Society has many reasons to celebrate on this national holiday. Many events remember their years as a colony of Japan and lack of freedom. Cardinal Yeom in his message to the church:
"For our country, this year marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation and the division of North and South Korea. It is a painful reality that a people that speaks the same language should turn against itself for 70, long years. There have been many complications, but we never stopped our effort for reconciliation and peace. The conflict and enmity between North and South Korea still remains.
Conflict, division, hatred are rampant throughout our society. That is why we should put in more effort into the peaceful unification between North and South Korea; we should continue to work on the communication and social integration in the Korean society. As the example of Mary, we should believe strongly in the Lord and never lose our hope even in the darkest of times – for nothing will be impossible for God" (Luke 1:37).
Last year at this time Pope Francis was in Korea and in his sermon on the Feast spoke words that continue to reverberate within the church.
"Today, in venerating Mary, Queen of Heaven, we also turn
to her as Mother of the Church in Korea. We ask her to help us to be
faithful to the royal freedom we received on the day of our Baptism, to
guide our efforts to transform the world in accordance with God’s plan,
and to enable the Church in this country to be ever more fully a leaven
of his Kingdom in the midst of Korean society. May the Christians of
this nation be a generous force for spiritual renewal at every level of
society. May they combat the allure of a materialism that stifles
authentic spiritual and cultural values and the spirit of unbridled
competition which generates selfishness and strife. May they also reject
inhumane economic models which create new forms of poverty and
marginalize workers, and the culture of death which devalues the image
of God, the God of life, and violates the dignity of every man, woman
and child.
As Korean Catholics, heirs to a noble tradition, you are
called to cherish this legacy and transmit it to future generations.
This will demand of everyone a renewed conversion to the word of God and
a passionate concern for the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in our
midst."
