Old Testament Atonement Rites

In the Catholic Times, an Emeritus Pastor of the Inchon Diocese, with a doctorate in Biblical Exegesis, offers readers some help in understanding the atonement ceremonies of the Old Testament.

Christians often begin their prayers with “Our Father who art in heaven…”. I often ask myself: Where is heaven? Does it mean that God is somewhere beyond the clouds, in the void? Upon careful thought, one realizes that this is not the case. If God were somewhere beyond the clouds in the sky, that sky would be a greater existence encompassing God. To say that God is the creator of heaven and earth, and then to try to find God in some specific place on earth, is undeniably a contradictory act.

If God exists in a certain place, that place becomes a larger world that embraces God. A world greater than God. Of course, a god in some part of the void would still be a god. But it would be a god imagined by humans. One must encounter God that exists before human imagination, the source of imagination, and beyond imagination. We must be freed from the narrowness of human thought. The reversal of thought is needed: instead of finding God in a space or location, we must see God in everything and everywhere.

Nietzsche boldly declared that “God is dead”. In one sense, he was right. The God that Nietzsche killed is the narrow god created by humans, hidden in a corner of the vast world, only to satisfy all their desires when needed.

When thinking of God, we unconsciously follow the surroundings or background of the many concepts of God, but we should not remain there. We must discover God shining in the void. This requires deep contemplation, seeing the surroundings with focus. The idea of omnipresence, ‘being everywhere’ (無所不在), becomes valid expressed one way in the ritual for Azazel, the spirit that roams the wasteland.

“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the living goat, confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the children of Israel, transferring them upon the goat’s head, and then hand it over to the person waiting to send it away into the wilderness. And so the goat will carry away all their sins to the wasteland.” (Leviticus 16:21-22)

In fact, a similar ritual appears in other cultures besides Israel. It is commonly a method of transferring sins or impurities onto a living creature or an object, or placing them upon it to completely eliminate them. This appears to be a purification or atonement ritual arising from the sense of guilt present in the inner human self.

Throughout history and now, the guilt, remorse, or shame residing within every human being always yearns for healing and reconciliation. The main ritual of the Day of Atonement’s great purification liturgy involves laying both hands on the live goat that has been set aside, fully transferring the people’s sins onto the sacrificial goat, so that this sacrificial goat carries all the sins of Israel far into the wilderness. We see that the atonement ritual of Leviticus 16 is deeply rooted within Paul’s doctrine of justification (cf. Romans 3:21-26). “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement.” (Romans 3:25)

International Women's Day March 8th

Revisiting Three Women in Church History. Article featured in the Catholic Times on International Women's Day, March 8th. 

Saint Macrina, Hildegard of Bingen, and Madeleine Delbrêl.  Those Who Lived Their Faith with Their Entire Bodies Need a Re-Evaluation.

When flipping through the pages of church history, the names of women are rarely seen amid narratives filled with popes, bishops, councils, and theologians. As Christian History, an American church history publication, has pointed out, women were the last disciples at the foot of the cross, witnesses to the empty tomb, and key figures in the early church, yet their history has been neglected. On March 8th, International Women's Day, we revisit three women who, though rarely recognized in official records, left profound marks in the realms of community, thought, and religious practice.

Saint Macrina of Cappadocia, in the 4th century, is often described as the sister of Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. However, in following Gregory of Nyssa's "Life of Macrina" and "On the Soul and Resurrection," she reveals herself to be more than just a "sister of the Church Fathers"; rather, she is a figure who provided a crucial reference point for her brothers' faith and thought.

After the death of her fiancé, Macrina chose to remain single, dividing the family estate, freeing the slaves, and establishing a community of women's ascetics on the banks of the Iris River in Pontus. The freed slaves in the community she led were not servants but sisters who prayed and worked together. The practice of slaves and masters sharing property within a community is cited as an example of how early Christianity combined asceticism and communal living, considering the social order of the time.

In this community, meditation, prayer, and hymns were closely intertwined with labor, and Macrina herself shared her wealth with the poor and earned her living through manual labor. It was a life where faith led to economic choices and social responsibility.

Macrina's advice and example were behind Basil the Great's shift from pursuing worldly fame to asceticism and communal living. Gregory of Nyssa, addressing his dying sister as "teacher" (ho didaskalos), recorded an all-night conversation discussing the immortality and resurrection of the soul in his "On the Soul and Resurrection." This is considered a rare work in early Christian theology where women are featured as subjects of theological thought.

Her life was deeply involved in the formation of monastic traditions and the background of patristic theology. This is why she is remembered as "an indispensable figure in understanding the Church Fathers," even though her name was not prominently recorded in major historical records.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) - The fourth woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church

Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess, developed a unique theological and symbolic language of creation and salvation, the church and history, and humanity and the world, drawing on visions she experienced from childhood. Beyond her theological writings, she composed hymns and music, wrote works on nature and medicine, and directly engaged with the realities of the Church beyond the walls of her monastery.

Hundreds of letters were sent to popes, emperors, bishops, and laypeople, criticizing the corruption of the clergy and urging repentance and reform. She also traveled and preached along the Rhine River. 

In the medieval church, it was highly unusual for a woman to preach publicly and address church leaders. Her language was not euphemistic. She directly criticized the clergy of her time, saying, "The blind lead the blind," and in a letter to the Pope, she boldly condemned the church's inaction and corruption.

Hildegard proposed an integrated spirituality that did not separate nature and humanity, body and soul, art and liturgy. Using the concept of "viriditas" (greenness), she spoke of God's vitality and healing that permeates all creation, and understood nature, the body, music, and diet as all participating in creation and salvation. This perspective also explains why her name is being revisited in contemporary discourses on ecological spirituality and holistic healing.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared Hildegard a saint of the universal Church and a Doctor of the Church. She is the fourth female Doctor of the Church, following Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Teresa of Lisieux. This is a symbolic example of how a female religious with spiritual authority and charisma could act with theological authority even within the patriarchal structure of the Middle Ages. Her name has now become a central pillar of theological history, recognized by the Church itself.

Venerable Madeleine Delbrêl (1904-1964).  As a lay social worker, she practiced "spirituality on the road." 

She was a 20th-century French laywoman, a Catholic mystic and social worker who lived the Gospel amidst the communist regime. She embraced her calling to live with ordinary people on the streets, demonstrating the potential of the lay apostolate.

During her youth, she identified as an atheist and lived within the intellectual and artistic youth culture of Paris. In her early twenties, amidst a deep inner emptiness and questions about the meaning of life, she experienced God as "living love" through prayer, the Gospel, and the liturgy. This conversion changed the course of her entire life. After finding faith, she turned to the outskirts of the city, where non-believers and the poor lived together. A suburb of Paris with strong working-class and communist roots, where she formed a small religious community with friends and lived as neighbors to the poor. Working as a social worker at the city hall, she witnessed the Gospel by sharing the same neighborhoods, buses, and daily lives with communists.

As she once said, "We are people on the streets" (Nous autres, gens des rues), the streets were both her life and the space of her mission. Her works, including "The Little People of Our Streets," are considered classics, speaking of the holiness of ordinary life and contemplation amidst the secular world.

Through her writings and lectures, Delbrêl emphasized the lay apostolate and a "spirituality on the road," urging people to practice their faith not only in the church but also in everyday settings. This conviction that the lives of lay people, standing in the midst of the world, can become the very presence of the Church resonates with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council's lay apostolate.

Following her death in Ivry in 1964, the process for her beatification and canonization began in 1993. In 2018, Pope Francis recognized her heroic virtues and declared her "Venerable." She is considered a prime example of how lay women can become the face of the Church in the most secular of urban settings.

Vigilance Always Necessary

The internet is not a place where you will always find the truth at your fingertips. This is well known; consequently, the need for vigilance in its use.

In response to the proselytizing activities of cult-like religious groups, universities are responding with student-led campaigns and other measures. The Catholic Times Weekly recently featured an article on this issue.

As the new semester begins, recruitment activities by cult-like religious groups are expected to be active on campuses, necessitating special caution. In particular, young people, especially freshmen in unfamiliar environments, become the main targets, requiring attention and preventive efforts from different groups.

One university student participated without hesitation in a volunteer overseas program she saw posted on the campus bulletin board. It was an activity she had always wanted, and she quickly became close with her peers. However, one day, the members began encouraging her to join them at their church. She felt uneasy, but in a situation where they had already become the center of her social circle, she could not easily refuse. She realized later that it was a cult-like group, but was afraid of losing the relationships she had built, making it difficult to leave.

Rafael Park, who returned to school after completing military service, had a similar experience. A friend he reconnected with asked him to attend a humanities lecture in exchange for money. He began attending the lecture without much suspicion and gradually became involved in their gatherings. He later discovered that the group behind the lecture was a cult-like organization, but by then, he was already deeply engaged.

These groups primarily use a so-called ‘covert proselytizing’ method, approaching people while hiding their identity. They participate as volunteers in freshman orientation (OT), help with course registration or recreational activities to build rapport, and later connect others disguised as seniors or teaching assistants, filling the new member’s social circle with people from the group. This naturally leads to invitations to church gatherings or private Bible study sessions.

Recently, there has been an increase in approaches through cultural programs such as craft and workshop experiences, study groups, or club activities. They also use MBTI tests and other psychological assessments to gather personal information and behavioral tendencies to inform customized approaches. After building trust through kindness and assistance, they gradually introduce doctrinal education.

Dignity of All Life

In the Window of the Ark column of the Catholic Times, a Catholic professor at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Catholic University of Korea, gives us some words to ponder on the meaning of Life and Suffering.

Dr. Viktor Frankl, a world-renowned psychiatrist and survivor of Nazi concentration camps, says that death, suffering, and guilt are the three great tragedies that humans can never avoid. However, despite all of this, he emphasizes that humans can discover the meaning of their own lives and that pursuing this meaning is inherent to human nature.

Recently, however, the debate over physician-assisted suicide has been causing a stir in our society and raises, above all, the question of the meaning of life and the meaning of suffering. British journalist Katie Engelhart investigates in detail why people choose assisted suicide in her book "The Inevitable". Various reasons are presented, including the limitations of modern medicine, aging, and physical and mental suffering. But the final reason presented is 'freedom'. People believe that their lives are dignified and meaningful when they can freely choose their own life and death.

Viktor Frankl also emphasized human freedom. However, Frankl's concept of freedom was not the freedom to end a painful life. Even in the horrific Nazi concentration camps, he tried to find meaning in his life and always remembered human dignity. And he survived. Although the dreadful suffering of the concentration camps was unavoidable, he did not lose the fact that his life held meaning even within that suffering.

Conversely, when people believe that their freedom is realized through assisted suicide, neither the unchanging value of life nor the meaning of life can exist. When life itself is considered meaningless, suffering becomes something that must be avoided at all costs, and a painful life becomes something to end as quickly as possible.

Christianity does not teach that suffering is valuable in itself. Suffering serves as a warning light that helps us avoid harmful things. Because we tend to avoid suffering, we can maintain our physical and mental health. The development of medicine has also been directed toward freeing humans from much suffering. However, Pope John Paul II states in paragraph 23 of the encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" the following: “Suffering, which is an unavoidable burden of human existence and at the same time a necessary element for personal growth, is 'deleted' and rejected as unnecessary, and in practice is always opposed as an evil to be avoided.” Suffering is not only a warning light that protects our life and health, but also an element necessary for the growth of each of our personalities. In fact, the human growth process is a continuous series of sufferings, because human life is a journey of constantly solving problems. Becoming an adult means enduring the suffering of taking on responsibilities. Conversely, as Carl Jung mentioned, “Neurosis is the result of avoiding the suffering that one should rightly experience.”

What about the suffering at the end of life? None of us can avoid suffering at the end of life. However, it is our choice to decide our attitude toward that suffering. Accepting the suffering at the end of life simultaneously means rejecting acts such as euthanasia or assisted suicide. In other words, it testifies that human life possesses an inviolable value even amid illness and suffering. And such an attitude is not unrelated to hope for life after death. “Beyond all human consolation, no one can overlook the great help that faith in God and hope for eternal life give to the dying and their families.” The suffering at the end of life may perhaps be like the labor pains for being born into a new life.

AMEN: The Hebrew Word

Is it necessary to say "Amen" at the end of a prayer? A reporter for the Catholic Times provides the reader with some information on the Hebrew word "Amen". 

"Confession of Faith" Not an Obligation... The Final Period that Completes Prayer

We often end our prayers with "Amen." If we don't say "Amen" at the end of a prayer, it feels as if the prayer isn't finished. Why is "Amen" so often used?

"Amen" has many uses. Let's first examine the "Amen" we often say at the end of prayers. The Hebrew word "Amen" comes from the same root as the word "believe," and carries the meaning of "steadfastness, reliability, and sincerity." It's used to express the certainty and validity of something, often meaning "so be it". 

Amen appears frequently in the Bible. In the Old Testament, it primarily confirms the tasks assigned to humanity according to God's will, expresses personal conviction about God's judgment, praises God, and appears at the end of the Psalms.

The New Testament also frequently uses "Amen" at the end of prayers and praises. Epistles often reveal that prayers ended with "Amen." The Apostle Paul also criticized the misuse of spiritual language, saying, "How can a novice respond to your prayer of thanksgiving by saying, 'Amen,' if he doesn't understand what you're saying?" (1 Corinthians 14:16). This passage shows that even in the early church, just as we do today, when the church community gathered together to pray, they said "Amen" as an answer to prayer.

"Amen" is a word Jesus used frequently. You might wonder, "Did Jesus ever say "Amen?" The original text of the phrase "Truly I say to you" translated as "Truly" says "Amen." He uses it so often in the Gospel of Matthew that it appears 30 times, in the Gospel of Mark 13 times, in the Gospel of Luke 6 times, and in the Gospel of John 25 times.

"Amen" particularly expresses trust and faith in God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses it twice, saying, "Truly, truly (Amen, amen)" (Amen, amen). This emphasizes the authority of Jesus' teachings, grounded in the truth of God. The prophet Isaiah also refers to God as "the God of Amen." In the Korean Bible, it is translated as "the faithful God" (Isaiah 65:16).

Above all, the Church teaches that “Jesus Christ himself is the Amen” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1065). The Apostle Paul says, “For in him all the promises of God are ‘Yes,’ and through him we say ‘Amen,’ to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Jesus is the definitive Amen to God’s love for us. As the Amen, Jesus receives and completes our ‘Amen’ to God.

There is no rule that says ‘Amen’ at the end of a prayer. However, there is no word that concludes a prayer as beautifully as ‘Amen’.

Life After Death

People often think of purgatory in terms of time and space. What kind of life will we Christians face after we leave this world and die? A Scripture scholar in the Inchon Diocese offers readers of the Catholic Times an understanding of life after death.

We confess in the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." Many ask, "How can a dead body be resurrected? What will the resurrected person be like? What is the so-called purgatory like?" Some, as if believing in reincarnation, wish to be born a little differently in the next life.

In Christian teaching, there is no such thing as a return to this world. Either eternal happiness (salvation) or darkness follows. The Apostle Paul gives a clear answer: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).

It may be impossible to describe in detail the appearance of a person who has been resurrected in secular language. Nevertheless, I believe that searching for the image of a "resurrected person" in the Bible holds great significance.

The following passages in the New Testament most clearly explain death and resurrection: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. What is sown perishable will be raised imperishable; what is sown in dishonor will be raised in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43)

The apostle goes on to describe the state of the dead in more detail: “What is sown a material body will be raised a spiritual body. For if there is a material body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:44) The apostle continues, “And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (the first human), we shall also bear the image of the one who is heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)

Now we can consider three dimensions of creation: creation from nothing (creatio ex nihilo), ongoing creation (creatio continua), and new creation (creatio nova), as described in Genesis 1-2. Continuous creation refers to the Lord, who created the world from nothing and continually breathes life into it. The new creation refers to the realm of mystery from death to resurrection.

The Apostle Paul contrasts the resurrected (newly created) body, the heavenly mystery that the children of the Lord will attain and enjoy, with the earthly body. He emphasizes that just as there are pitiful bodies, bound by the cycle of birth, aging, and illness, there are also spiritual and glorious bodies that belong to the heavenly mystery. “There are celestial bodies and earthly bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:40).

John, the author of the Book of Revelation, clearly describes the glorious state of the redeemed saints in heaven: “In the city will be the throne of God and of the Lamb… they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4). “When he appears, we too will see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

Trying to Understanding Faith with Reason: Theology

A pastor, in a recent article in the Catholic Times, reminded readers that theology is the study of God that originates in revelation.

 As an academic discipline, theology is the study of believers who use reason to better understand what has already been accepted by faith. Simply put, theology is the ‘understanding of faith (Intellectus fidei)’ through academic methods. Human beings, even when accepting revelation as a mystery through faith, always possess an intellectual curiosity to know its content. Thus, while believing, they also strive to grasp it more accurately and fully through the power of the intellect.

This very intellectual inquiry is called theology. Therefore, to understand the faith we hold more precisely, we need to rationalize it—that is, to engage in theology. Theology is faith exercised by the thinking mind.

When a historian without faith academically addresses the facts of Christian revelation, they cannot transcend the dimensions of religious studies or history. This is because encountering the essential content of revelation is impossible without faith as a prerequisite. Revelatory events belong to a higher dimension than natural religious phenomena, and faith is essential to perceive them correctly. Faith, so to speak, elevates the dimension of cognition to the supernatural, making true theology possible.

Saint Anselm's “I believe in order to understand (credo ut intelligam)” expresses precisely this truth. Without faith, one cannot comprehend the highest, the supernatural. We humans attain greater knowledge through faith. That is, we attain the beatific vision of God. That happiness exists within suffering, that spirit exists within matter, that eternity exists within history and time, that God exists within the world—these things cannot be known by our eyes or reason alone.

It is through faith that we come to know that happiness exists within suffering, that God exists within the world. Ultimately, it is through faith that we can perceive the supernatural.

Saint Anselm states, “Faith seeks understanding (Fides querens intellectum)”. Theology is faith seeking understanding—faith striving to comprehend its object. Ultimately, theology is the scholarly understanding of faith.

Without faith, the theologian cannot develop theology. Therefore, theology is not merely a doctrine about God, but an act of faith, by faith, and for faith. Faith is not only the starting point of theology, but its center and its goal. Theology is born within faith, grows within faith, and is perfected within faith. Reading theological works born of faith greatly helps nurture our own faith. Though challenging, the pastor  encourages us to read at least one theological book per year.