Thank you Alexander, for enlightening us on many levels 🙏 The plight of Christians in Japan (are they allowed to worship freely now?), the martyrs who gave their all to keep their faith, this beautiful book "Silence" that I must now read.. And the definition of Sin,that is absolutely spot on. Thank you 🙏🙏
Yes, today there is about 1.3 million Christians in Japan, so you can say despite the 350 years of persecution prior to this Christianity has survived there.
Thank you, Alexander, for enlightening piece of history I didn’t know. I am always appalled by the suffering inflicted by human beings to their own kinds and can barely take it even when it is just in reading a post like yours. People should be able to enjoy whatever faith they want and the love of God in silence or in bursting joy. Regardless any religion, God is part of us and we are part of « him » and no torture can change that. I hope human kind will remember who they truly are at one point of their history. Lots of love.
My pleasure. I almost, almost mind you, shed a tear. The description of faith in its purest form, in its essence, despite persecution that defies imagination, got my attention. Some days you just need a kick up the arse, excuse my French, and today was one of those days for this patron. I like to think of myself as Christian. But has my faith been tested to that extent? Obviously , not in a million years.
So it’s back to basics and getting that gratitude grinder grinding again and glad to do so. Thank you, mo chàra.
That book needs reading. Now all I have to do is go and get it.
Great point made by you. I often think “What would I do in a situation like that?”. I’ve been teated by some hard times, but nothing close to those type of things.
Thanks for this excellent post, Alexander. I really appreciated hearing how these stories impacted your prayer life, and learning the history of some of these Christians in Japan. I am much more familiar with the history of the church in China, and I worked in China for several years. But when I returned to the US, I had many Japanese students here, so this history you shared is very interesting to me.
When I first arrived in China, in our Foreign Guest House on medical college campus, we had a fellow teacher from Japan. He went by the name Moses. His family were Christians, and they were serving in China when Japanese invaded. He felt so bad about the cruelty of his nation towards China, and in his later years, he came to teach in China as a way to show his deep regret for what Japanese had done to Chinese people.
Sadly, at a banquet welcoming us as new teachers (I think he'd been there the year before), the school staff toasted him too many times. Our team from the US chose not to drink alcohol, so this small framed man consumed too much alcohol in his efforts to be polite, and on a hot day, his body couldn't handle this. We don't know if he had a stroke or some kind of brain trauma as a result. By evening, he was in a coma, and I used to visit him and pray for him, and read the Bible, though he couldn't respond. He died after not responding for several weeks, and I'll never forget his sister coming to China to retrieve his body. She bowed so low to the floor, showing her respect and the depths of her grief for the loss of her brother, Moses, and her tears fell to the floor in a straight line as she bowed from her hips, standing next to me. Before Moses lost consciousness and couldn't speak again, he had welcomed us to China, helping me learn to cross the wide road between campuses despite the erratic traffic. I always felt like Moses taught me to cross the Red Sea. We missed him so much, and he laid down his life because he wanted the Chinese people to experience the love of God. I have been thinking I need to write more of his story, at least the part that I witnessed and what he shared with me. And now, I hope to read the book you mentioned. Thanks, Alexander.
I loved Silence and I think you captured it beautifully. Have you read Cardinal Sarah’s “Power of Silence”? There’s a whole section on what God’s silence means in modernity, from many different angles.
I just ordered the book and can’t wait to read it. Fantastic essay.
That’s awesome, please keep me updated about it!
Thank you Alexander, for enlightening us on many levels 🙏 The plight of Christians in Japan (are they allowed to worship freely now?), the martyrs who gave their all to keep their faith, this beautiful book "Silence" that I must now read.. And the definition of Sin,that is absolutely spot on. Thank you 🙏🙏
Yes, today there is about 1.3 million Christians in Japan, so you can say despite the 350 years of persecution prior to this Christianity has survived there.
Enlightening read.
I know woefully little about the history of Christianity in Japan; as someone else said above, this has piqued my interest to learn more.
It’s a powerful message for sure
Thank you, Alexander, for enlightening piece of history I didn’t know. I am always appalled by the suffering inflicted by human beings to their own kinds and can barely take it even when it is just in reading a post like yours. People should be able to enjoy whatever faith they want and the love of God in silence or in bursting joy. Regardless any religion, God is part of us and we are part of « him » and no torture can change that. I hope human kind will remember who they truly are at one point of their history. Lots of love.
Absolutely agree, thank you!
I loved this
I will get the book
Right now I am dealing with a lot of stress. Pray for me. Husband is going into dementia and is really mentally abusive.
I’m so sorry, Elsie, may God give you the strength to endure, you will be in my prayer.
Thank you. He only liked my son, and he suffered medical incident at home alone. I didn't seethe autopsy
Information. Didn't want, he doesn't like the rest.
I should have left a long time ago.
I can recall a lot of warning signs but didn't want to n listen
.
Here are articles my son, Stephen, wrote for Catholic Exchange about Catholic Japan.
https://catholicexchange.com/a-catholic-pilgrimage-to-japan/
https://catholicexchange.com/st-francis-xavier-and-adventures-in-adversity/
He is not on Substack?
Powerful and beautiful
There's beauty in God's kingdom and you have touched the surface.
There's beauty in God's kingdom and you have touched upon it.
So much beauty
Thanks for sharing. Brilliant work.
Thank you, Kevin!
My pleasure. I almost, almost mind you, shed a tear. The description of faith in its purest form, in its essence, despite persecution that defies imagination, got my attention. Some days you just need a kick up the arse, excuse my French, and today was one of those days for this patron. I like to think of myself as Christian. But has my faith been tested to that extent? Obviously , not in a million years.
So it’s back to basics and getting that gratitude grinder grinding again and glad to do so. Thank you, mo chàra.
That book needs reading. Now all I have to do is go and get it.
💚👊
Great point made by you. I often think “What would I do in a situation like that?”. I’ve been teated by some hard times, but nothing close to those type of things.
Nothing even comes close. And I’ve had some shite times. Hence my catchphrase ‘nobody’s dead’ and carry on. With a smile, if you’re wise.
Thanks for this excellent post, Alexander. I really appreciated hearing how these stories impacted your prayer life, and learning the history of some of these Christians in Japan. I am much more familiar with the history of the church in China, and I worked in China for several years. But when I returned to the US, I had many Japanese students here, so this history you shared is very interesting to me.
When I first arrived in China, in our Foreign Guest House on medical college campus, we had a fellow teacher from Japan. He went by the name Moses. His family were Christians, and they were serving in China when Japanese invaded. He felt so bad about the cruelty of his nation towards China, and in his later years, he came to teach in China as a way to show his deep regret for what Japanese had done to Chinese people.
Sadly, at a banquet welcoming us as new teachers (I think he'd been there the year before), the school staff toasted him too many times. Our team from the US chose not to drink alcohol, so this small framed man consumed too much alcohol in his efforts to be polite, and on a hot day, his body couldn't handle this. We don't know if he had a stroke or some kind of brain trauma as a result. By evening, he was in a coma, and I used to visit him and pray for him, and read the Bible, though he couldn't respond. He died after not responding for several weeks, and I'll never forget his sister coming to China to retrieve his body. She bowed so low to the floor, showing her respect and the depths of her grief for the loss of her brother, Moses, and her tears fell to the floor in a straight line as she bowed from her hips, standing next to me. Before Moses lost consciousness and couldn't speak again, he had welcomed us to China, helping me learn to cross the wide road between campuses despite the erratic traffic. I always felt like Moses taught me to cross the Red Sea. We missed him so much, and he laid down his life because he wanted the Chinese people to experience the love of God. I have been thinking I need to write more of his story, at least the part that I witnessed and what he shared with me. And now, I hope to read the book you mentioned. Thanks, Alexander.
That is a very powerful story from your life, and so memorable, thank you for sharing
Thank you for this, Alexander- you have developed my interest in early modern Japan (piqued by Shogan, as we discussed earlier.)
It’s a very interesting time in history to learn about for sure
Agree!
I loved Silence and I think you captured it beautifully. Have you read Cardinal Sarah’s “Power of Silence”? There’s a whole section on what God’s silence means in modernity, from many different angles.
Oh wow I really like him a lot, I will look for it, thank you
Ah that last line - brilliant!
Great post - really enjoyed it! :). I’ve been wanting to watch this movie for ages. Maybe I should just get the book.
Let me know if you do!
Powerful story. I am feeling its effects. IN FACT, EVERYDAY.
Me too, God bless, glad that we found it
You did! Thank you!
Silence is also one of my favorites. Looking forward to reading more of Endo's work. He was quite prolific.