Tuesday, December 31, 2019

It's Alright to be Honest (New Year's Resolution)

The new year is about to begin. The writer in her article in the Kyeongyang magazine on Its alright to be honest is involved with teaching young people in her diocese about education in character building. She tells the readers that the new year has less emotion for her than in the past. It could be, she says, because in Asia as a Christian she enters the new year on three different dates: the first week of Advent, Jan.1st and the lunar New Year. She also admits it may be simply that she is tired.

She has decided to be more physically active in the new year. She has big plans, buying a new sports outfit and start taking vitamins and supplements. The body has given signs to the writer that something is wrong and she will listen and start to change even if her resolution will be quickly forgotten.

How is the soul? Are we as interested in helping the soul as well as the body? The soul is also sending us messages. In social media, we see all kinds of beautiful landscape pictures, foods, and when she sees herself it's depressing. When she hears someone utter that the going is rough she wants to chime it with she also is finding it tough and sighs. When she gets the courage to express what is in her heart as soon as it's done, instead of feeling relieved she regrets showing her weak side.

Her inner self is telling her to take a break and direct her attention to her needs but she doesn't want to listen. So today she makes believe all is well. She is doing as well as everybody else and gives a weak forced laugh. She quotes the lyrics of a song: "Say you are lonely, let everybody know. You can say it's hard, it's not something stupid. Everybody is the same all trying to laugh. You are strong but at the same time weak. No one knows which makes it all the harder. Many live sadly and without tears but you let them flow; difficult but don't raise your hands to wipe the tears, let them flow and go far away."

We put on our mental armor and urge ourselves on. We may lose the battle but we have not lost the war. These are the suggestion in the lyrics of the song Consolation but to us still awkward. To show our weak side is a question of doubt. We are afraid of being the only dropout. But Jesus showed us another way. "My Father, he said if it is possible, let this cup pass me by, Nevertheless, let it be as you, not as I would have it" (Matt.26:39).

Jesus the Son of God also asked that the coming suffering that was awaiting him be taken away. He also confessed that "My soul is sorrowful to the point of death." Jesus was not only honest and straight forward with his feelings but spent time with these thoughts. His words and actions have spread throughout the world and many have come to join him. If he had said in his prayer: I am ready may it begin, it would not have been the same for his followers.

At the start of the new year let us like Jesus be open and honest as he was. When lonely to express it, when difficult to say so, don't be afraid to cry, when we need to be alone, resolutely do so. When I try to show my strength to the world and hide my weakness at that time heal me. When tears come to our eyes instead of rushing to wipe the tears away is it not proper to ask the others to give them time to regain composure and a feeling of rest. Nobody will feel insulted.

Happy New Year and Many Blessing.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

St. Nicholas de Flue's Message

Is it possible to have a world without conflict? Recently on and around the Korean peninsula, we have political division and social unrest that worries many.  We have different values and convictions but we all love  Korea. A psychiatry professor in an article in Bible and Life introduces the readers to Saint Nicolas de Flue (1417-1487). He is the patron saint of Switzerland and also called Brother Klaus.

St. Nicolas de Flue (1417-1487) was born in Obwalden, Switzerland. He was the eldest son of pious and well to do peasant parents; the patron saint of Switzerland, who lived the ordinary life of a boy of his time and at the age of 21 entered the military and became the focus of attention.

At that time the cantons of Switzerland were in conflict. He joined the war against Austria and was known as a brave warrior. During a brief respite in the war, he went home and at the instigation of his parents married Dorothia Wyss a farmer's daughter and lived in the area of Sachseln. As an officer, he returned to the army and it was reported that with a sword in one hand and a rosary in the other fought in such a way that word spread of his bravery and heroic deeds.

He was a man with no schooling, couldn't read or write but because of his leadership qualities and judgment, they made him a councilor and a judge in the canton.  His reputation continued to grow and they wanted to make him governor of the canon which he refused. Here is an example of where education was not proportionate to what makes for a good leader.

It was at this time that he receives a vision that changed his life. A horse eating a lily which indicated to him that his life was swallowing up his spiritual life and decided to devote his life to contemplation. The writer mentions another Swiss citizen, Carl Jung, the psychiatrist, who showed an interest in studying his life.

At fifty he left his family with ten children and for most, it would seem a very selfish move on his part. However, he did leave them with enough wealth to live on and with his wife's permission began living the hermit's life. His hermitage was close to his home. According to a canonical process, he survived for nineteen years with no food except for the Eucharist and was giving advice to the many who came to see him.

He was considered by the Swiss like the Koreans consider Admiral Yi Sun-shin. He has left us a prayer which is not easy to say and mean. "My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you. My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you. My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you."

Whether we think important the miracles associated with the life of Brother Klaus we have many wondrous happenings. His counsel prevented a civil war between the cantons meeting at the Diet of Stans in 1481.  

Brother Klaus was born in a time before democracy at the end of the Middle Ages. Switzerland was divided, poor and behind in many areas of life compared to other countries. We have a man illiterate whose feats have been passed on to later generations and in the eyes of many a reason for the peace that the country enjoys. The wife was also an admirable part of this reality. Very much different from the woman in the lives of Socrates and Tolstoy.

He gave up the chance to be a governor and the wife whose life would have been very much different also went along with his choice of life. Switzerland was different from other countries for they remained in peace during the World Wars. Brother Klaus was considered to be involved in the disputes that the country experienced in his life with wondrous results. He entered popular Swiss tradition as one of the earliest champions of arbitration as a method for resolving disputes.

Whenever we have danger coming many so-called patriots are ready to want to crush the enemy. But St. Brother Klaus trusted in God and by the process of arbitration sought to solve the disputes.
 
Wouldn't it be great wisdom to respect the beliefs of others 
and to aim for the highest good (summum bonum)
without neglecting the reality of the conflict and our own 
dark side of the inner world?

Friday, December 27, 2019

Reasons Not to Die

In his column in the Catholic Peace Weekly, a priest psychologist recalls the parents who brought their son, in his early 30s, to see him. The father said that his son attempted suicide a number of times since his first attempt in his mid-twenties and still seeks the opportunity to end his life. Both parents have to keep their eyes on him continually. There is no time to relax because of the tension and anxiety they have about the son.

The father turned to his son telling him to ask the priest whatever he wanted. However, his son was silent and often look out into space and sighed. The mother sat next to the priest with a sad expression and seemed unable to say anything. The three of them came for counseling, no one said a word.

Nevertheless, the priest did not feel the need to be the first to step in and change the mood. He knew that at times silence has more meaning than conversation, the silence is saying more than any words.
 

Parents were burning up insides with the long silence but the young man and the priest were getting to know each other. The young man seemed to realize that the priest was not someone who was ready to teach or admonish. And the priest made the discovery that the young man really did not want to die.

It took thirty minutes after the counseling began for the young man's perusal of the priest to be completed. He  began speaking with the following words."Father, please tell me why I should not die. If I hear it and fully understand, I will not die. But if the reason is no different from what I've heard so far, I will commit suicide."


This young man's question reminded the priest that suicide is not giving up on life, but choosing death. This young man's life was pain and emptiness. Hence, living seemed to mean nothing. He found no comfort and hope in life. It would be much harder to explain to this young man why he shouldn't die than to explain why he should live.

The priest could not
offer any word of advice for he knew they would mean little to the young man. Such banality was not what he was looking to find. The young man's request to tell him why he should not die was, in fact, asking the priest to understand his pain. The priest firmly believed that the young man wanted someone to sympathize with him.

Since the first meeting, he has met the young man more than 20 times. Now he is preparing for a test to find a new job, and when he is filled with feelings of hurt or scared he does come to see the priest. This did not mean that his life pains were reduced. The idea that there was one man who could share the pain seemed to lead him to take a step back from despair.

In fact, the priest  would say that "Want to die" is another expression for "Want to live."


Suicide is a serious issue in Korea and has been for many years. A sign that something is not right; pressure and gloom which usually is the lot of the poor is a concern of the country which continues to look for answers.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas



Christmas is here the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Here in Korea a national holiday. Both Catholic papers had editorials on the meaning of Christmas. For the Catholics along with others, a day of rest to enjoy. For the believers, the celebration is a day to meditate on the reasons Jesus came to earth. We don't celebrate the day in the way the non-believers do.

The situation in Korea is not much different from other parts of the world. The bishops of Korea have given their Christmas messages to the nationwide parishes. We are divided into many different camps. Opposition and accusations abound. The ruling and opposition parties, labor, and civil society all try to protect their interests. The North/South situation seemed rosy with the inter-Korean Summit and the United States and North Korean talks but all hope quickly disappeared.

Christmas shows us how in the form of the lowest in society humanity's values of peace, reconciliation, and love are made known. The true meaning of Christmas is seen in the humility, peace, reconciliation, and love shown by the baby Jesus lying in the eating trough for animals.

The church needs to continually remind itself of the connection between the Gospel and Love. It was because of love that he came and died on a cross. The constant practice of the Gospel and the practice of love is the reason for the existence of the church. Consequently the need to check to see if these values continue to be the center of every activity.

The age of grace was opened. Christmas is always after the winter solstice the longest night of the year and the need for light is the symbolism that is associated with Christmas. Christ is the light of the world. The bishops of Korea, each's in their own way urged the believers to be a bridge of peace to the world as children of the light who share the good news of the Christmas message. In particular to imitate God's humility in love of others.

Are the Christians a sign of this love?  Embarrassingly this is not difficult to answer and a tragedy this is what it is. The bishops urged reconciliation and forgiveness, and we be a means of healing and gift-giving to each other. We need to be a source of nourishment to others for peace.  The reality is far from what we dream and hope for.

"The true light that illuminates all has come into the world" (John 1,9). As Christians, if we do not follow Christ who has come as the "light of the world," we cannot illuminate others in darkness. May we Christians who are trying to live the light of life in celebration of the birth of Baby Jesus be able to see the contrary signs and the dark shadows of nationalism and conflict among the powers of vested interests.

Merry Christmas and may the graces help us all to be open to the ways we are called to be the children of the light.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Samsung Founder's 24 Qustions On Life

The founder of the Samsung group, Lee Byung-chul in 1987 handed a paper to a priest friend with 24 questions that he compiled over many years and was asking the priest for answers.

The priest gave the questions to a scholar priest, a professor at the Catholic University of Korea, who prepared the answers and planned to visit the founder with the answers. Chairman Lee's health did not permit it and he died shortly after. This scholar priest after 20 years gave them to a younger priest who wrote a book on the 24 questions and made them known to the world.
 

Many have both within Catholicism and from the other religious groups given answers to the 24 questions from their own different traditions. In the recent addition of the Catholic Times, a bishop in Korea has also written a book with his answers from the Scriptures and had a review of the book in its pages. The wealthiest man in Korea lived with these questions for many years and shows us the anguish that we all have in one way or another with many of our existential problems in life.

Here below is a list of the 24 questions:

1) How do you prove the existence of God? Why did he not make it clearer?

2) How can you prove that God is the creator of the universe and all created things?

3) Biologists maintain that humans are the outcome of a long process of evolution, how is God's creation of humans different? Are not humans and other organisms the results of evolution?

4) It seems that life can be made in a laboratory, and the possibility of the extension of life without disease, would this not bring about the denial of God?

5) If God loves us why do we have pain, misfortune, and death?

6) Why did God create evil persons? Examples: Hitler Stalin.

7) What are the sins that Jesus came to save us from and yet leaves us to continue to sin?

8) How were the Scriptures made? How do you prove they are the words of God?

9) What do we mean by religion? Why is it necessary?

10) What is the soul?

11) What are the different kinds of religions and what are their characteristics?

12) If we don't believe in Catholicism we can't go to heaven? Those who don't believe, atheists, others with different religions many are good people when they die where do they go?

13) All religions have the same goal of living a good life, why then do you consider Catholicism best and the other religions heretical?

14) After we die the soul does not die, how can we believe that it goes to heaven or hell?

15) Without religion, many enjoy riches and honors what is God's teaching about this?

16) Scripture says that for a rich man to go to heaven is like a camel going through the eye of a needle, does this mean all the rich are bad?

17) 99 percent of the Italian population is Catholic, why so much disorder and crime and why aren't they a good example to the world?

18) Some Catholics are as demented as some of the Communists, how are they different?

19) Catholicism and Communism are mutually incompatible, why did so many Catholic Nations become communist? (eg. Poland and Nicaragua)

20) In Korea, it seems there is a church after every second house and we have many believers, so why do we have so much crime and suffering?

21) They say the Pope can't make a mistake, he is human, why so self-righteous?

22) What kind of person is a priest? Why celibacy? What kind of a person is a religious sister? Why celibacy?

23) Some Catholic groups consider industrialists as exploiters of the workers and foster division within the workforce, is Catholicism against the capitalistic system and its virtues?

24)Is the end of the world coming?

The bishop tells the Christians in his answers to the 24 questions that we are meant to be the salt and light of the world. Approaching Christmas we need to remember he did not choose us because we are good but we have the chance to be good because we accept his love. When we contemplate the infinite love of God are we not called to respond to that love and strive to be good?

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Changing the 'Frame' We View Life

In the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Weekly, a parish priest gives the readers his thoughts on the 'frame' by which we view the world and our problems. The frame we use will determine the results.
 

He gives an example of prayer. One parishioner asked a priest if it was alright to smoke while praying. The priest answered, that prayer is a conversation with God and one doesn't smoke while praying. Another parishioner approaches the priest asking shouldn't we pray while we smoke? With a gentle smile: "Brother, there is no special time or space for prayer it's always a good time to pray (Example is taken from a book).

Consider the frame by which we see Confession of sin. According to our teaching, every believer should confess their sins at least once a year. According to the 2018 Korean Catholic Church statistics, the reception of confession fell by 15.1% from the previous year;  compared to other sacraments it was the biggest drop. Very likely the numbers will continue to drop. Why with a growing number of new believers do we continue to have a drop in the reception of the sacraments? One of the reasons is that the church emphasizes confession as a "duty" instead of seeing it positively as a healing and reconciling.

We know that our culture moves continually on focusing on personal needs and freedom—individualism. This profound influence on culture can't be ignored. Each person is important and the only frame of reference considered by many: will it not determine how society functions?

Continuing to speak about duty is ineffective. We need to make clear the reason for the self-exposure of our faults and sins as a healthy and healing approach to a happy and peaceful life.

Another area in which we need a new frame is the way we approach abortion. At present the Criminal Code punishes abortion but recently it was declared that the present law is not consistent with the Constitution and by the end of 2020 if the law is not amended the abortion penalty will be abolished.

 Catholicism opposes abortion with the culture of life movement but the efforts to expand, go deeper and gain maturity require reflection on many different areas of life if it is to be effective. We hear the criticism of the Church's traditional approaches from many sections of society.

We miss the opportunity of taking time for education and discussion on the dignity of life and instead continue to send down commands from above to respect life. This needs to be changed from not only the fetus but from conception to death in all aspects of life.

The church should ask whether pregnant women have sufficient requirements to bring life into the world? The vision of the present movement for life is too narrow, and easily misunderstood by many in society.

Abortion campaigns have limitations and need more attention and participation. If the church accepts this criticism, it should change its frame from the existing culture of life movement where what most people hear is that Abortion is Murder, to a new culture of life movement that links existence with our daily life.

In the meantime, if the object and horizon of the culture of life movement are not only focused on the 'fetus' but looks at life broadly and sees the culture of death as violence, hate, discrimination, etc. than we will see the need for a culture of love and life that will include the fetus.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Quality of Life and Welfare Policy


In the Peace Weekly, peace column, a specialist in welfare matters gives us her thoughts on policies and expectations for the future.
Quality of life is the way an individual subjectively sees and can participate and enjoy life— an evaluation standard that comprehensively understands the lives of a nation's people. Based on the factors that make life worthwhile, measured are the objective living conditions and the subjective perceptions and evaluations of citizens.

In a recent evaluation of the quality of life, Koreans are still interested in economic stability. In general, as society matures, interest in non-material values ​​increases. In Korea, it is noteworthy that 'economic stability' has emerged as an important factor up to the present even though 30 years have passed.

In the OECD survey, Korea ranked 30th out of 40 countries, and one of the chronic problems that lowered the quality of life indicator ranking was anxiety due to the decrease in real income. Social psychologists say that the anxiety of modern people is caused by problems that cannot be overcome by individual efforts such as recession and inequality.

Important to recognize that when a state or government is not providing solutions to individual anxieties and social solidarity is difficult to anticipate, humans have difficulty enduring the uncertainties and eventually are expressed in radicalized thoughts and actions.

There is a high correlation between the many self-inflicted deaths because of unemployment and the difficulties of life. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2018 Suicide Survey, the rate of suicide increases rapidly the longer you stay in the lowest strata of society and lower the income level. After the physiological needs, security is the first before all others that needs to be satisfied.

When this is missing, government-level social safety nets are not functioning properly and loopholes and limitations are exposed. In addition to the government, it is also essential to raise interest in society. The analysis suggests the public-private sector should cooperate closely with each other. All working to bring together the community.

Pope Francis said that if modern technological advances cause obvious inequalities and become hostile to the common good, it is not real progress, but unfortunate regression ruled by the law of the strongest. Emphasizing the need to reach out to those who cannot stand alone, warning that the existence of the poor, the marginated, can be treated as annoying, consumables.

The current government is providing the opportunity for "welfare" to shift away from political slogans to "policy." Last year, they spent the largest ever share for welfare spending in Korea, a positive factor in expanding the welfare system. However, despite these achievements, if the plans and directions are wrong, you have events like those described above.

Social welfare experts are calling for strategies for welfare structure reforms to ensure the sustainability of welfare systems. Welfare sustainability and development are shared responsibilities and should be pursued in cooperation with the public sector as well as businesses, workers and all segments of society. The blind spots in the system need to be uncovered, a project urgently needed to find answers by listening to voices in the field, and not only with table theory.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Happiness Is the Fruit of a Process

Over the mountains, far to travel, 
people say, Happiness dwells.
Alas, and I went in the crowd of the others,
and returned with a tear-stained face.
Over the mountains, far to travel, 
people say, Happiness dwells.   
      
In the Kyeongyang magazine a teaching 
professor in psychiatry begins his article on
Happiness, with the above poem by the 
German poet Uber den Bergen. All of us 
know that we never have happiness under 
our control. Known, but at the same time 
sad. Happiness is the desire of all but not easily realized.
 
Many are the rights that humans can truly hope to realize.
The right to be free from a disease. Just up to a few 
centuries ago half of the babies would die. Those who were 
fortunate to live through infancy would face hunger and 
contagious diseases. Those able to see their
grandchildren were few. To die in old age was rare.
Today this is taken for granted in many societies.

The right to liberty is something like air we breathe but 
about a half a century ago women were not able to vote 
or own property. One's freedom came with the social class
they belonged to at birth. Freedom of encounter, religion, 
street address and the like were all controlled.
 
There is no question that we are now freer, healthier and
live longer than in the past but are we happier? The Korean 
Constitution makes clear the various rights citizens 
have: right to be respected, pursuit of happiness, life, 
liberty, equality... What is interesting is that all except 
happiness are rights but happiness is not—we are given the 
right to pursue happiness. 

This was added to the constitution in 1987, it is believed this 
came from the United States Declaration of Independence. 
No one is able to give one happiness, neither the
State or society but only the opportunity to pursue it.
 
Originally happiness was the practice of virtue for a 
full life which opened one to the goodness of happiness. But
it suddenly changed into emotional peace and pleasure. 
Results  of mental activity is behavior but now we have
mental activity without behavior considered as happiness.

A person who is a good cook prepares a nutritious and 
delicious meal. An expected result of her skill. But what has
happened is we have cancelled out the expert cook, the 
ingredients, the devotion of the cook and the 
process and look for the emotional joy of a delicious meal.
 
The pursuit of happiness is much of the same as the 
example of a delicious meal.It's a process. If we cancel the 
long period of preparation and just expect happiness,
something is seriously amiss.

The results of 'emotional happiness' do not last long. When 
we get rid of an uncomfortable situation and feel relieved 
or receive what we desired this doesn't last long. The 
Dopamine effect is brief. Happiness requires a long period 
of preparation. Here in Korea happiness seems to be a rare 
commonity. The writer makes clear he believes 80 percent 
comes from our effort.

He concludes the article with a list of the virtues and vices.
The practice of one and the avoidence of the other. And a 
line from Psalm 128: "You will eat what your hands have
worked for, happiness and prosperity will be yours."

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Responsible For The Words We Use


"The media must be used to build up and sustain the human community in its different sectors: economic, political, cultural, educational and religious. The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good. Society has a right to information based on truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity”(Compendium of the Social Gospel #415). This quote begins an article in the Catholic News Weekly on the media and information by a priest concerned with human rights issues.

If you can't say something nice don't say anything is what many of us heard as children; much can be said for the intention behind these words, for we know words can both heal and kill. More so in this digital world where malicious comments and irresponsible media reports create a vicious cycle of hurts and hostility.

How many are the times when what was said in a private conversation is posted on SNS for the whole world, without any dialog with the person for clarification before posting? Often distorted content of what was said could have been made clear with dialogue but instead used to tarnish the reputation of another.

Recently we had the death of an entertainer right after the 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women'. Accepting the fact that our perception of entertainers is not always healthy: they deserve a private life like everybody else.  They also make mistakes not compliant with their reputation and social responsibility.

But is it right for them to suffer from unsubstantiated accusations and malicious mockery? Comments that tell one to die is a type of violence but also reflects on our public misconceptions. Why can't we treat them as friends and neighbors? Is it too much for us to want to protect them? Should it not be seen as a social murder with our indifference. Sadly in our society, their talents are only commodities.

We do have a "Suicide Report Recommendation Criteria" set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Journalists Association. Nevertheless, some irresponsible media introduce gossip about the daily lives of entertainers with suggestive articles. This leads to secondary damage, to the shocked families, not mourning their death but rather producing articles for profit.

False, uncritical criticisms, emotional attacks,  that are different from the facts leave lifelong injuries. But the malicious reports in the press and society that sees it without criticism are all linked together. Malicious reports beget evil, evil creates hurt and disgust. It's a sadistic cycle— a lack of ethical attitudes and personal respect.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to amend laws on malicious reports and harmful internet comments. These problems have always existed. But the reality is the number of views and advertising-income is good for business.

What are the values we will choose to live by? Do you consider entertainers our neighbors and like all others need to love and forgive? Do we speak, judge and act based on the teachings of faith? A word that flows out of my mouth can remain in the heart of another forever. Truly a word kills or saves a person. At this moment, many words come and go through SNS. Our healthy perception, a word of responsiveness, will help eradicate and bring peace to the terrible situation that prevails in society.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Being A Gift to Others

In the Word and Silence column of the Peace Weekly, the writer introduces the readers to the well known short story by O'Henry: The Gift of the Magi. The poor couple both wanting to give a present to their mate sell their most precious possession to buy a Christmas gift for the other. The wife sells her hair to buy a watch chain for her husband's pocket watch, handed down in his family for generations and he sells his precious watch to buy combs for his wife's beautiful hair.

The Wisemen don't appear in the novel. The writer compares the couple, who were poor but loved each other deeply, to the Magi— sages from the East who have seen the star of the Savior's birth, worshiped the baby Jesus, offering gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts. Can the misplaced gift of a poor couple be compared to a precious gift offered to the Savior? The artist suggests such a comparison by the title.

Gold is the symbol of riches both in the past and present. Frankincense is a high-quality spice used in sacred rituals. Myrrh in history has been used as a medicine and perfume. The Wisemen gave what they considered of value as gifts. In comparison, the watch chain and combs are small and simple. It is the love of the couple that makes this poor gift as noble as the Magi's gift.

It is not easy to receive gifts, giving is easier. If you make up your mind, it can bring joy and excitement to someone. In fact, receiving a heartwarming gift is not too difficult. Gifts are surprisingly as pleasant to the giver as to the recipient. When the writer prepares a present, his heart is excited. There is the joy of choosing what to give and imagining the expression of the recipient. Giving a gift is the reward itself.

At times one gives of oneself as a gift to another. Young lovers who are about to marry are giving each other as gifts. "You ravish my heart, my sister, my promised bride, you ravish my heart with a single one of your glances, with one single pearl of your necklace. What spells lie in your love, my sister, my promised bride!" (Song 4:9). "Haste away, my Beloved. Be like a gazelle, a young stag, on the spicy mountains" (Song 8:14).

Another gift comes to the loving couple in the birth of new life. Babies are a different blessing than the human gift of love of the parents. One gesture, one laugh, gives them unimaginable happiness. The child comes as a more precious gift than the universe, bringing the purity and peace of heaven into their world.

Looking back, all of us were once such beautiful gifts. Existence itself brought joy to parents and families.
Again, life itself was a gift. The twilight years, the lonely times, the difficult moments of old age are accepted wholly with His grace.

I want to give my life as a present again. With the remaining time, I want to live as a gift to someone. We can all be gifts. You will be an unforgettable gift to me and I to you. Baby Jesus is everywhere. And we are all the three Wisemen from the East. Good fathers of this land, holding bags of sweet potatoes on this cold winter evening. Seeing the stars in the night sky, the wise men of the east going to Bethlehem.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Meaning Necessary For a Full Life

No life is uneventful. There are mountains, rivers swamps, and roads with thorns. The same is true in the spiritual life and they should be a help in our growth towards spiritual maturity. A priest writes on this topic in his column 'About Everything' in the Peace Weekly.

An old couple came to see the priest. The wife said that her husband was depressed and irritated which made it difficult not only on himself but all those around him and came looking for help. The husband who was reluctantly dragged along showed this on his face. It wasn't a big deal, he said, and was sorry for disturbing the priest but then confessed what was bothering him.

"Father, I lost my ability to laugh these days. I had a prostate cancer procedure four years ago and all went well, but I'm worried because the PSA (prostate cancer tumor marker) has not returned to normal. The surgeon said that prostate cancer even if you leave it alone, you can live for another 10 to 20 years. If I die in the meantime, I won't die from this disease, but from another disease, so there's no reason to be nervous. But I am so depressed now. No matter how beautiful the landscape, I can't feel any pleasure in thinking that 'the mountains and vegetation will be around, but I will be leaving this world soon. So I've been exercising at the gym for 4-5 hours these days, but the depression doesn't go away. I even go to a club where the elderly gather and dance, but to no avail. I've lived a good life and raised all my children, and now I am in a position to enjoy life and instead I am filled with resentment... I don't want to live like this. I have lived for 70 years; I have lived long enough."

Obsession and attachment to life is our nature. Is our brother the only one that feels this way? How will my life change if I get a diagnosis from my doctor that I have a few months or weeks to live? Can you feel grateful for the time you have and prepare for death? Or will you live in pain and helplessness, overcome with fear for the short life? Like the example given we are not going to die right now, but foreseeing death does it depress us? Where does the power to live a happy life with the knowledge of our death come from?

We know anxiety about death can be overcome with the meaning we give to life. But not many people can say with confidence what their lives mean. But anyone can say with confidence, at least that they have managed a household, had children, nurtured them, and have done there best to earn a living. Our brother mentioned above has lived this life as well but its meaning eluded him. However, the meaning of a life worth living was not felt. It is not a big contribution to the world of service and love for others.

The meaning of life is not as great as one would think. The very act of joyful and grateful living in God day by day in doing what we do small as it may be with great love alone is of great significance to the believer. Sister Mother Teresa once said: "We cannot all do great things but we can do small things with great love." The meaning of her life was a life of doing small things which in human terms meant little but in God's view of great meaning.

I wonder if our brother who has lived with God can recover some of the joys of daily life if he can find the meaning of ordinary love in his life. Perhaps in the face of death, we need to feel that the feelings of anxiety and depression are spiritual messages from God to live lovingly the rest of our days.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Education for Wisdom Rather than Knowledge

"Mom's ability to gather information, and grandfather's wealth…" Have you ever heard these words before? This is a prerequisite for getting your child into one of the prestigious colleges. A priest college professor in Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times wants to reflect on the mysterious like faith in education, which promises success only after entering a prestigious university.

In a traditional Confucian society, the enthusiasm for education is evident in the proverb: 
孟母三遷之敎
(The mother of Mencius, a saint in the East, moved three times to educate her son.) When living next to a cemetery the child imitated the wailing sound of music, they moved next to a market and the child was initiated in commercial affairs; moved near to a school he began learning about the classics. One needs to be interested in the education of the child is the meaning.

Enthusiasm for the education of their children by Korean parents shows readily in this proverb. It is said that there are many parents who make fake documents to help the selection process and seek ways of receiving preferential treatment for their children as well as moving for their children's education.

By studying well, he became a judge, doctor, professor, and entrepreneur faster than others and succeeded in high office, but he closed his eyes to his neighbor's pain and lived only for his own success. There are a lot of 'responsible intellectuals' in our society who don't smell human.

The purpose of education and learning is to become a true human being, however, today, education seems to aim at success— to have a high position and a good salary.   Human life and death, and all that this comprises are of little concern. Studying with the head without acquiring its broader and deeper meanings and values is to win in competition with a cold heart.


Since the 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty, examinations and the emphasis on one's educational background was the royal road to success. Those of our older generations who lived in poverty and with sorrow were not recognized simply because they lacked formal education.

However, at the end of one's life, it is not the lack of learning and not being appreciated that is the problem but a life without love. Whatever the educational background of ourselves and our children, if we can break out from the cultural bonds that bind us and experience love as a child of God, the self-esteem that faith conveys to our children is a greater asset than any prestigious college can give.

The purpose of true education and learning is not to accumulate knowledge as in a warehouse, but rather to learn 'wisdom', which allows us to expand our vision to the world and reflect and learn from our lives. Indeed, the training of Mencius' mother was successful in all three moves, rather than only in the third place after two failures!


Mencius learns the 'dynamics of death' the limits of human existence and the vanity of life while living by the cemetery. In the marketplace, he encountered the fierce  'dynamics of life' in the buying and selling competition of life. And by the school, he learned the universal value ​​and meaning of life from the pursuit of learning.
 

Even though his own mother's level of education was not high, the words that his deceased mother, left the writer have remained vivid."What if you don't have a Ph.D.  Do not try to be popular but one recognized by God."

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Korea Human Rights Sunday

In the recent issues of the Catholic Weeklies, editorials and articles on Human Rights and a message from the bishop who chairs the human rights committee were prominent. The second Sunday of Advent is Human Rights Sunday and from the 8th to 14th of Dec. time is set aside to reflect on human rights and our participation in this revolution of love.

In his message the bishop quotes from Pascal (1623-16662) a 17th-century philosopher who thought deeply about life and wrote in his book Pensées: "Man is a Thinking Reed" weak and often miserable but because he thinks and is conscious of his situation he can transcend it, which makes him great.

However, our social reality is not looking hopeful. The poor are not seen, the oppressed despair and dream of justice and equality, and the socially weak moan in the shadow of indifference, rejection, and disgust;  politicians seem to show no interest in the citizens but are keen on how to defend their vested and political interests.

 Women, handicapped, sexual minorities, migrants, irregular workers, young workers, elders, and many others are living out of sight.  As believers, there is no way we can overemphasize the fact that we are all made in the image of God and worthy of respect. 

The Peace Weekly on the front page had an article on Vincent Yun who was in prison for 20 years and finally in 2009 was paroled for good behavior. He was accused of murder which he adamantly denied but since he had no new evidence those close to him advised against it. The murderer recently, who was in prison for another crime, did confess to the killing.

 "While under examination, they questioned me for four straight days without sleep so I confessed. I was afraid of the death penalty. I asked for another examination of the evidence but was refused. At that time a lawyer would have cost me 15.000 dollars, the money I didn't have so they gave me a lawyer who only saw be three times in all and at the trial, he hoped that all would be done well."


It's easy to see the blind spots and prejudice involved in this case. We let culture, personal habits and discrimination control our thoughts and behavior often to the harm of others. It is difficult to empathize with another, walk in their shoes and open ourselves up to seeing what is before us and not only what is in our heads.

We are in a time where the mission that we have to evangelize requires we understand the social gospel; our duty with the prophetic call of our baptism to make known the injustices and our responsibility to do something to remedy the situation.

"The Church is present among mankind as God's tent of meeting, “God's dwelling place among men” so that man is not alone, lost or frightened in his task of making the world more human; thus men and women find support in the redeeming love of Christ. As minister of salvation, the Church is not in the abstract nor in a merely spiritual dimension, but in the context of the history and of the world in which man lives. Here mankind is met by God's love and by the vocation to cooperate in the divine plan." (Compendium of the Social Gospel #60)

Thursday, December 5, 2019

The GoldenTime To Save the Earth


A member of the bishops' committee on the environment in the Peace column of the Catholic Peace Weekly gives us her thoughts on the recent International Forum on Air Pollution and Climate change in Seoul, Korea. She wants to make known the cry of the  Korean youth expressed during the forum in her article.

A promise without practice is an empty cry. At this moment, we are at a Golden Time. What is the fate of a seriously injured patient? Treatment right away is the short but precious time necessary to survive.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in 2018 that "to prevent climate change, we need to make unprecedented massive changes in 12 years," but there are no huge, significant changes. The next decade will be the last chance to reverse the climate change we have made. We have talked this over and over many times. If we live like this, one day, the earth will be harmed irreversibly and is approaching daily.

Korea has suffered from fine dust for decades, and more and more people buy air cleaners, believing that machines will make their homes safer. But the nature of the fine dust problem lies in cars, factories, and power plants that can't be stopped by a few small machines.

The more we buy and throw away, the more factories will need electricity, and power plants need to burn fossil fuels. As a result, the air gets worse and people live with their faces covered with masks. These one-time disposable masks will remain in landfilled areas for 500 years. Although the size of the family is getting smaller, the refrigerator is getting bigger; we are so used to thinking the bigger the better.

Our youth would like to thank you for what you have done for them. Your efforts have given them a world full of food, clothes, shelters, welfare, education, and less war and hunger. But now they want to face reality. "Faster! Higher! Stronger!" These once magic words no longer give joy to the young.

We need to change our lifestyle by reducing excessive consumption. One might say that such practices hinder economic development. But beyond the narrow framework of mass production and mass consumption, there are endless possibilities. Already, people in the world have seen the future of sustainable industries through the growth of shared cars, second-hand markets, and natural agriculture.

The earth is ours. There is no time to blame or ask whose responsible because we are all responsible for climate change and environmental degradation. The fate of our planet and our human race depends on our actions for the next 10 years of Golden Time. Our 10 years is the hope of the earth. Let's make a change together.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Universal National Interest and Strategic Peace in Korea

What is peace? Is peace recognized as the universal goal of mankind compatible with Korea's national interests? Can we work for peace for our national interests? We often think that peace and national interests are opposite concepts. People who advocate peace are often considered leftists, blindly pursuing universal values, while those who emphasize national interests tend to be on the right and we divide society into two camps. A university professor gives us these thoughts on the situation in Korea in the Peace Weekly 'Current Diagnosis' column.

International politics and national interest is a zero-sum game between nations. Put simply the expansion of national interest based on the economic and military power of one country cannot coexist with the national interest of another country. In other words, when one country grows stronger another gets weaker. It is not a win/win situation.

According to this logic, it is unlikely that a universal concept of peace and a nation-centered national interest can be combined without conflict. There is the possibility of an abnormal situation where the greater power gives peace to a weaker country, or where they have allied with the stronger power to make peace possible.

For this reason, South Korea's aid to North Korea is often criticized as a naive pursuit of peace that misunderstands reality. Regarded often as a mistake of amateur liberals, criticized for the expansion of the North Korean regime, and ignorant of international politics.

But national interests and peace can both be pursued as a strategy in complementary relationships. The UK and Northern European countries have redefined their national interests in a universal sense in which their own interests are expanded in helping to solve global problems. The concept of peace can also be reexamined as an asset in solving problems based on Korea's international political peculiarities.

Universal national interests together with strategic peace interests are more likely to provide a wider range of communication, provide constructive solutions, and legitimacy with the international community than putting the national interest first.

Centering everything narrowly on the national interest is not conducive to the peace process pursued by Korea; the wider the scope of Korea's national interests the wider the opportunities for international norms and principles to be linked to peacebuilding on the Korean peninsula.

In order to plan and promote such universal national interests, the obstacles to peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula should be made into strategic assets, and policy emphasizing that peace on the Korean peninsula is directly related to peace in East Asia and the global village.

Therefore, it is in the national interests of the two Koreas, and furthermore, the international community, that the special circumstances of the Korean peninsula, such as sanctions, denuclearization, and peace treaty between North Korea and North Korea should lead to peace on the Korean peninsula. It is time for a social consensus to ensure that strategic peace and universal national interest are the foundation of Korea's foreign policy and public diplomacy.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Liturgical Time And Its Importance

Time is not merely a physical measurement we experience daily but a factor in what we undergo, situations, the people we meet, all melt into this thing we call time. So begins an article in the Kyeongyang magazine on 'Liturgical Time' by a liturgist who is now a parish priest. On Sunday we begin the new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. A new beginning.

In the liturgy, we enter a new time 'zone' going from our earthly limited time into God's dimension of unlimited time. Liturgical time brings us into eternal time and the article precedes to show us why.

As believers, we realize we are here because of the love and grace of God but with finiteness. We are restricted by time and place. That is the situation we are in as human beings. However, Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection calls us to another dimension of life which we have accepted. This new quality of time we entered, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is found in the liturgy.

"The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time, it is the fountain from which all her power flows" (Const. of the Sacred Liturgy #10). Salvation is already here in faith but not complete, and are drawn daily into its fullness by living the liturgical year. During the year we wait for the coming of Jesus, his birth, his life, passion, death, resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit, the whole mystery is laid before us, church life is centered around this cycle of events.

Liturgical time is both horizontal in that it sanctifies our daily life and the sacraments are the verticle element that enters our daily lives especially the Eucharist where the past just doesn't disappear nor the future something distinct, but both reconciled in the here and now.

In living the liturgical life, we are one together with Christ, we are no longer limited by the finiteness of time but participate in the eternity of Jesus; the finiteness of time melts into the eternity of God which continually calls us to a new life in God. Looking at it in this way the believer is not just repeating another year but entering into the life of Christ. We are already living in God's kingdom in faith.

Thus, through the liturgy, the finiteness of man participates in God's eternity, gains strength in it, and returns to his finite time to walk in pilgrimage by living through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. In other words, the finiteness of humanity and eternity of God come together in liturgical time as a hermeneutic cycle, that presents us with meaning— Any time is the right time for God.

"In the age of the Church, between the Passover of Christ already accomplished once for all, and its consummation in the kingdom of God, the liturgy celebrated on fixed days bears the imprint of the newness of the mystery of Christ" (CC #1164).

Whether in the liturgy or in life if we lose the full meaning of time, that God in his love and grace is always coming and we need to be awake and waiting, otherwise will I not be ill-prepared for the encounter?

Friday, November 29, 2019

Good Child Syndrome

Both Catholic weeklies had reviews of the book: Stop being a Good Person, a title that shocks, by the director of the Catholic Spiritual Counseling Office, Fr. Hong Sung-nam.

A person with a 'good child complex' externally all looks nice but on the inside, you are dealing with something petty with little ability to give and take.

The 'good child complex' finds it difficult to accept other people acting differently from those with the complex. They haven't had the freedom of the healthy child, being accepted and loved even when they don't act virtuously. 

Parents who compliment their child for being good unconsciously desire to control the child. The child than suppresses behavior that will upset the parents at the same time preventing the child from developing normally their child-like nature. The results are often a neurosis.

The book shows ways of overcoming these problems. We have those who always want to be nice to others and can't express their opinion and become victims, feel injustice and built-up of anger—criticizing anger, creating a fake peace, as if there was no anger.

People with 'good child complex' make concessions because they want to be liked: the happiness that is determined by others is shallow, one needs to find other ways to be happy. 

Stop being good doesn't mean you don't have to be considerate. It's nice to talk in a way that expresses your intentions but doesn't hurt anybody. The book contains advice on how to live as a believer along with psychological theory.

The core of the Lord's teaching is happiness. Many religious people push believers into making them feel sinful. He wrote the book for those believers who are tainted with morbid teachings and spread this with their words. Churches can spread this kind of teaching and make those that accept their teaching rigid and push them into seeing themselves only as sinners.

Many religious people say: "Live according to God's will" but what is God's will? God wants us to be happy. If your not tithing you get cancer, you will fail in business and this fear of punishment is not helping the person's spiritual growth. Too many are those that feel that God will punish them as their main motivation in doing good and the clergy often make them sicker, healers are not doing their job.

In the book, he introduces healthy guilt, how to relax, how to overcome the virus of despondency and maintain health. He recommends laughing a lot when driving alone practice smiling broadly. When despondency enters respond with a laugh.

Korean society needs a large dose of laughter and the Catholic Church more so. The church at times gives one the impression of being a mortuary. He would like to see the laughing face of Jesus more often.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

'Meaning Out'

A  Catholic University professor writes in the Current Diagnosis column of the Peace Weekly on the recent neologism in Korean society on letting it all show: 'Meaning out' (coming out ) the expressing of your tastes and values— an activity that reveals your beliefs through consumption.

In a collectivist society, one is careful when revealings one's ideas to others. For ideas and behaviors that differ from group norms, are often viewed as wrong rather than simply different. We often identify 'difference' with 'wrong' instead of just a different opinion. It is more natural to say "our school" instead of "my school" and "our country" instead of "my country".
 

However, with the advent of individualism, which emphasizes individual independence and responsibility young consumers are changing. They do not hide their own beliefs and opinions that differ from the group norm but reveal it through behaviors in consumption. This is called the 'meaning out-trend' a coming out that often reveals gender identity. 

They wear t-shirts with the slogan they want to share, buy bags, shoes, hats, and tumblers with their slogans, and develop their own personal logos. Some even tattoo letters or drawings on their bodies. In the early days, environmental protection, animal welfare, third world support and vegetarian practice expressed certain beliefs, but are now spreading to expressions on social, political,  controversial and personal beliefs.

Consumption behavior reflects the values and beliefs that consumers value in every society. Today, 'meaning-out trends' are often upgraded to active boycotts or buying campaigns to bring together people with the same opinions and values and to change the thinking and behavior of others through the media. 


The recent box office hit: Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is a feminist film, mentioned by the writer as an example of a movement to get people to see the movie. Young women bring their boyfriends to see it and get people talking about the place of women in South Korea's male-dominated society. Movements of this type where you select what you want to support by apps and scanning bar codes continue to spread among the young.

The spread of the 'meaning out-trend' is positive in that the social acceptability of the 'differences' of a 'minority' in our society will increase. In addition, much of the personal media that can express the opinions and tastes of individuals, such as blogs now extends to SNS. This trend is especially focused on Millennials and Generation Z, (the newest generation born between 1995 and 2015) who have a strong desire for self-expression and are good at using the media.

Meanwhile, marketing using consumer's beliefs increases. A company that produced smartphone cases and bracelets to donate to comfort women grandmothers, was able to boost sales and increase brand awareness as stories of celebrity purchases spread. However, it was criticized as the situation was intentionally used for marketing purposes, and posed a problem for the CEO because of public criticism.


Consumers need products and services as tools to express their beliefs, and someone has to play the role of producing and selling them. In other words, companies and consumers need each other for each other's purposes. Companies should not forget that respecting consumer's beliefs and meeting their needs is the purpose of their social existence. If they abuse this relationship they will find that the consumers like ghosts will run to social media and make this known to all.