The Catholic Times, in its series for Lent, introduces us to the Pantoja book, written in Beijing 1614, which helped to form the spiritual life of the first Christians of Korea. Before the first priest entered Korea, this book was extremely important in giving meaning to the life of the Christians, and even after the death of the first priest it continued to help in forming the Christians until the first French missioners came to Korea in 1836. Matteo Ricci's book was the catechism, and Pantoja's book was the devotional book, the means of forming them to be followers of Jesus.
Seven inclinations of our distorted nature take away the joys we should have in life. Even though the first Christians faced a difficult life, Lent for them was not a 40-day period of repentance; it lasted for 365 days. The Pantoja book helped them to persevere during these difficult times and to grow in virtue.
An attractive feature of the book was that it was written in the vocabulary of those who were from childhood exposed to the Confucian way of seeing life. Pantoja used this vocabulary and examples that the educated at that time found easy to understand and practice. We must also remember that these early Christians came from the educated class and had little difficulty in reading the Chinese characters.
Pantoja's book, "Conquest of the Seven Capital Sins," presented the seven unruly inclinations and their antidote: pride, overcome by humility; jealously, weakened by generosity; avarice, undone by magnanimity; anger, cooled by gentleness; gluttony, blocked by moderation; lust, hindered by purity; and laziness, conquered by diligence.
The article reminds us that there are many who consider this way of seeing life as outmoded, a laughably low-level teaching and a hindrance to the growth of a mature Christianity. However, the article goes on to pose the question: why are we in denial about our own pride? The simple and clear way of seeing life proposed by Pantoja is not only proper, insists the article, for the 21st century. It is a necessity for living our full humanity in these difficult times.
