The Blood of Christians is seed: the Eucharistic witness of the Korean Martyrs

Korea has had a long history of Catholic martyrdom stretching back to the late eighteenth century.  In recent times, Christians in North Korea have suffered hugely because of the communist regime.  Venerable Fr Emil Kapaun, a U.S. Army chaplain captured by communist forces in North Korea, continued celebrating Mass, praying with prisoners, and ministering to the dying in prisoner camps before his death in 1951. His cause for canonisation is ongoing.  His ministry revolved around the Eucharist under the most horrific conditions. Many missionariesincluding several Irish Columban priests stayed in Korea rather than flee andpaid the ultimate price.

In the course of the late 18^th and over the 19^th Century, thousands of Christians were put to death in Korea for their faith. During the ruling Joseon Dynasty Christianity was seen as a foreign threat to the political, social and religious foundations of the state.

Forever connected: Mary, Jesus and the mystery of fetal microchimerism

Science and faith are often thought of as enemies. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Science and faith complement each other. Though given by grace, faith uses the experience, knowledge and material of human life to show us the wonders of God who loves us infinitely and whose ways and thoughts are inscrutable. As it says in today’s first reading from Isaiah (55:9):

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

A fascinating insight has been offered by science into the mysteries of human reproduction.  The term fetal microchimerism refers to the persistence of a small number of fetal cells in a mother's body after pregnancy. Research has shown that these cells can remain in the mother's blood and tissues for decades after childbirth.

In mothers who have carried a male child, cells containing Y-chromosome DNA

Called at every hour of life

Sunday 20 September 2026

Lectio Divina:*

Isaiah 55:6-9 Psalm 145(144) Philippians 1:20-27 Matthew 20:1-16

Meditatio:

‘I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you’. (Matthew 20:14)

Commentary:

Many of us who live in relatively prosperous societies hope, with gratitude, to reach retirement in reasonable health. We may look forward to seeing children and grandchildren grow, enjoying friendships, and having time for interests that were often neglected during working life. Yet none of us knows what lies ahead. Some do not reach old age. Others encounter illness, loss, financial hardship, or loneliness. Life remains uncertain. As Christians, however, we do not place our ultimate trust in plans, pensions, or possessions. We live day by day in the providence of God.

The Eucharist: A crisis well beyond the USA

Source: Fear of ICE has created a Eucharistic crisis - Michael Fox

Some years ago, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States launched a National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative aimed at renewing faith in and devotion to the Eucharist. One of its principal goals was to deepen Catholics' understanding of what the Church teaches about the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

The timing was hardly accidental. In 2019, Pew Research found that only 31% of self-identified American Roman Catholics said they believed that the bread and wine used at Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, while 69% regarded them as symbols. Even among Roman Catholics who attended Mass weekly, only 63% accepted the Church's teaching on the Eucharist. Clearly, there has been a disconnect between what the Church teaches and what many Catholics say they believe (even aside from what they actually believe which may not be entirely evident to themselves).  

Yet another early witness to the Eucharist

Now, dear reader, you might wonder why I keep repeating particular lines about the Eucharist over the course of these past 9 months since the start of the Bread for the Journey blog series.

You see, I need to bring home the same message again and again, namely, that the early Christian Fathers, Doctors, Saints, Mothers, Martyrs, theologians held to a shared understanding of the Eucharist that is decidedly catholic.  They held to:

1. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Bread and Wine
2. The Eucharist as a sacrifice
3. The Eucharist as the means of unity in the Body of Christ.

St. Basil the Great (†379), Archbishop of Caesarea and one of the greatest Greek Fathers of the Church, is yet another witness to the truths of the Eucharist.  He left one of the most important early witnesses to Christian belief about the Eucharist. His teachings are especially significant because they come from the fourth century, long before later theological controversies divided Christians.

A sacred space in a place of healing

Yesterday, while visiting my local hospital in County Kilkenny I had occasion to drop in to say a little prayer in the oratory which is a small, single room hidden away down a long corridor.  In this little room, about the size of a small12-square-metre bedroom, patients, staff and visitors drop in for a few moments to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Saint Luke’s Hospital was founded as a public hospital in 1941 and was staffed by religious sisters among others for many decades.

According to a notice at the entrance, Mass is celebrated there three days a week and Holy Communion is brought to the wards on two days a week including Sunday. Due to a gradual reduction in chaplaincy services and shortage of  priests in the locality and diocese there is no full-time chaplain and it is no longer possible

The Eucharist : a revolution begins there

The venerable François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận (1928 to 2002) died, this day, 24 years ago.  His case for beatification was opened in 2007.   The Vietnamese cardinal spent 13 years in prison, from 1975 to 1988, including nine years in solitary confinement as part of the communist government's repression of Church leaders after reunification. It was a time in which he shared in the suffering of Christ as in his abandonment on the cross.

During his captivity he silently celebrated Mass with tiny amounts of bread and wine:

Every day, with three drops of wine and one drop of water in the palm of my hand, I celebrated my Mass.

He also wrote: