Anna Pak Agi

Anna Pak Agi (박아기 안나 ) (1783–1839) is one of 103 Korean Martyrs.

Anna was naturally slow, and she had great difficulty in learning the truths of religion. She consoled herself by saying, "Since I cannot know my God as I should desire to do, I will at least endeavour to love Him with all my heart."

She married a Christian, and brought up her children in sentiments of religion. She felt particular devotion in meditating on the Passion of our Lord: the sight of His five wounds was sufficient to draw abundant tears from her eyes. When she heard persecution mentioned, her countenance, far from growing pale, became, on the contrary, more animated.

She was arrested with her husband and eldest son. The latter had numerous friends at Court, who did all in their power to make them apostatise, and at length effected their purpose : they were then set at liberty. Anna, however, remained firm. The judge often tried to shake her determination by severity or by kindness, but his endeavours were vain. Very frequently she suffered torture till pieces of her flesh fell on the ground, and her bones were laid bare.

Her husband and son came to see her daily and entreated her to say but one word, and leave the prison. They represented to her the desolation of her family, her old mother at the point of death, her children crying out for her, but her resolution, stronger than the ties of flesh and blood, succeeded in overcoming this temptation, more dreadful than any torture. She reproached them with their baseness. " What," she said, "for a few days of life will you expose yourselves to everlasting death? Instead of soliciting me to transgress, you should exhort me to remain steadfast. Return, return rather to God, and envy me my happiness."

Anna remained in prison for three months, and received the crown of martyrdom on the 24th of May, 1839, at the age of fifty-seven.