Korean laywoman who kept the faith in the persecution of 1839 and was martyred on September 3, 1839.
Life
Maria Yi Yon-hui was born in 1804. The wife of the lay leader Damian Nam Myong-hyok, she lived her faith fervently with her husband and opened their home as a gathering place for the faithful.
Arrested in the persecution of 1839, she suffered the pain of her husband's martyrdom in May. Through the officials' persuasion and torture she kept the faith, and on September 3, 1839, she was beheaded with her fellow believers outside the Small West Gate, following her husband.
Spirituality
The spirituality of Maria Yi Yon-hui is faith kept together as a married couple. She served the Church with her husband, and after he went before her she kept the same faith and walked the same road. She shows married love brought to fulfillment in God.
Reflection
Maria Yi Yon-hui served the Church with her husband and walked the same road of faith. Do my marriage and family lead us toward God? Today, could I say a short prayer together with my spouse?