554. Although Not as a Martyrdom That Puts My Life on the Line, but a Martyrdom in Daily Life

💌 554. Although Not as a Martyrdom That Puts My Life on the Line, but a Martyrdom in Daily Life

After getting married, my husband hardly gave me any part of his salary and my mother-in-law urged me to pay off my wedding debt immediately, so I had to put my beauty parlor up for urgent sale. Since she frequently came to me asking for money, even when I did private hairdressing to earn some money, I was basically left with nothing for myself or the family. As a result, I was always starving and would mostly fill my stomach with plain water, with Semchigo as if I had eaten to my heart’s content.

Always thinking on the souls that would be abandoned, I researched various methods to use everything with maximum efficiency so as nothing is wasted at all. To save even a little more, with just one briquette, I devised my own way to make use of it for all day by cooking rice, boiling soup, blanching vegetables and even boiling laundry. While it required sacrifice and could be cumbersome, I was able to do it happily, by offering it up with Semchigo as if I were doing easy work.

However, since I started running the Jeong Beauty Parlor, it also was a place for our family to live in. As a result, we needed several briquettes. At that time, the structure of briquette fire pits was sized for only two briquettes, so I had to change them often. (Later, a firepit sized for three briquettes came out.) The Jeong Beauty Parlor was doing so well and had many customers that I worked until midnight or 1 a.m., with hardly a moment to rest. Standing all day to do customers’ hair was strenuous heavy labor.

In doing so, I was constantly sharing the Lord with others, so, I was busy and overwhelmed in many ways. However, while offering them up with Semchigo as if I had rested comfortably in the warm embrace of the Lord, I was able to do everything and because of that, a joyful and happy smile never left my face. I was grateful that the Lord brought me back to life, so that I can share with Him, practice love and work to support my family, so I have always offered up everything joyfully and graciously.

After finishing work at the beauty parlor late at night, I would tidy up the parlor, do household chores and so on. By the time I was done, I was exhausted and would always go to bed after 2 a.m. However, since I had to change the briquette fire, I could not get a good sleep and would wake up after only a light sleep. I needed to get up in the middle of the night but because the whole family was sleeping together, I could not even set an alarm clock for fear of waking them up.

After lying down for about an hour or two, I had to change the briquettes, but that time became a precious moment for me to pray, offering it up with Semchigo as if I had slept. It was difficult to get up but as I went outside to change the briquettes, I cried out in my heart to the Lord, “O Lord! I offer this struggle and sacrifice with a heart of martyrdom for the repentance of sinners!

Despite my unworthiness, I offer up my fatigue and labor by turning my life into prayers, with Semchigo, as if I had taken a comfortable rest and slept well. If this offering can lead sinners to repentance, how great the joy would be that such pain could bring!” I felt very happy whenever I made this offering up. Reflecting on Jesus shedding His bloody sweat and praying all night in Gethsemane before His Passion, I distanced myself from sleep despite my exhaustion. Meditating on “martyrdom,” I always went out to change the briquette.

So, I rose joyfully and my steps were always light as I went outside. “Well, I may not have witnessed the lives of the saints or martyrs of old, but let me emulate their spirit of martyrdom and do this joyfully with a heart of martyrdom. And with Semchigo as if I have received the Lord’s immense love. Let me do my best to offer it up to atone for the sins being committed in the middle of the night!” While offering this, I was able to do it with a grateful heart, thankful for the opportunity to make reparation for the sins of the world.

Although my body was struggling, my heart was filled with the delight of martyrdom every moment and I was overjoyed. Today, it is not like the time of our ancestors when the martyrdom of sacrificing one’s life under the sword with the winds of persecution blowing, but rather, a martyrdom to be practiced in daily life. As I embraced this daily martyrdom, I was able to do my work happily, thinking of offering up the blood-hue red roses of martyrdom to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus, torn into many pieces and bleeding as He carried the Cross for us.

There are so many things that can create differences as vast as heaven and earth, depending on how we conduct our words, actions and thoughts in our daily lives. While doing work, we can take different reactions over a work. When we give thanks with a heart of martyrdom and offer it up graciously with Prayers of Life, we will get abundance of fruits on the tree of life. However, if we complain and grumble, then, we will lose even the merits that we have accumulated before, instead.

If we graciously offer up the difficult moments with Prayers of Life, the Lord, Who gladly accepts our small sacrifices, will sow the seeds of martyrdom and bring forth much fruit of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, just as a briquette burned from below in flames, if we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our neighbors and practice the Five Spiritualities with a spirit of martyrdom, always striving for our best, we will become like a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies and bears much fruit.

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

Link 👇🏻

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMn-IyINZ8oGN8Jv4M0-pozcdF67tEqzlPkk4s0EZKdnOdEw/viewform?usp=sf_link