A Tragic History

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of Japanese colonization and liberation. Most people around us who are not yet 80 years old have never experienced this. To be under colonial rule is to lose sovereignty. 'There is no Joseon, there is no Korean Empire.' The loss of sovereignty was not just the loss of a country's name, flag, and songs. 

It was the loss of a people's history, customs, traditions, and how they lived. It was the loss of writing and speech, the loss of life. The day we celebrated our liberation after 35 years of colonization was when we regained everything we had lost.

However, it seems that our liberation did not bring back everything. We all wanted to build a beautiful country in our liberated homeland. Still, at that time, some of us were nostalgic for colonial rule, and some wanted to entrust our country's honor to a larger outside power. The liberation that we could not create ourselves continued to create pain within us, divided and destroyed and brought hate and loathing to life.  Countless acts of terrorism and massacres became the norm, with the lives of those who disagreed with us and their families taken lightly. The new history was supposed to be one of unity and was stained with blood.

It was 4-3 again. 77 years later, it is still a painful event that has yet to be properly resolved. It is estimated that 30,000 of the country's 300,000 inhabitants were killed. One in ten people died or are presumed dead.  It was so devastating that entire villages were forced to celebrate funerals on the same day. Those whose remains were never found are buried somewhere on the island of Jeju. On November 17, 1948, martial law was declared for the first time since the establishment of the Korean government, and on December 1, 1948, the National Security Act was enacted. The dreaded martial law and the National Security Act halted our progress and prevented us from moving forward to a better world.

It's hard to appreciate this on the mainland, but the word “4-3” is still something we don't dare use on Jeju without careful thought. Even within the same family, perpetrators and victims were intertwined and paranoid, looking at each other with suspicion. The ghost of the 4-3 did not cease its activities even after the Geumguk area of Hallasan Mountain was opened to the public on September 21, 1954. 

The shackles of the sit-in system and the National Security Law entangled the bereaved families, and the psychological wounds of torture, post-traumatic disorder, and the 'Red Complex' never healed. Those who fled to Japan due to the 4-3 never returned, those who returned from imprisonment faced surveillance by public security agencies, and the 4.3 still remains an unorganized file with countless stories.

From the end of last year to the present. South Korea is in the midst of a complex mess. The way people look at each other has changed. People say today's situation is not much different from after the country's liberation. We are creating another us within us, where we can see each other as enemies and target each other for terrorism. The world is filled with wars, with people here and there screaming in agony at what they see and experience and at war within themselves. 

We are repeating a terrible history, knowing everything will be left in ruins. History constantly tells us not to repeat the same mistakes, but our foolishness perpetuates them. Anyone who thinks they can get what they want by inciting hatred, and anyone who sympathizes with them, should be told to look at history again. 

“I call on everyone to take an interest in ending the use of religion to incite hatred, violence, extremism, and blind fanaticism and to ensure that the name of God is not misused to justify acts of murder, expulsion, terrorism, and oppression.” (Fraternity of Man for World Peace and Life Together) A historic declaration co-signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam, the head of the Catholic and Sunni faiths. May this declaration resonate deeply within us. If you feel hatred right now, realize what it is doing to you. If we abandon history and truth, we will repeat the same foolishness.

"The Church By The Sea"

 

"Church Called by the Sea" was an article on the Catholic News Now/Here website that described the deep relationship between the Incheon Diocese and the Maryknoll Mission Society. 

The Incheon Diocese Church History Research Institute, which has been researching the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society, held a special exhibition on March 22nd. The institute announced that this exhibition sheds new light on the missionary journey that the Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society has taken in the Incheon Diocese.

The Incheon Diocese met the Maryknoll Society on September 1, 1958, when it was established as the Incheon Vicariate, the Incheon area being part of the Seoul Archdiocese. From then on, the Maryknoll Society took charge of the Incheon region’s pastoral care. In 1961, when the Incheon Archdiocese was established, Father William J. McNaughton of the Maryknoll Society was appointed as the first bishop and continued as bishop until 2002.

“The journey of the Maryknoll missionaries, who entered China in 1918, Pyongyang in 1923, and Incheon in 1958, is also a history of overcoming the historical turmoil of East Asia with their presence. It can be said that it is a history of witnesses who experienced the events from beginning to end. It is also a missionary journey that ‘responded to the call of the poor.

The Maryknoll Society embraced Incheon immediately after the Korean War. It was a home for refugees and later a city of workers. The Maryknoll missionaries built a church centered around the refugees and lived with them. After witnessing the poor conditions of the workers, they fought together for their human rights. This journey also led to their dedication and devotion to democracy in Korean society.

The declaration of the founder of the Maryknoll Society, “We go to places where we are not wanted but needed, and when we are wanted but not needed, we leave,” was realized in Incheon, and it became a ‘church built by the sea’. This exhibition is a ‘tribute’ to the Maryknoll Society, a witness to Korean society and the Incheon Church, and an answer to the call of the poor.

56 diverse relics are on display, including the missionary charter containing the spirit of the Maryknoll Society, missionary writings, and confidential government reports detailing the missionaries’ activities during the democratization movement. In addition, approximately 300 photos of the missionary society’s journey from China to Pyongyang, Cheongju, and Incheon can be viewed. In particular, the photos of Bishop William McNaughton, who entered the country in 1954 and worked as a missionary before being appointed the first bishop of the Incheon Diocese in 1961, will be displayed. 

At the opening ceremony, Father Jang Dong-hoon (Director of the Incheon Diocese History Museum and the Incheon Church History Research Institute) expressed his gratitude to those who participated in preparing the special exhibition. He said this special exhibition began with the old question, “Where, how, and why did the Incheon Diocese begin?” He talked about the three seas. He said that the three seas were “the sea of ​​refugees, the sea of ​​workers, and the sea of ​​those thirsting for justice” and that “missionaries continued to go out to new seas to comfort the lives of refugees, to wash away the tears of the weak, and to protect human dignity endangered by injustice and violence.”

He continued that he wanted to quickly present the answers he had obtained through his short study and possibly sloppy study today because there is no time when a church that does missionary work is particularly needed as much as in today’s chaotic times. “It was because we urgently had to respond to the urgent request of the universal church to be a church that goes out, a church that does not fret over becoming the center but constantly moves toward the outskirts, a church that must do missionary work.”

Father Richard Agustin, local superior of the Maryknoll Society in Korea, said that the missionaries who lived in this land since the establishment of the Incheon Diocese in 1962 were not mere visitors but faithful servants who built a religious community with sacrifice and dedication. “This exhibition is not just a record but a precious space to reflect on the struggles and love of the Maryknoll missionaries. Today, we look back on the past, give deep thanks to God, and make a new commitment.”

Sister Seong Mi-Yeong, a Maryknoll Sister speaking for their Congregation, said that when she entered the convent, she heard the stories of many seniors who had been missionaries in Korea for decades, and she knew well how deeply the Maryknoll Congregation was connected to the Korean church, society, and people. She said, “I felt sad and regretful that many priests and nuns were passing away, and their stories and history were disappearing along with them. I also felt sorry that Maryknoll’s precious materials and records were scattered, so we could not properly inherit this legacy. I am grateful you have collected, preserved, and exhibited the records so well.”

The bishop of Incheon, Bishop Jeong Jin-cheol, who presided over the blessing ceremony, said, “What I felt most while serving as the vicar general and parish priest was that the parish had forgotten many things. Looking back on history, there are both good and bad memories, but when we forget them all without being able to contain them, the sorrow of future generations will be great.”

He said, “In the past, the Incheon Diocese was able to rise as a strong church with the help of the Maryknoll Society, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Columban Foreign Mission Society, and the Guadalupe Mission Society, helping to form the Incheon Diocese as we have it today giving thanks for such grace and help.” He added, “Since I was inaugurated as bishop, I have said that the Incheon Diocese must live a life of sharing, and among the sharing of material and human resources, sharing of human resources is the sending of missionaries. The church is one where people share their faith with each other.”

Theology of the Body

A member of the Secular Institute of the Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ, in the Catholic Times, helps us understand Human Love in the Theology of the Body from St. John Paul's teaching. This teaching of the Body encourages us to live a life of holiness by embracing the truth about our bodies and sexuality and living out our God-given potential for love and self-giving.

① The Body is a gift in its very existence

② The property of giving oneself

③ A means of expressing the language of love

We expand our knowledge of man through God's self-revelation in Chapter 1. of Genesis: "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (Gen 1:26). In his revelation, God uses the expression' us' twice, which reveals a relationship,  clearly stating that man is made in their 'image'  and also their 'likeness' similarity. 'Image' means that the ontological root of human dignity is in you, whether you are a man or a woman. 'Similarity' implies that there is a part of human beings that is not yet complete, unlike the perfect God, and therefore, there is a dynamic space in human beings that must move toward perfection (cf. Romans 3:26; 8:30).

This dynamic realization that human beings must move toward perfection is contained in the understanding and properties of the Body, which is God's 'image,' and in the Body's language. If we express this as a question, it is 'How do I understand the Body? What properties does the Body have? What language does the Body express?'

First, the Body is a gift. I was born as a man/woman without choice and freedom, and I am taken away as that gender (masculinity/femininity). It is a calling once into and out of the world. The historical human being who lives that calling is a gift in itself and has metaphysical characteristics, and asks, 'Where did I come from and where do I  go?' And I know that the existence called 'I' is more beautiful and valuable in the eyes of the One who created me than in my own eyes or the eyes of the world and that there is a purpose in life that I cannot neglect.

Second, the Body has marital properties. Whether or not to live the matrimonial properties is within one's choice and freedom. Just as the human Body does not only have physicality, marital properties do not only mean the sexual physicality that is shared through marriage. It refers to the internal order of the Body, that is, the ability to give and accept oneself. 

Married people are in a relationship where they give everything and receive everything as a conjugal union. Still, virgins and consecrated people realize a life of giving themselves in a dimension that excludes the use of reproduction by their intention. This is an excellent form of life in which humans' reclaim themselves' by giving themselves, just as God gave himself to humans through the Son. When the Body is understood and practiced in the logic of 'gift' — giving is a fantastic realization of the longing deep in the heart through self-escape and self-transcendence.

Third, the Body reveals the language of love. This language, expressed through glances, gestures, smiles, and words, is a means of expressing personality that conveys one's feelings to others. The "we" (Gen 1:26), that is, the three persons, as God said, give and receive all of themselves most completely. A relationship of love exists for, with, and in the other. Ultimately, when a human being lives "for someone, with someone, toward someone," he experiences the mystery that was written on his Body from the beginning. At this time, the definition of a human being is found not in oneself but in relationships, and the other demands my responsibility as another me, not as someone who complements "me."

This perspective can be found in history, and Jesus Christ, in whom we profess our faith, is at the top.  His Body (the Eucharist) comes to me as a gift, a nuptial attribute wishing to become one with his bride in the language of love. Accepting Him becomes giving, and as this relationship is transformed in the world, it becomes a journey that reveals the Body as a sacrament and a subject of holiness. The path of the Body is the path of love.

Population Dilemma!

The Catholic Times' View from the Ark column, written by a Catholic University professor, reviews the problems with the birth rate and how it began with the government's fear of overpopulation. 

Our country's family planning slogan in the 1970s confirms its population control policy. It started with ‘Have three children’ and changed to ‘Let’s have two children and raise them well, not differentiating between daughters and sons’. In the 1980s, it changed to ‘If we have just one child, all will be well'.

The government not only carried out a national movement to encourage contraception and vasectomies to suppress the population but also implemented a policy to impose additional resident tax and health insurance premiums on families with three children. This population control policy continued until the 1990s, and a positive perception of contraception and vasectomies resulted. At the same time, tacit approval of abortion was deeply rooted in society, and a social atmosphere was formed that made having multiple children unpatriotic.

As the birth rate rapidly decreased in the 2000s, the family planning slogan changed 180 degrees to ‘Something missing with one child, two happy children, three strong children.’ However, people do not consider having multiple children a social obligation or perceive it positively. This means that the social values ​​and attitudes influencing individual choices have changed. There are pros and cons, but our society has become freer and wealthier compared to the past. 

On the other hand, we have pursued a strong birth control policy for economic growth. Consequently, we have condoned and encouraged abortion, and as Cardinal Kim Soo-hwan said, “In the end, the fundamental values ​​of human life have been overturned and materialism has become the center, and various social problems have emerged." As a result, the trend of disregarding the lives of the weak and a materialistic way of thinking have spread, and our hearts have become increasingly traumatized. Many people have lost the meaning of life.

In this way, the legislation of the National Assembly and the government's policies are important matters that directly affect our society, each citizen, and our future. However, let's look at recent government policies or legislative proposals of the National Assembly. They are still short-sighted and try to solve problems like in the past. 

The Ministry of Health and Welfare expanded the list of genetic diseases that can be tested from 63 in 2009 to 222. The genetic diseases that can be alleviated or treated through this test are extremely limited, and even if there are genetic abnormalities, they are not all manifested. Rather, it is being implemented to screen embryos or fetuses, and there is concern that this policy is being justified from the perspective of comparing the costs and benefits that would arise from giving birth to a baby with developmental defects. This will deepen prejudice against people with disabilities, make childbirth seem like a verification process within the market economic logic of the bio industry, and increase the pressure on women who are pregnant with children that do not meet certain standards to have abortions.

In addition, the partial revision of the Maternal and Child Health Act proposed in the National Assembly in October of last year mainly includes support for unmarried pregnancy procedures to address the issue of ultra-low birth rates. The way of thinking that looked down on fetuses in the past to suppress population growth now treats fetuses as products to pursue happiness for unmarried people and increase numbers. 

A substantial medical industry market has been formed in the process of unmarried pregnancy, including sperm and egg trading, in vitro fertilization, genetic testing and gene editing, and surrogacy. Population policies that have lost the dignity of life and the meaning of marriage and family or the pursuit of individual happiness will soon boomerang in our society and cause another social problem. It is an uncomfortable truth but a reality we must deeply reflect on.

Ecumenical Christian View of the Impeachment Trial In Korea

 

A reporter for the Catholic Times gives us this report in which the Catholic Church, working ecumenically with many other Christian churches, explains how it currently sees the situation in Korea. It is a complex situation that has divided the country and put the political situation at an impasse. This is how a group of Christians sees the situation.

With the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol expected to be announced sometime this month, the Christian Council of Korea (Co-chair Bishop Lee Yong-hoon (President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea), Secretary General Kim Jong-saeng) emphasized that “the decision of the Constitutional Court must be accepted by the political, civil, and religious circles,” and that “we must pool our wisdom and strength to make our society a democratic structure so that events like the December 3 martial law do not happen again.”

The Christian Council of Korea, which consists of various denominations, including Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians for Christian unity, issued a joint statement on the Constitutional Court’s impeachment trial on the 18th under the theme, “Plow up your fallow ground. Do not sow among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3). In the statement, the Christian Council of Korea expressed its hope for an end to political division and hatred and the spring of democracy.

The Faith and Ministry Association said, “The calling of all Christians sent to this land is to become the light and salt of the world with the power of the gospel,” and “The church has the task of exploring the signs of the times and interpreting them with the light of the gospel.” It continued, “Korean Christians felt the vulnerability of democracy in the unconstitutional and illegal situation,” but explained, “We learned that democracy can be rebuilt with the firm will and resolute action of awakened citizens.”

However, it was pointed out that the situation was still ongoing. The Faith and Ministry Association criticized, “The people have not yet escaped the night of martial law, but President Yoon is consistently telling lies rather than apologizing to the people,” and “The extreme right has invaded the judiciary, and a significant number of the ruling party is also trying to undermine the authority of the Constitutional Court.” It continued, “Politics is holding back the status of Korean culture,” and emphasized, “The starting point for restoring the people’s daily lives and raising our status in the international community is the impeachment of President Yoon.”

While saying, “As Christians, what is shameful is that some Christian groups belong to the extreme right,” and “They are using Christian symbols and language for hate, not love. Civil society’s distrust of the Korean church is growing,” they expressed concern. The Faith and Ministry Association said, “The church is one universal church,” and “the mistakes of some in the church are the responsibility of the entire church.” They continued, “We confess the mistakes of extremist Christians as the mistakes of all of us and repent,” and “We appeal to our brothers and sisters to return to the path of justice and love.”

In addition, the Faith and Ministry Association appealed, “Korean society and the church must accept the Constitutional Court's decision on impeachment, △ achieve harmony in the community after the Constitutional Court’s decision, and △ oppose repetitive acts that cause hatred and social division.”

Spiritual Self Healing

The Catholic Peace Weekly's Philosophy Chat column, written by a Jesuit philosophy professor, gives us some ideas to explore in our desire to understand life more deeply.

In philosophical counseling, spiritual healing aims for spiritual growth and vitality based on human nature. It seeks a healthy life by examining emotional reactions and experiences related to one's own problems, establishing proper relationships between oneself and others, maturing one's personality, and expanding consciousness through self-healing and daily self-reflection to strengthen the inner life.

Fundamental and philosophical insight into human nature is necessary to understand spiritual healing properly. The classical concept that defines human nature is the 'psyche' or soul. Ancient Greek philosophers understood the soul as the principle of life corresponding to matter and gave it a unique status.

Humans are the only living creatures in nature with a unique soul that can grasp and understand the principle of all things, which is the spirit that the ancient Greeks called 'nous'. Spirit is the core concept of human nature that encompasses technology that produces and manufactures something, perception that discerns things, moral practice that pursues the meaning and value of life, and wisdom that follows principles and truth of all things.

Humans are beings who have a physical body and a spiritual soul. Humans are limited by their bodies but are spiritually unrestricted beings. Humans can constantly attempt self-transcendence toward the absolute despite being finite because they possess this unrestricted spirit. As a unique person, I am primarily distinguished from others through my body. Still, I exist as a unique individual only through mental self-consciousness and reflection. Since we have this kind of unconstrained spirit as our nature, we can transcend the defined self through internal self-transcendence, outside of ourselves, and ultimately transcend to the supernatural ultimate reality beyond nature.

Internal self-transcendence means transcending the self that has already been defined and understood through our experiences. These experiences of the self don't exist alone. They are formed through communal life within the continuity of time and space. External self-transcendence toward the other means self-dedication that overcomes the self. Of course, this does not mean physical union but mental unity with the other through self-denial.

Lastly, self-transcendence toward the ultimate reality means self-opening to the absolute being. Since the true meaning of our entire life and existence is ultimately revealed only through the absolute being, self-transcendence toward this ultimate and absolute reality becomes the core of spiritual healing.

Spiritual healing comprises three stages based on transcendence, the inherent characteristic of this spiritual human existence. The first stage is first-person self-transcendence, which is establishing a relationship with oneself that emotionally controls the passions of the mind and objectifies oneself. The second stage is second-person self-transcendence, which is establishing a relationship with oneself and others by examining the causes outside of oneself that cause passions and empathizing with and understanding them. The third stage is third-person self-transcendence, which establishes a relationship with oneself and the Absolute with an open attitude toward unconstrained reality. In our traditional approach to spirituality, these were the Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive stages of the spiritual life.

Values of Our Society

In the View from the Ark column, a pastor in the Korean Times expresses his feelings about the present society.

Sometimes, you suddenly become brave when you go to an unfamiliar place. It's a vague feeling that if you keep going, you'll reach your destination, even though you've never been there. If the premonition is correct, all is well, but you will most likely return the way you came. This is because you're lost. In the not-so-distant past, there was always a map present that gave one confidence. 

Nowadays, navigation systems play that role, but there was a time when people who were good at reading maps were recognized. Starting with the declaration of martial law, impeachment, arrest, and detention, the Constitutional Court, the waving of flags, protests, banners, the Battle of Namtaeryeong, for and against… You hear many voices, but it isn't easy to know the situation. It is frustrating that we must live like this, divided and enemies again. 

Has the day that Jesus warned us about here again?  "From now on, five members of one household will be divided against each other...."(Luke 12:51-53).

What is our standard? The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests of the Second Vatican Council states: "In the context of the modern world, the preaching of priests is so difficult that, to move the hearts of those who hear it more appropriately, it is necessary not to explain the word of God in general terms or abstractly, but to explain the eternal truth of the Gospel in a way that applies it to the concrete circumstances of life."

It first needs to be based on truth. Many words are circulating here and there, disguised as truth. However, if untrue things happen and we accept them, we abandon our fundamental values entirely.

The second is freedom. The right to exercise freedom, an excellent sign of human dignity, is a gift from God granted to all humans. As a value revealed in relationships between people, 'freedom as a right to exercise' and 'freedom to refuse' according to conscience are precious values ​​that lead to a humane social life.

Next is justice. The Church defines justice as a continuous and firm will to give what is due to God and our neighbor. The Church demands respect for the most classic forms of justice: commutative, distributive, and social justice. It is not a matter of taking sides but distinguishing right from wrong. What is right must be our moral choice.

The last value is love. 'Love presupposes justice and at the same time transcends justice. Justice must be completed in love.' Furthermore, the Church teaches 'love that urges individual action' in society and politics. And reaching out in individual action to those suffering and abandoned.  Eliminating the social factors that create the situation is our continual task.

Let's examine the aspects of our social life and consider the fundamental values ​​of social life that have already been given to us. We will clearly see where and how we should go.