Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Taichung (Agenzia Fides) - “Christ washes away the sin of the world, taking it upon himself, offering his life, forgiving those who kill Him. The sin of every generation is taken away, conquered by Christ who lives in Christians. As long as sin exists in the world, the Church is called to be a martyr Church.” These were the words of Cardinal Jozef Tomko, spoken during the Mass held on November 24 in honor of the feast of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, in the Diocese of Taichung, as part of the closing celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Taiwan.
During the homily, which he dedicated to the Christian meaning of martyrdom, Cardinal Tomko highlighted that the martyr participates in the one sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sins and thus, “every people, every generation is 'saved' by its martyrs.” Furthermore, “every people, every generation can and should boast about its martyrs,” who are “not simply heroic examples of fidelity, courage and perseverance in a pagan world, they are living channels of the salvation brought by Christ.”
What follows is the meaning of evangelization, which is not only limited to announcing the historical reality of Christ's death and resurrection, which took place 2,000 years ago. “Taking the Gospel to the men and women of our day means sharing Christ's love with every person...The Gospel, the good news of God's love for mankind, is alive because Christians continue to allow themselves to be put to death by the sins of others.” Cardinal Tomko then questioned whether we are today, in light of these great Christian martyrs of the past, with our lifestyle and presence in the world “shirking our duties.”
Recalling the liturgical readings of the day, for the Vietnamese martyrs, Cardinal Tomko highlighted that in the various historical time periods, from the first preaching of the Gospel in the 16th century to the great persecution of the 19th century in Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina, now Vietnam, “local people and Europeans were united in a communion of martyrdom.”
“In the events and the vicissitudes of our day we live the mysteries of our salvation. In the celebration of the Eucharist the Church makes present the Paschal Mystery of Christ, who died and is risen for us,” the Cardinal continued. “Therefore the Church community, following in the footsteps of her Lord and Master, is called to persevere on the path of service, to live side by side with the men and women of our times, sharing their condition, in order to bear witness to God's love and so spread hope.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 24/11/2009)
