Abba: God The Father (Mark 14: 36)

The Catholic Times, in a recent article, gives readers a meditation on addressing God as Abba.

What are the first words a baby says? Probably "Mom" and "Dad," right? Since these are easy sounds for babies to pronounce, it's said that in many languages, not just Korean, the words for "mother" and "father" used by infants are similar in pronunciation to "Mom" and "Dad." (Ma and Pa)

In Aramaic, the word for "father" used by children is "abba." Aramaic was a language widely used in the Middle East from the 8th century BC to around the 7th century AD. Similar in meaning to the Korean word, it's said that babies used "abba" to call their fathers when they first started speaking, and even as adults, they used it as an affectionate term for their fathers.

This term, "abba," has given rise to a title within the Church: Abbot. In the Eastern regions of Egypt and Syria, monks called their spiritual teachers "abba," meaning "spiritual father," in Aramaic. Later, monasteries following the spirituality of Saint Benedict also adopted this term, and the Abbot's duties and roles were systematized.

Today, "Abbot" is primarily used to refer to the head of a large monastery that follows the Rule of Saint Benedict. Therefore, the Latin word for a large monastery is "Abbatia." Abbatia is also the origin of the English word "Abbey." A female head of a large monastery is called an "Abbatissa" (Abbess). All these words come from "abba."

In fact, besides Abbot, there are many other "fathers" in the Church. For example, "Papa," which refers to the Pope, is similar in pronunciation to "abba." "Papa" comes from the Greek word "papas (πάπας)," meaning father. Originally, this term referred to the highest-ranking leaders of local churches, such as bishops and abbots, but since the 8th century, it has come to refer to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.

The term "Church Father" (pater ecclesiae), meaning "leader of the church" or "teacher of the faith" after the apostles, also refers to "father of the church". More closely, the term "priest" (pater spiritualis) is also a title meaning "spiritual father."

While there are many "fathers" in the Church, all of these fathers ultimately serve one Father.

As mentioned earlier, "abba" is an Aramaic word. Aramaic was the language spoken by Jesus 2000 years ago. Jesus called God "Abba! Father!" (Mark 14:36). He called God "Abba" with the same sound and meaning as a child calling their father, in a very intimate way.

And Jesus allowed us to call God "Abba" as well. The Church teaches that "we have become children of God in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit we can call God 'Abba, Father!'" 

Do you feel that God is distant and difficult to approach? If so, why not try calling Him "Abba"?

World Day of the Sick

    

The Catholic Times Weekly provides an overview of one group in Korea and their activities on the World Day of the Sick.

World Day of the Sick (February 11th) is a day to raise social awareness of the sick and to reflect on the mission of healthcare professionals and volunteers who support them in their work. 

Today, there are patients we should pay attention to: undocumented immigrants, those with long-term arrears in health insurance premiums due to financial hardship, and neighbors in healthcare blind spots who are excluded from support. Through the activities of Joseph's Clinic of the Joseph Sharing Foundation, which diagnoses their desperate reality and provides 'social prescriptions' encompassing medical, emotional, welfare, and legal support in the heart of slum areas, we reflect on the true meaning of "being there" for the sick.

The World Health Organization (WHO) constitution stipulates that all human beings have the right to the highest attainable standard of health, regardless of economic or social conditions, without discrimination. However, in Korean society today, some are excluded even from this basic right.

According to Ministry of Justice statistics, there are approximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants residing in Korea. These individuals are outside the public healthcare system and receive virtually no support even in the event of accidents or serious illnesses. The Emergency Welfare Support Act also only applies to South Korean citizens and registered immigrants.

Even within the health insurance system, blind spots exist. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service in 2025, over 66,000 households are experiencing limited access to benefits due to their inability to pay insurance premiums. While the system aims to cover all citizens, in reality, economic poverty leads to exclusion from medical welfare. Furthermore, since insurance is based on registered residential addresses, those without a fixed residence are also pushed outside the welfare safety net.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's "Third Comprehensive Plan for Basic Livelihood Security (2024-2026)" estimates that approximately 50,000 people are in the blind spot of medical assistance. These are individuals who are excluded from support because, legally, they have "responsible family members" even though they live disconnected from their families.  They cannot afford non-covered medical expenses and therefore do not receive proper treatment. Many of these individuals live in slum areas, resulting in significant healthcare gaps in these communities. According to investigations by the National Human Rights Commission and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, two out of ten residents in slum areas cannot access hospitals even when they want to, and approximately 40% of respondents reported having financial difficulties.

Since its opening in 1987, Joseph Clinic has provided free charitable medical care in various areas of Seoul. The people served by Joseph Clinic are not simply sick. Many have delayed treatment, leading to worsened conditions, and many also suffer from mental illness, isolation, and trauma. Sometimes people have approached them without considering their mental trauma, causing secondary harm.  

The suffering they experience goes beyond simple medical problems. It's a complex issue involving exclusion from social safety nets, the collapse of their livelihoods, and psychological and emotional isolation. Therefore, beyond simple treatment, integrated care, companionship for fundamental recovery, and comprehensive support are desperately needed.

Responding to this need, Joseph Clinic has consistently carried out a "home visit medical care" program for patients with mobility difficulties or those suffering from serious illnesses or disabilities. After relocating the clinic near Seoul Station in July 2025, they established a separate organization, the "Joseph Neighborhood Love Center," to further expand home-visit medical care. The center's home-visit medical team serves patients in slum areas and the tent village near Seoul Station. They provide diagnosis, prescriptions, medication guidance, and, if necessary, transfer to a hospital.

The core of the program is to provide comprehensive "social prescriptions" that include medical, emotional, welfare, and legal support. The foundation's secretary-general, said, "Following the church's spirit that no one should be discriminated against in terms of the preciousness of life, and in accordance with the wishes of the founder, we plan to provide more specialized care." He added, "We are waiting for the participation of volunteers from various fields, including mental health professionals, psychological counselors, alcohol addiction specialists, and trauma specialists."

The Joseph Neighborly Love Center plans to officially launch in February, moving into a building in a slum area to provide hands-on support to patients in medically deprived areas.

Digesting the Word

A Faith That "Digests" the Word was an article in the Catholic Times by a professor emeritus in the Sunday Reflection Column.

These days, we sometimes find ourselves searching for "spiritual hotspots" even within our faith. We travel to attend lectures that explain the Word well, and we listen to recordings and videos, receiving deep inspiration. These are undoubtedly moments of grace. Our hearts are warmed, and we feel a renewal of faith. I, too, cherish such experiences.

However, at some point, a question lingers in my mind: Am I only listening to the Word, or am I living it? I may have been moved, but it's hard to say whether that Word is actually changing my daily choices and attitudes.

The Word is similar to food. No matter how good the food is, if you don't chew and swallow, it won't be absorbed into your body. Words heard only with the ears and forgotten provide only temporary satisfaction. They won't remain within us for long because it hasn't been properly digested. 

So, what does it mean to digest the Word? It means taking the time to reflect on the Word. Keeping a sentence heard during Mass or a sermon in your heart and recalling it throughout the day.

"What does this Word demand of me today?", "What would the Lord do in this situation?" When these questions are repeated, the Word begins to slowly break down within us. Words whose meaning wasn't initially clear reveal a new face as they encounter the scenes of our lives. At that moment, the Word of God becomes not just knowledge, but a standard.

Jesus' parables were not given to be understood all at once. Rather, the more we ponder them, the more they touch our hearts, and the more we live, the more different meanings they reveal. That's how the Word of God is digested.

When the Word is digested and absorbed, transformation occurs. The Word begins to take root beyond our emotions and judgments. It stops us when we are angry and points us to a different path when we feel wronged.

"Forgive seventy times seven times."

This saying is easy to understand, but difficult to live.  However, when the Word begins to permeate us, we make slightly different choices than before. Instead of an immediate reaction, we pause, and instead of a firm judgment, we leave room for possibility.

The absorbed Word changes the tone of our speech, the direction of our relationships, and the rhythm of our day. At some point, we realize the Word is no longer just sentences in a book, but an inner compass guiding our lives.

Just as a blockage in the body leads to illness, so too does a failure to let go in faith lead to spiritual sickness. If we hear the Word, are moved by it, and understand it, but all of that ends with us, then our faith easily remains self-satisfied. It can become hardened into a mere personal spiritual experience.

The release in faith is the practice of love towards our neighbors. Small acts of attention, small acts of consideration, and small acts of sharing are enough. Swallowing a harsh word, extending a helping hand one more time—these are actions that may go unnoticed, but have results in God's time.

Jesus clearly said: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

Faith flows and circulates without obstruction when it doesn't remain merely in hearing the Word, but is digested and becomes a part of life, and then flows out again as love. From a faith that listens well to the Word, to a faith that lives according to the Word. Perhaps the "delicious meal" we should be seeking today is not in a lecture hall, but in our daily lives. 

Why Theology?

A diocesan priest in the Catholic Peace Weekly gives readers some thoughts on entering the world of theology and the possible results. 

Without Jesus' words, life, death, and resurrection, there is no Christian theology. God did not reveal Himself through dreams or visions, but fully revealed Himself in history, in a concrete, flesh-and-blood human being: Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, theology is grounded in God's historical self-revelation, decisively revealed in Jesus of Nazareth.

Moses did not encounter God through contemplation; he encountered God while living his life, while tending sheep. Jesus' disciples did not encounter God through contemplation; they did not encounter God while sitting in meditation. They encountered God while living their lives, while fishing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, while responding to Jesus' call and following him.

The disciples experienced Jesus, who died on the cross and rose again after three days, within concrete time and space, and encountered God. Theology seeks to know the God whom Moses encountered, the God whom Jesus' disciples encountered. It seeks to speak of that God.

Yet that God is invisible. Nevertheless, theology seeks to know the invisible God, the God who transcends human reason. It seeks to comprehend. It seeks to understand the unknowable God. Herein lies both contradiction and breakthrough. For while God is invisible to the eyes of reason, God is visible to the eyes of faith.

Ultimately, theology is not blind, but faith born of understanding. Understanding fosters greater faith. A more certain faith is born. Believing without knowing leads to blindness, but believing with knowledge brings certainty, greater obedience, and the ability to advance with even greater faith.

Ultimately, theology is about seeking to know God. It is about seeking to know this faith that has accepted God. Therefore, theology operates on an epistemological horizon. Believing with proper knowledge gained through theology is different from believing without such knowledge.

Those who believe without knowing, when trials and suffering come in life, abandon their faith, saying, 'This isn't the God I believed in. But those who know and properly believe in faith through theology gain greater faith during times of suffering and trial and mature more profoundly.

Since we have entered the world of knowledge, the world of theology, knowing properly leads to believing properly. This is precisely why we study theology. Through theology, we come to know the experience of God as it is expressed by the Apostles, the Church Fathers, the saints, the clergy and religious, and the people of God. Through this knowledge, we walk the path of true faith. Faith grows when we know and believe.

Overcoming Distortions in our World

In his armchair column in the Catholic Times, the philosophy professor reflects on how philosophical counseling helps us transcend the self-imposed boundaries of thought that confine, limit, and can distort our understanding of the world.

The expansion of thought is closely related to existential philosophy, as it pursues true "selfhood". According to existential philosophy, the true meaning of a human being is revealed not in "essence" but in "existence". Unlike essence, human existence can only be attained through free and responsible self-determination at every moment. 

So, what exactly do we aim to transcend through the transcendence technique? It is the fixed ideas, concepts, and ideologies that constitute the boundaries of our thinking when we encounter limiting situations, and the attitudes, patterns, and strong forces that emerge from them, which strive to maintain the self. 

These elements determine our lives, cause tension, and create problems. In reality, a person's thought system is like a "vessel" accumulated over many years of life. This is specifically shaped by factors such as culture, personality, psychology, and education, forming our unique world. 

However, problems arise when the framework of thought that has sustained us no longer functions effectively. This not only causes tension and bewilderment but also pain and suffering. While we may try to resolve this tension and pain by carefully examining the situation or communicating through dialogue, we often encounter insurmountable limitations. At this point, the only path available to us for problem-solving is self-transcendence, which involves moving beyond the boundaries of thought—the dimension of spiritual inquiry.

Just as Jaspers connects true existence to an unconditioned, transcendent being in existential philosophy, the technique of transcendence is based on the experience of self-transcendence through an encounter with that being.

Humans are creative beings who embody freedom and are constantly transcending themselves. The technique of transcendence, rather than relying on the laws of cause and effect in the unconscious or removing external obstacles to solve problems, instead seeks—as the Stoic philosophers did long ago—an "inner freedom" that is not bound by limitations.

Of course, crossing these boundaries is by no means easy. It requires considerable philosophical insight, patience, and courage, and especially the help of a counselor. 

The boundaries of thought are the mental dwelling place of our lives, so crossing that threshold is a challenge and a source of fear, a journey into the unknown. Transcending the boundaries of thought is inevitably accompanied by the pain of breaking out of the framework that has protected us until now, much like a bird breaking out of its egg. Without breaking out of this framework, we cannot embrace a new world. In Hermann Hesse's novel "Demian", Sinclair, with Demian's help, finally breaks free from his limitations and enters a new world. The relationship between the searcher and the counselor in philosophical counseling is similar.

Using Solar Power in Parishes

Solar power is a relatively accessible energy source for private individuals compared to other renewable energy sources. The Catholic Peace Weekly has an article about the growing number of churches achieving energy independence through solar power.

One parish in a Korean Diocese has one self-consumption solar power plant and two commercial solar power plants installed. The two commercial solar power plants can produce over 79 kilowatts of electricity. Last year, the parish's annual electricity consumption was 34,000 kilowatt-hours. The electricity produced by the two commercial solar power plants alone was 88,000 kilowatt-hours, far exceeding the parish's annual electricity consumption. The surplus electricity from the parish is sold to Korea Electric Power Corporation and flows back into the regional power grid.

There is a growing trend of using empty spaces to build solar power plants to generate and consume electricity. In one Korean diocese, more than 30 churches have installed solar power plants. The head of the Social Evangelization Committee said, "We thought this would be a way to address the problems caused by high-voltage transmission towers by demonstrating to the local community that we are using the electricity we produce ourselves."

Behind the active movement in the diocese is the "Sunlight Power Cooperative," established in 2019. Three years after the cooperative was established, the  Diocese officially declared "carbon neutrality by 2040," expanding the energy transition as a task for the entire diocese. 

"Now, the number of priests who want to install solar power plants in their parishes is increasing, and if we combine all the parishes that have requested it, there are at least 10 parishes applying (currently), and if we calculate that in kilowatts, it's over 1,000 kilowatts."

The number of cooperative members is also increasing each year, reaching over 2,600 as of the end of last year, with capital contributions totaling 4.1 billion won. Members also received dividends of around 3% last year.

The Seoul Archdiocese is relatively slow in installing solar power plants. This is due to significant physical constraints, such as land availability, inherent in Seoul's geographical characteristics.

The Chairman of the Seoul Archdiocese's Ecology and Environment Committee stated that they are considering installing solar power plants near Seoul to supplement the archdiocese's electricity consumption with renewable energy produced there. They got the idea from the agricultural-type solar power plant created by the Vatican near Rome.

"The Seoul Archdiocese is also considering installing solar power plants in other regions of Korea under the name of the Seoul Archdiocese, and if renewable energy is produced through solar power there, we think it might be possible to supplement the electricity used by the Seoul Archdiocese with that."

The movement for energy self-reliance within the church is starting from the parishes.

Bereavement from Suicide

In the Catholic Times 'Opinion of a Cleric column', we hear some thoughts on a serious issue, not limited to Korea.

Families who have lost someone to suicide live as if they are criminals. The moment they tell neighbors that a family member or acquaintance has committed suicide, people start whispering. Instead of offering comfort, people looked for reasons for the suicide in the bereaved families, saying things like 'the family devoured its own' or 'there were always problems in that family.' This inflicts secondary trauma upon the families. Burdened with self-blame for not preventing the suicide and the criticism from neighbors, the bereaved carry the cross of guilt in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Even in their own parish, they were uncomfortable. Suicide was a major event in the neighborhood, spreading gossip instantly. Families stayed quietly at their local parish, only consulting with priests or religious members. That is why Masses, where only families who lost someone to suicide could gather, became a sanctuary where they could reveal their true feelings.

Seeing volunteers who persevere through deep sorrow and live their lives offers comfort to the bereaved. Even before Mass began, the church was already a sea of tears. Families participating in the Mass cried as they looked at the crucifix, sang hymns, called out 'Lamb of God,' and received the Eucharist. The priest leading the Mass could not hold back his tears and cried with the bereaved.

Although the bereaved participating in the Mass were strangers to each other, they wept comfortably during the service, as if it was okay to cry here. Families who have lost someone to suicide are classified as a high-risk group from the moment after the loss. Since most suicides occur suddenly and unexpectedly, the psychological pain for those bereaved by suicide is greater than that of ordinary bereaved families.

According to the '2023 Suicide Prevention White Paper,' 83.3% of suicide-bereaved families experienced 'depressive symptoms after losing a loved one.' Nearly 60% thought about suicide themselves, with the highest risk occurring 'within 3 months after the loss'.

Masses for suicide-bereaved families save lives. In this way, although the bereaved are exposed to the risk of suicide, they receive spiritual comfort.

It is not easy for bereaved families to obtain information or find institutions to receive spiritual comfort. Even in Korean churches, the only Mass for the families of suicide victims is held at the Suicide Prevention Center of the One Heart One Body Movement Headquarters.

It's been almost a month since we started 2026. I hope that by the end of 2026, the 'Mass for the families of suicides' will disappear.