Dear Friends in Christ,
February 6 is the feast day of St. Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs for the faith in late 16th-century Japan.
They were a diverse group: priests, religious brothers, laypeople. Some were Jesuits, others were from the Franciscan family.
Their bravery in the face of martyrdom is rightly commemorated by the Church.
But curiously, their sacrifice seems to have brought modest fruits.
More than four centuries after their deaths, the Catholic population in Japan makes up only about one-third of 1% of the nation. Perhaps the deep roots of faith planted in the time of Paul Miki and others will take a few more centuries to fully bloom in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Evangelization is rarely a straight-forward or quick process. The faith can blossom in places unexpectedly but flounder in others.
Then again, the merits of martyrs in one country can easily be applied by Our Lord to other nations. We might not know until the Last Judgment.
This is a reminder that we won’t always immediately see the fruits of our own sacrifices and prayers. Our prayers today might lead to a conversion of a loved one long after we have passed from this world.
That is why it’s important to pray and work with great purity of intention, and to seek the glory of God (and not our own) at every moment.
If that sounds like a tall order, we can count on the nourishment Our Lord offers in the Eucharist.
To reinforce your confidence in such a great sacrament, consider praying with our Retreat Guide on the Eucharist, Food for the Journey.
And remember that Paul Miki and his companions left their mark on Church history, even if the society of the day didn’t accept them.
In Christ,
Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Ask a Priest contributor