Inma Alvarez | Jul 26,
2017
Photo
courtesy of the Gangjeong Village
This image speaks volumes about the priesthood.
This photo speaks
volumes: A priest, knocked to the ground as he was distributing Communion, who
uses the strength he has left to gather the hosts and particles of the Eucharist
that had fallen to the floor.
The picture was taken by
an eyewitness who was at the attack in the town of Gangjeong.
The picture isn’t new —
it was taken Aug. 8, 2012 — but it continues to speak to us of the great dignity
of the priesthood.
The event occurred in
Jeju, South Korea, as reported then by UCANews.
Father Bartholomew Man
Jung-hyun was celebrating Mass at the doors of a controversial naval base the
government was building in the area, and which was opposed because of the
environmental impact it would have on the local populations and the island,
which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The priest was
celebrating a Mass for the citizens who were protesting the base, and was
distributing Communion when the police interrupted the liturgy and began to beat
those present, including Father Bartholomew.
The Diocese of Cheju
immediately demanded an official apology from the police, as those present
reported that one of the policemen stepped on the Hosts that had fallen to the
floor. The police denied this.
But looking beyond the
details of the event — the police brutality and the protests — we see the humble
gesture of this priest, in pain and struck down, thinking not of himself but of
his Lord … it’s an image that says more about the priesthood than a thousand
theology books ever could.
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