The director of the Emmaus Training Center of the Korean Bishops' Conference offers the readers some reflections on aging in the Catholic Times.
During a lecture a famous doctor asked: “What is it that you eat to live long?” People answered, “You have to eat well to live long,” and “You have to endure insults to live long.” Everyone laughed heartily. However, the doctor shook his head and answered, “Age.”
Then the doctor asked another question: “What is it that you eat that causes death?” Someone answered, “Age.” The doctor replied, “Correct.” Humans live long by aging, but eventually, aging leads to death. Age is always present, but the interpretation can vary depending on the perspective from which it is viewed.
The same goes for death. Death is always present, but non-believers see it as the end of everything. That’s why they fear death. However, believers see death as the day they will meet God. The day to be reborn into eternal life, the day to enter the kingdom of God, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Therefore, death can be embraced peacefully.
The same applies to faith. How we interpret our faith can influence how we live it. How did the Jewish people, a nation of faith, interpret the Babylonian exile? In the 6th century BCE, the kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonian invasion. Most people were taken into captivity in Babylon. During this harsh exile, they deeply pondered, “Why were we destroyed?”
Other nations might have interpreted their destruction like this: “Because Babylon, which was stronger than us, invaded and we lost the war.” That is an accurate interpretation. On the other hand, some might have attributed the cause to internal factors: “Because our leaders were incompetent and corrupt.”
But the Jewish people, a nation of faith, did not interpret it this way. How did they interpret it? It wasn’t because the neighboring country was strong, nor was it because we were corrupt. Then why were we destroyed? "Because we sinned against God. Because we practiced idolatry. Because we did not follow the Law." They went on to interpret it as, "If we abandon idols and serve God again, He will revive us. If we follow the life-giving Law, God will revive us again." Because of this interpretation, they focused on strictly adhering to God's Law, which eventually gave rise to Judaism.
How one interprets an event can vary substantially. After interpreting an event, the extent to which one acts on that interpretation affects one’s life, a nation, and one’s faith.
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