Sin the Betrayal of Human Nature

[Asking St. Thomas Aquinas About the Path to Happiness] Are Sin and Punishment Obstacles to Humans' Pursuit of Happiness? A philosophy professor at the Catholic University says that you must distinguish:

Sin and Punishment, the Path of Healing to True Happiness by Correcting Distorted Nature. While cults rob people of their happiness by excessively exploiting 'guilt,' conversely, a tendency to mitigate sin itself or the sense of guilt is widespread in modern society. Modern excessive optimism tends to dismiss sin as a non-existent psychological inhibition, or even regard it as an 'attractive friend,' thereby taking its weight lightly. Nowadays, people generally seek happiness in the highly subjective, sensory realm of 'comfort' and immediate 'desire satisfaction', while viewing pain and discomfort as evil and avoiding them. Following this tendency, many complacently believe that sin does not exist, or that even if it does, its consequences are insignificant. Therefore, the concepts of 'sin (Peccatum)' and 'punishment (Poena),' emphasized in most religions, are often viewed by many as the oppression of irrational authority that infringes upon autonomy. However, a detailed examination of Thomas Aquinas's theory of sin and punishment reveals that this judgment and the resulting rejection stem largely from a misunderstanding. Thomas Aquinas states that eternal punishment is caused not by God's coercion, but by the 'stubbornness' of the human will. In contrast to modern psychology, which prioritizes inner peace and the fulfillment of desires, Thomas sees 'disordered self-love'. This is not a denial of the self, but a critique of a state in which the hierarchy of love is reversed. According to Thomas, 'right self-love' is preserving one's rational nature and turning toward God, the highest good, whereas 'disordered self-love' falls into the folly of undermining one's own immutable human dignity by clinging to the good of the world. While we often view sin as a product of personal mistakes or trauma and focus on self-forgiveness, Thomas defines it as a disorder regarding the rules of reason and eternal laws. When one realizes that disordered self-love ultimately entails abandoning one's authentic self and becoming a slave to changeable desires, Thomas's strictness can be reinterpreted as a warning to protect human nature. A sin defined as a betrayal of rational nature For Thomas, sin is not merely an act of violating the commands of an external power, but rather a 'betrayal of one's own nature' that infringes upon human happiness. He defined sin as both a 'departure from God' and a 'disordered conversion to a changeable good'. The one who sins deviates from the goals carefully set by reason, destroys himself, and brings about inner chaos. This analysis proves that sin is an unnatural act that hinders the realization of humanity. The reason for guarding against sin is not out of fear of external punishment, but to ensure that humans do not lose the path to realizing their humanity most completely. While modern relativistic ethics shifts responsibility to external circumstances or fate by claiming that "it is human to err," Thomas firmly rejects this. By meticulously analyzing the cause of sin as internal factors such as ignorance, passion, or malice (malitia). He emphasizes the 'subjectivity' of humans as masters of their own actions. In other words, the reason we must guard against sin is not out of fear of external punishment, but to protect our own dignity. When we understand that sin is a distortion of nature, the meaning of the resulting 'punishment' also shifts from mere retaliation to the restoration of order. Sin is a 'betrayal' of human nature... must be guarded against to protect one's own dignity. Punishment is 'restoration' that rebuilds the destroyed order... God's grace

Philosophy of Dishwashing.

The Religious Peace scholar at the Catholic University of Korea, in the "Window from the Ark" column of the Catholic Weekly, offers a philosophy of dishwashing.

Cook, set the table, eat, tidy the table, wash dishes, knead dough, bake bread, eat together, wash dishes, make soup, slice kimchi, set the table, eat rice, wash dishes, cook ramen, wash dishes, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, in the morning and in the evening…

Cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. These are tasks that are immediately noticeable if not done, yet go unnoticed even if done diligently. They are not things to brag about. Outside of the family, there is rarely any praise for doing a good job. It is a draining task when even family members remain indifferent.

This is especially true for the dishes that pile up every day. You can skip cleaning for a day or two, but you cannot let a day pass without washing dishes. Cooking is a meaningful activity that brings thanks and nourishes others, but washing dishes is simple, repetitive labor that elicits little reaction from those around you and becomes tedious.

However, if you do not do it, you cannot cook or eat, and life itself becomes impossible. Even if you do not want to, you cannot avoid doing it. Whether at home, in a church, at the Blue House, or at the Vatican—wherever people live—it must be done, yet its true meaning is obscured, and treated as menial labor. Is washing dishes also a way of building the Kingdom of God?

Philosopher Graham Harman proposed a theory called "object-oriented ontology." While this may sound like a difficult concept, it can be summarized simply as follows: Humans are not the only subjects; all beings are objects to one another; humans cannot fully grasp all objects; every object possesses an inherent depth that defies boundaries and holds a cosmic dimension that infinitely expands its boundaries the more it is perceived; and every object perceived by humans transcends that perception, moving endlessly into a deep abyss.

Dishwashing. Every single dish, the object of this action, can serve as an example of this theory. Just when one thinks dishwashing is a task confined to the kitchen, it extends beyond it; just when one thinks it takes place in the kitchen across the street, it connects to someone's work life, effectively becoming part of human survival. Just when one thinks it is the task of cleaning up "food waste," it leads to conversations at the dining table, connecting to family relationships and broader human connections. In this way, dishwashing recedes beyond the kitchen, expands, and extends into an endless abyss, and connects to the entire universe. Dishwashing becomes a cosmic act and event.

And that is not all. It extends endlessly into the world of dish soaps, surfactants, pH adjusters, fragrances, moisturizers, and preservatives. The coffee drunk after a meal, the stains left in the cup, the African sun and soil, the sweat of the coffee roaster, and the fossil fuels of the transport ships.

Leftover kimchi juice, the highlands of Gangwon Province, large trucks, and midwinter asphalt, a delivery worker's winter clothing, someone's survival, and livelihood. A cup of coffee travels as far as Africa, while kimchi juice spilled on the table connects to the cabbage fields of Gangwon Province and the hands of farmers, reaching all the way to the sun. Boundaries expand endlessly.

Washing dishes is a process of converging the chain of cosmic ties (Many) intertwined with a single cup of coffee, the hands washing the dishes, and the cool stream of water right here and now (One). It is an event of "Many within One" (One in Many) as described in Buddhism. It is a small act taking place in the kitchen, yet it is also a monumental event that connects to the universe and recedes. It is a practical example of "Many within One." The religious worldview that "the whole is within the one, and the one is within the whole" is dynamically realized within the dishwashing basin. The repetition of daily life, bordering on meaninglessness, becomes a cosmic sanctuary.

Food scraps and clean dishes, impurity and purity are not two separate things. The act of wiping away the dirt from a single spoon becomes the principle of life. The cosmic truth contained in the smallness—in Buddhism, this is referred to as the state of "one is many, many is one" and "unhinderedness in all things." Wisdom that penetrates without hindrance all things and phenomena throughout time and space. 

In this way, washing dishes in a small kitchen becomes, in the language of Buddhism, the world adorned with flowers. 

Is it not the Lord’s world where “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day” (cf. 2 Peter 3:8)?

Contermplation

 

In his column, Philosophical Chat, in the Korean Catholic Peace Weekly, a Jesuit professor offers readers some insight into the word "Contemplation."

The term “contemplation” derives from the Ancient Greek words “theorein” ( to see/observe) and “theoria”(contemplation/theory). Originally referring to the public act of visiting a sanctuary or festival, the concept gradually expanded to encompass philosophical and religious meanings. 

For Plato (428/7–348/7 BCE), contemplation is the event in which the human soul transitions from darkness to light and “sees” the true reality of the Forms, and this intuition serves as the basis for “recollection”. 

In contrast, Aristotle (384–322 BCE) defined contemplation as a theoretical activity through which humans recognize causes and principles to attain “wisdom,” viewing it as an activity of perfected actuality that constitutes human ultimate happiness. According to him, the “contemplative life” is the highest form of life, standing in contrast to the practical life.

Philosophical counseling, which seeks wisdom beyond mere knowledge, centers on “Contemplative Philosophy”. Contemplative Philosophy is the “science of wisdom” that pursues true and eternal truth through the intuitive insight of the intellect, going beyond rational and deductive reason. This does not remain confined to mere theoretical or speculative philosophy but aligns with “philosophical practice”, inspiring and revitalizing life. 

As a form of philosophical practice, philosophical counseling strives ceaselessly to advance toward the realm of truth and a greater reality by creating a “clearing” of thought in our lives through contemplative philosophy. This clearing of thought (contemplation) is a practical process that alleviates life's suffering and restores the vitality of existence by breaking free from the inertia of everyday thought and approaching reality.

Creating a clearing of thought is on a different level from simply “breaking down boundaries” to transcend limitations. Heidegger (1889–1976) defines a clearing as an open space where Being reveals itself. This is a fundamental mode of thinking that leaves space open for being to reveal its true nature. Contemplative thinking that opens a void within us does not mean reflection on reality, but rather reflection from reality and in communion with reality. If the characteristic of object-oriented thinking lies in establishing boundaries, then contemplative thinking that opens a void signifies boundaryless thinking—that is, thinking that breaks down boundaries. To put it another way, this can be described as a kind of “opening” of existence.

In fact, healing through philosophy is not possible when it remains merely at the level of speculative or theoretical thought; it becomes possible only when one enters the opening of the clearing where existence reveals itself. The experience of this clearing of thought, this opening up, is by no means easily attained; it is granted as an epiphany that arrives like a flash of lightning amidst ceaseless training in thought. This is also the very event in which the soul is healed. This opening—like a clearing that suddenly appears in a dense forest—is experienced only through a contemplative attitude that steps away from the bustle of daily life to dwell in thought. Heidegger understands this kind of thinking as a “reverent dwelling” that allows being to reveal itself.

Our thinking loses its sense of ease as it constantly compartmentalizes and defines objects. This kind of thinking, which draws boundaries, is an act of grasping and identifying with the object; it carries an element of exclusivity and ultimately leads to fatigue. In contrast, contemplation is a form of thinking that goes beyond definition to allow the object to reveal itself, dwelling in letting go and acceptance, and possesses the power to heal the soul.

 

Faith And Theology

 

According to traditional classification methods, there are four fields within theology in its proper sense: biblical theology, historical theology, systematic theology, and practical theology. In the Korean Catholic Times, a pastor offers insight into the division.

First, biblical theology deals with the 'source of faith.' It addresses the origin of literature as a definite certificate of faith, as well as its original meaning and its significance for the present. It includes individual disciplines such as Biblical Studies, Old Testament Studies, New Testament Studies, Introduction to the Old Testament, and Introduction to the New Testament.

Second, historical theology deals with the 'tradition of faith.' It covers the history of various theologies and churches in the process of faith transmission across generations. As individual disciplines, historical theology includes ancient, medieval, early modern, contemporary, and Korean church history, patristics, and the history of theology.

Third, systematic theology deals with the 'rationality of faith.' The rationality of faith refers, first, to the fact that faith can be justified logically and rationally, transcending emotional experience. Second, it means that the doctrines and confessions of faith can be explained and constructed within the comprehensibility of modern people based on philosophical, historical, and sociological grounds. This is a comprehensive undertaking that encompasses the logical statement of the content of faith, the formation of modes of expression, and the methods of its transmission

Therefore, systematic theology seeks to elucidate faith within the church's way of thinking, lifestyle, and structure in the present. As individual disciplines, systematic theology includes foundational theology, introduction to theology, dogmatic theology, moral theology, Christian sociology, and ecumenical theology.

The fourth discipline, Practical Theology, deals with the 'possibility of practicing faith.' It addresses the possibility for the Church and society, living together in the same era, to accept a living faith today. Practical Theology includes individual disciplines such as Pastoral Theology (homiletics, catechetical instruction, pastoral psychology, pastoral sociology, etc.), Canon Law, Liturgy, Religious Education, Missiology, and Spiritual Theology.

In this way, supernatural theology deals with the 'source of faith,' 'traditional nature of faith,' 'rationality of faith,' and 'practicality of faith. Therefore, by reading theological books, we can internalize and synthesize the truths of our faith. In particular, reading conciliar documents and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which represent the remarkable theological developments of our time, is one of the best ways to internalize and synthesize our faith.

To add one more point, as the term implies, fundamental theology is a discipline that studies the most basic aspects of theology. What is the foundation of theology? It is revelation and faith. Therefore, fundamental theology is the discipline that studies these comprehensively.

There are two methodologies in theology: the positivist and the speculative. The positivist method corresponds to "hearing faith," while the speculative method corresponds to "understanding faith. The positivist method addresses the factual question of faith, while the speculative method addresses its essence. Therefore, these two methods cannot be separated but assist each other, enabling us to hear and understand faith.

No More War!

    

On April 30, the Korean Catholic Priests'

Association for Justice released a statement titled "God Rejects War," urging people to break free from indifference toward war and to pray for and stand in solidarity for peace. This statement was prepared to join Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace in a situation where armed conflicts, such as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war, continue, and to condemn all wars, and to call for the choice of peace. The statement pointed out that war destroys the lives of the most powerless first, but those who start the war do not bear the suffering. The priests emphasized, “The Lord, the Good Shepherd, is walking the path to true life and true peace yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” adding, “What is needed in an age of war is not effective strategies, but people who recognize the voice of the Lord and actually follow His path.” Following God's will to reject war and choose peace, every day at 9 p.m., they offered the Lord's Prayer and appealed to remember all beings sacrificed due to war during Mass, urging peace on the Korean Peninsula and the cessation of wars of aggression by the United States, Israel, Russia, and others. The priests urged, “Remaining silent or standing by is by no means neutrality, but another form of complicity in violence,” adding, “Let us draw the cries of the suffering into our prayers and respond to the peace chosen by God.” Furthermore, citing the Pope's criticism of invoking God's name in war, they called on the international community to fulfill its fundamental responsibility to protect life, transcending self-interest and political expediency. The group of priests stated, "The parties to the war must immediately cease the use of force and move toward the table of dialogue and negotiation," adding that "no justification can legitimize the sacrifice of innocent lives."

Catholic Universality

In the Peace column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the director of a young people's community offers some interesting insights into the word "Catholic" and its meaning.    

For the past five years, he had the opportunity to spend Holy Week in Rome. There, over 1,000 young people from all over the world gathered together. They spent the Paschal Triduum close to the Pope, visited the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul to pray, share their faith with one another, and experience the Church's universality.

For the first few years, his heart was drawn more to visible things: magnificent buildings, long history, and the beauty of Rome. However, as time passed, his perspective gradually shifted. He began to live Holy Week more inwardly—within the liturgy, in silence, and in prayer. Amidst this, there was a scene that particularly touched his heart: the sight of people from different cultures, languages, races, and life backgrounds coming together to confess the same faith. Though they possess distinct sensibilities and paths, at the center of it all lies Christ.

He often conversed with people from other countries in St. Peter's Square. It was a very simple activity, but he realized many things. When you step out of your familiar surroundings, you naturally come to realize that there is not just one way to follow Christ. In the past, he often spoke of the Church's universality as an "open mind directed outward". This time, he wants to reflect on how that universality is lived out "within" the Church. 

There is not just one way to approach Christ. Diverse spiritualities and paths exist. Our goal is the same: holiness. However, God does not call everyone in the same way. For some, silence is important, while for others, action becomes more accessible. Some encounter God within the liturgy, while others encounter Him through concrete service to their neighbors. Yet, all these paths are connected as one within the same faith and sacraments in the Church. Church unity does not come from everyone doing the same things, but from walking different paths within the same faith while moving toward the same Lord.

Recalling my time in my hometown in Spain, I saw many believers living out their faith within diverse communities. While Sunday Mass was celebrated together in the parish, the concrete practice of faith—education, spiritual guidance, and retreats—was filled within distinct spiritualities. From the Society of Jesus, the Salesians, the Neocatechumenal Way, Opus Dei, and the Regnum Christi, to countless other religious groups.

In that scene, he often felt the church's universality. Diversity is not a division, but rather a force that helps each person find their place. This is because, while the paths are different, the destination is the same. We are not merely inside the church; we are the church itself.

We need to reflect on ourselves. We stop learning the moment we think we are doing the right thing and doing the best. We need the humility to learn from one another and a heart open to dialogue. It is also important to have a heart that knows how to rejoice with others' joy. We must be able to rejoice in their successes as if they were our own and give thanks together.

The attitude of absolutizing a specific way within the church and demanding it from everyone ultimately obscures the church's richness. The power of the church does not lie in uniformity. It lies in different aspects harmonizing to form one. It is not a diversity that divides, but a diversity that embraces.

In the past, it was not easy to encounter diverse forms, but if we turn our eyes just a little, we can discover how the church is alive and breathing in so many different ways. This should be a reason for joy, not anxiety.

When that joy fades, and when it becomes difficult to accept the goodness revealed in places that are not 'mine', it is not a matter of the head, but of the heart. Perhaps we have not yet fully lived out the 'universality' that we often speak of. Living more Catholicly is not about doing more, but about living with a bigger heart.

Hospice Palliative Care

The Window of the Ark column of the Catholic Times has an article on physician-assisted suicide and hospice palliative care by a professor at the Graduate School of Life Sciences of the Catholic University of Korea.

What image comes to mind when we think of family or household? We would probably first picture a family of three or four consisting of a mother, a father, and children. This image of a family is commonly referred to as the traditional family model. However, some refer to the emphasis on such a family model as the so-called "normal family ideology". The basis of their argument is that the proportion of 3- to 4-person households, which corresponds to the so-called normal family, is currently very low in Korean society, for the proportion of single-person households now exceeds 40%. However, the increase in the proportion of single-person households cannot be unrelated to the voices advocating for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. The rise in single-person households ultimately implies the absence of someone to care for oneself, which can make euthanasia appear to be the only solution when one falls ill. In Korean society, where the issue of care is considered so important, if physician-assisted suicide is legalized, hospice and palliative care would decrease. 

Cicely Saunders, who established the first modern hospice center in 1967, was clearly opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia, and made great efforts to develop hospice as a moral alternative to such practices. However, in the Netherlands, where assisted suicide was legal for several years, hospice palliative care did not develop properly, and in Oregon, USA, where physician-assisted suicide was first legalized, cases of inadequate pain management for terminally ill patients increased. While 1,832 hospice facilities were opened in other U.S. states over the same period, only 5 were opened in Oregon. The legalization of assisted suicide brings about changes in people's mindsets. This can be confirmed in the United States, where many medical organizations, including the Hospice and Palliative Care Society, maintain a neutral stance toward physician-assisted suicide. Considering that hospice care originally began in opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, this neutral perspective indicates that many hospice workers no longer hold the view that assisted suicide is morally unacceptable. An important role of hospice or palliative care is not only to reduce the patient's suffering and pain, but, above all, to provide others with the opportunity to share in the patient's suffering. Hospice teams, families, and caregivers caring for terminally ill patients are given the opportunity to experience suffering alongside them. While giving someone the opportunity to suffer may sound negative, sharing in the patient's pain means participating with them in the discovery of not only the meaning of their life but also the meaning inherent in their suffering. In doing so, we can realize true solidarity with others, and such an attitude serves as the criterion for determining whether this society is truly humane. Pope Benedict XVI stated the following in the encyclical *Saved by Hope*, paragraph 38. 

The true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer. This holds true both for the individual and for society. A society unable to accept its suffering members and incapable of helping to share their suffering and to bear it inwardly through “com-passion” is a cruel and inhuman society. Yet society cannot accept its suffering members and support them in their trials unless individuals are capable of doing so themselves; moreover, the individual cannot accept another's suffering unless he personally is able to find meaning in suffering, a path of purification and growth in maturity, a journey of hope. Indeed, to accept the “other” who suffers means that I take up his suffering in such a way that it becomes mine also. Because it has now become a shared suffering, though, in which another person is present, this suffering is penetrated by the light of love. The Latin word con-solatio, “consolation”, expresses this beautifully. It suggests being with the other in his solitude, so that it ceases to be solitude. Furthermore, the capacity to accept suffering for the sake of goodness, truth, and justice is an essential criterion of humanity, because if my own well-being and safety are ultimately more important than truth and justice, then the power of the stronger prevails, then violence and untruth reign supreme. Truth and justice must stand above my comfort and physical well-being, or else my life itself becomes a lie. In the end, even the “yes” to love is a source of suffering, because love always requires expropriations of my “I”, in which I allow myself to be pruned and wounded. Love simply cannot exist without this painful renunciation of myself, for otherwise it becomes pure selfishness and thereby ceases to be love.

We will need to ask ourselves what kind of society do we truly want.