Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, was a martyr and Korea's first priest. His life was and remains an eloquent testimony of zeal for the proclamation of the Gospel.

About 200 years ago, the Korean land was the scene of a very severe persecution: Christians were persecuted and annihilated. At that time, believing in Jesus Christ in Korea meant being ready to bear witness unto death. Specifically from the example of Saint Andrew Kim, we can draw out two concrete aspects of his life.

The first is the way in which he had to meet with the faithful. Given the highly intimidating context, the saint was forced to approach Christians in a discreet manner, and always in the presence of other people, as if they had been talking to each other for a while. Then, in order to confirm his interlocutor's Christian identity, Saint Andrew would implement these devices: first, there was a previously agreed upon sign of recognition: you will meet with this Christian and he will have this sign on his outfit or in his hand, after which he would surreptitiously ask the question but under his breath "Are you a disciple of Jesus?" Since other people were watching the conversation, the saint had to speak in a low voice, saying only a few words, the most essential ones. Thus, for Andrew Kim, the expression that summed up the whole identity of the Christian was "disciple of Christ." "Are you a disciple of Christ?" but in a soft voice because it was dangerous. It was forbidden to be a Christian.

Indeed, being a disciple of the Lord means following him, following his path. And the Christian is by nature one who preaches and bears witness to Jesus. Every Christian community receives this identity from the Holy Spirit, and so does the whole Church, since the day of Pentecost (cf. Vatican Council ii, Decree Ad Gentes, 2). And it is from this Spirit that we receive passion, passion for evangelization, this great apostolic zeal. It is a gift of the Spirit. And even if the surrounding context is not favorable like the Korean context of Andrew Kim the passion does not change. On the contrary, it becomes even more valuable. Saint Andrew Kim and other Korean believers have demonstrated that witnessing to the Gospel in times of persecution can bear much fruit for the faith.

Now let us look at a second concrete example. When he was still a seminarian, Saint Andrew had to find a way to secretly welcome missionaries from abroad. This was not an easy task, as the regime of the time strictly forbade all foreigners from entering the territory. This is why it had been so difficult to find a priest that would come to do missionary work, before this: the laity undertook the mission.

One time, he walked in the snow, without eating, for so long that he fell to the ground exhausted, risking unconsciousness and freezing. At that point, he suddenly heard a voice, "Get up and keep walking!" Hearing that voice, Andrew reawakened, and caught a glimpse of something like the shadow of someone who was guiding him.

This experience of the great Korean witness makes us understand a very important aspect of apostolic zeal; namely, the courage to get back up when one falls. But do saints fall? Yes! Indeed, from the earliest times. Think of Saint Peter: he committed a great sin, but he found strength in God's mercy and got up again. And in Saint Andrew, we see this strength. He had fallen physically but he had the strength to go, go, go to carry the message forward.

• https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023/documents/20230524-udienza-generale.html