 

He was baptized as a teenager and later traveled to Macao for formation, eventually becoming the first Korean-born Catholic priest when he was ordained in Shanghai in 1845. 

After returning to Korea, he secretly served Catholics and worked to create routes that would allow foreign missionaries to enter the country despite the government’s prohibition. 

In 1846, while he was trying to help missionaries enter Korea through a secret maritime route, authorities arrested him and transferred him to Seoul, where he was interrogated, imprisoned, and accused of treason and of maintaining contact with foreigners. 

He was eventually executed at Saenamteo in Seoul on September 16, 1846, and his death at such a young age became one of the most remembered examples of the persecution of Korean Catholics. 

In 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized Andrew Kim Taegon together with 102 other Korean martyrs during his historic visit to Korea.

What makes the story of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon especially striking is that he did not die because he harmed his country or because he sought political power; he was condemned because the authorities considered his faith and his contacts with missionaries a threat. 

His story shows what can happen when fear becomes stronger than curiosity and when people refuse to listen because they have already decided what another person represents. 

That brings us naturally to the gospel story of Jesus, where people also found reasons to reject what they were being offered.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus described people who complained about John because he fasted and lived an austere life, while they also complained about Jesus because he ate and drank with people. 

Jesus exposed the contradiction by showing that the problem was not really John or himself but the unwillingness of those people to receive either message. 

So, what are our inspirations for today?

First, we can always find an excuse to reject someone when we have already decided not to listen.

Jesus pointed out something very human: people criticized John because he lived differently, and they criticized Jesus because he lived differently in another way. 

One was considered too strict, while the other was considered too friendly with ordinary people. 

Whatever approach came, there was always an excuse for rejection.

We sometimes do the same thing. If someone is quiet, we say that person is arrogant; if someone talks a lot, we say that person is attention-seeking. If someone is serious, we call the person boring; if someone is cheerful, we say the person is not serious enough. We can create a standard so complicated that nobody can possibly satisfy it.

The gospel invites us to examine whether the problem is really with the person we are judging or with our own unwillingness to understand. 

Before rejecting someone, perhaps we need to ask whether we are actually listening or simply waiting for something we can criticize. 

We can always find an excuse to reject someone when we have already decided not to listen.

Second, faithfulness does not always look the way people expect it to look.

Doing what we believe is right can sometimes make us look strange to people who do not understand our choices.

The same is true in ordinary life. A person may choose honesty when dishonesty seems easier, forgiveness when revenge feels satisfying, generosity when selfishness appears more practical, or silence when everyone else is gossiping. 

Sometimes doing the right thing does not immediately make us popular. 

Sometimes it even makes us the subject of criticism.

The gospel story reminds us that we should not measure truth only by popularity or appearance. 

Jesus himself experienced rejection, and John the Baptist experienced rejection for a very different way of living. 

What matters is not whether everyone approves of us but whether the choices we make are faithful to what is good, true, and loving.

Faithfulness does not always look the way people expect it to look.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: Do I sometimes reject people simply because they do not fit my expectations? 

Am I genuinely listening to people who think, live, or speak differently from me? What conviction do I need to remain faithful to even when other people misunderstand or criticize me?

Children of God:
The gospel story reminds us that people can criticize almost anything when they have already made up their minds. 

John was criticized for being too strict, while Jesus was criticized for being too approachable. 

Today, Jesus invites us to examine the excuses we use when we do not want to listen. 

He also invites us to remain faithful when the right choice does not receive immediate approval. 

May we have the courage to admit that sometimes the obstacle is not the message but the heart that refuses to hear it.