Frugality the unpopular Virtue

 

In  the  Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly,  the journalist reflects on the way we celebrate Christmas.  

As the years go by, the decorations and lights that once helped us prepare for Christmas are becoming less of a sign of anticipation and more of a device to stimulate consumption. They encourage us to buy things we don't really need. Of course, a festival should be celebrated as a festival. Preparing gifts or special meals is not the problem. Joy is meant to be shared. The problem is what, or rather, who, we put at the center of our joy.

The one we follow was born poor, lived poor, and died poor. Jesus' poverty wasn't misery, but rather an attraction. People gathered around him. At the same time, that poverty was also a condition for becoming a disciple.

A few months ago,  he wrote a column about the "least popular virtues." If purity is one of them, then poverty or the spirit of frugality would also be at the top of that list of unpopular virtues. Today, success is judged by bank account balances, evaluated by fashionable clothing, and proven by the latest gadgets, travel frequency, and the number of social media followers. This society rewards wealth and punishes poverty. The greatest punishment the poor receive is indifference.

Following Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV also continuously revisits this theme. The Pope's recent apostolic exhortation, "I Have Loved You" (Dilexi te), is not simply a social message. It is a confession, "I have loved the poor," and a question posed to us.

Let us look at Jesus again. He came into the world with nothing, lived by the work of his hands, and left the world without even a tomb to be buried in. In the past, poverty was often a given condition of life. However, today, voluntary poverty is not a forced fate but a path we can choose. This makes it a more difficult, yet simultaneously more liberating, choice. Nevertheless, there have always been those within the Church who intentionally chose this path. Their poverty attracted people because in them, people saw not trendy leaders or "cool people," but Jesus himself.

What can we do? I would like to divide this into two aspects: personal poverty and a life dedicated to serving the poor. First, personal poverty. We live in the midst of the world. We need clothes, phones, transportation, and food. The problem is not "need," but "excess." It's about practicing letting go of things we don't truly need. If our lives are completely filled, where can God enter? The reason we strive for the spirit of poverty is because we want to live like Jesus.

Secondly, it's about dedicating ourselves to the poor. Today, poverty includes those trapped in loneliness, those struggling with addiction, those who are sick, and those in prison. The poor are always among us. How we approach them is a question we must answer in our lives.

Pope Leo XIV, in his message for the World Day of the Poor, said, "The greatest poverty is not knowing God." Caring for the poor is not just about sharing material possessions, but also about proclaiming God. Poverty cannot be solved with money; it can only be overcome with love. To love our neighbors, we must first accept God's love.

Literature and Christian Spirituality

Through the light of theology and the breath of spirituality... the fruits of literature helps us to grow. A Jesuit professor in the English department at the Korean Jesuit University provides background on the topic in his Catholic Times article.

There is a well-known quip by Cardinal John Henry Newman regarding the English term for mysticism. This word is composed of 'mist,' meaning fog, and 'schism,' meaning division, suggesting that mysticism begins in a fog and ends in division.

Although it sounds like a joke, it hints at the possibility that vague personal spiritual experiences could deviate from Church teachings. If theology is the universal teaching that transcends time and place, spirituality is a reflection on the concrete experiences of each individual. In this sense, theologians sometimes cast a wary eye on spirituality.
 

Just because the personal experiences depicted in literature do not directly use the language of Christian faith does not mean they are fundamentally different. This is because the human nature of believers and that of non-believers is fundamentally the same. The Samaritan, who was a pagan, was actually a figure walking the path of light.
 

 However, theology and spirituality do not proceed independently; rather, they form a close, fundamental relationship. While theology deals with a systematic and universal understanding of God and Christian truths, spirituality is the realm in which individuals practice and live out such understanding and truths in daily life. Spirituality is the space where the teachings of theology are put into everyday practice.

Additionally, theology tends to perceive history as a unified and universal phenomenon, whereas spirituality is the living experience of God's presence revealed within specific historical contexts. Spirituality gives life to the universal historicity of theology.
 

The primary concern of literature and Christian spirituality is precisely the experience of individual life. Not an embellished experience, but an experience as it is. Because God seeks the authentic self, just as He sought Adam and Eve, not a flawless, artificially crafted image.

The primary concern of literature and Christian spirituality is precisely the experience of individual life. Not a colored or decorated experience, but an experience as it is, raw. Because God seeks the real self, just as He sought Adam and Eve, not a flawless, artificially crafted image. 

William James argued that the essence of religion lies not in doctrine or institutions, but in the practical and concrete experiences of an individual’s feelings and actions. The Second Vatican Council also reveals a perspective on revelation not as a traditional proposition that concluded with the death of the last apostle, but as a dynamic, continually acting influence. The reason revelation must remain dynamic is that every human being is a pilgrim on the road until death.

Christian spirituality is distinguished from literature in that it understands individual experiences within the truth of Christianity. However, the fact that personal experiences depicted in literature do not employ the language of Christian faith directly does not make them markedly different from those revealed in Christian spirituality. This is because the human nature of believers and non-believers is fundamentally the same. The Samaritan, who was a pagan, was in fact walking the path of light. 

Karl Rahner, who emphasized the ‘anonymous Christian,’ proposed transcendence within ‘foundational human experiences.’ That is, even those who have not directly heard the gospel of Christ or who are outside the Church can, through their own experiences, unconsciously have transcendent experiences of the Absolute.

Research on various literary works from ancient Western times through the medieval period, the Renaissance, the modern era, and contemporary times, which explore fundamental human experiences, can be the subject of Christian spirituality. The universality of theology and the individuality of spirituality do not exist in isolation but interact with each other.

 

Why Monasteries?

 

The Catholic Times conducted an interview with a priest who has led pilgrimages to monasteries for nearly 20 years. What lingered in the interviewer's mind was not any specific answers to questions she may have had, but the feeling she was left with. 

There were ample explanations for why this journey had lasted so long, but what ultimately stayed with her was the question of 'why do people seek monasteries?' This question goes beyond personal preferences or spiritual experiences and prompts reflection on what has sustained Christian faith over time.

The paths to the monastery pilgrimages were always the same. The mere fact that it had continued for a long time was not the point. A monastery is not a place for adding more, but a place where one gradually removes unnecessary layers to reveal the essence. In this sense, these pilgrimages were primarily a process of reaffirming the core, source, goal, and path of faith within the monastery.

While conducting the interview, she was reminded of the power that an old monastery holds. Monasteries began from a desire to live out perfect gospel values; the monks have repeatedly fallen, failed, and risen again. Gospel perfection is not an ideal achieved at once, but the result of choices that embrace human weakness and never gives up.
 

Viewed this way, monastery pilgrimages are not a longing for the past. In an era in which religion is often treated as a choice, it is a process of asking where faith originally began. Rather than seeking a better experience, it is closer to confirming the form of life in which faith first took root.

Seeking a monastery ultimately means asking these kinds of questions. Isn't it about asking yourself whether you can, today, choose once again the essence that the church never ultimately let go of and considered central? 

 

Ecumenical Week Jan. 18-25

 

Together Embracing the Cheongju Martyrdom Site: Seowoon-dong Parish of the Cheongju Diocese and Cheongju First Presbyterian Church. This article appeared in Catholic Peace Weekly as an example of Ecumenical Cooperation. 

Churches observe Ecumenical Week annually from January 18 to 25, the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle. During this period, Christians from various denominations pray together for 'full unity' according to Christ's will, 'that they may all be one' (John 17:21). In celebration of Ecumenical Week, the Weekly introduced the relationship between Seowoon-dong Parish of the Cheongju Diocese and Cheongju First Presbyterian Church. These two pastors have worked together on a site honoring martyrs from the Byeongin Persecution period. The place where Blessed Oh Ban-ji, Kim Jun-gi, and others were martyred... Creating a 'Martyrs' Garden' through inter-denominational cooperation.
 

The area was a government office where troops were stationed during the Joseon Dynasty. The Cheongju garrison led to the arrest of believers not only in Cheongju but also across Chungcheong Province following the 1866 Byeongin Persecution.
 

The roots of First Church trace back to 1904, when missionary Min Noah from the United States established Cheongju Eup Church. To honor the historical significance of the place as 'holy ground' where Catholic believers had been martyred, Pastor Min moved the church to this location in 1905. The founder's intention continues to be carried on by the Church today. 
 

 “The will of Missionary Min is still engraved in the hearts of the congregation,” adding, “Jeil Church is a church that has grown and flourished with the blood of Catholic martyrs as its seed.” The desire of Seowon-dong Parish and Jeil Church to remember the faith of martyrs, regardless of denomination, resulted in the joint creation of the Martyrs' Garden. 

The impetus came from the Seowon-dong Parish which began in early 2021. Until that project, only a marker indicating the martyr site was placed on the garden site. At that time the parish priest, asked Jeil Church for cooperation to transform the site into a proper sacred place, and the church’s decision-making body, unanimously approved it. Jeil Church provided the area closest to the actual presumed martyr site as the Martyrs' Garden, and the parish covered the costs of its creation. Additionally, the parish also covered the costs of establishing the 'Min Garden' to honor the historical significance of Jeil Church in the Cheongju area. 

Jeil Church still bears bullet marks from the Korean War and has contributed to the local community through education, social welfare, and the democratization movement. Representatives from the parish and Jeil Church attended the blessing ceremony held on August 26, 2021. Since the creation of the Martyrs' Garden, over 7,000 Catholic pilgrims have visited each year, and Jeil Church members have never once raised a complaint. Min's intentions are still engraved in the hearts of the congregation. 

After the martyr’s park was created, a scroll inscribed with ‘Goban (苦伴)’ gifted by a parishioner from Seowoon-dong Parish was hung in Pastor Lee’s office. The pastor explained, “‘Goban’ means becoming friends through suffering,” and said, “We consider it a symbol of unity between the two churches, signifying that we are already brothers and sisters in the face of the suffering and cross of Jesus Christ, and we cherish and keep it with care.” On the path of Christian unity, the pastor emphasized, “We must not forget that we are to be united in Christ beyond doctrinal differences,” and expressed his hope, “I hope that more opportunities for interfaith harmony and Christian unity will emerge.” The pastor stated, “We are all beings made in God’s image,” adding, “Doctrines can divide us, but in practical areas such as peace, justice, and the preservation of creation, we can combine our efforts and act together, achieving unity in anything we do”.

Meditation on Tears

 

A professor in the language department of a Korean university, in the recent issue of the Catholic Times,  offers some thoughts on tears and their place in our lives.

"Have you cried recently?" the doctor asked during her recent hospital visit.  And then told her: "Go to an exhibition or somewhere this weekend and shed some tears alone."

After getting such an unusual prescription, she reflected on her experience with tears. She tended to cry a lot, but tried not to cry in front of others. Perhaps it's because of the Confucian upbringing she received from her father. He restrained his children's emotions. The most lavish praise he gave was, 'You did well'. 
 
When she called him from the U.S. to tell him that her doctoral dissertation had been approved, he said, 'You did well,' but her mother told her later, he cried after hanging up. When she was a child and cried, her father scolded her, saying, 'Don't cry.' His words stopped her tears, but her sense of hurt built up inside.

There was a miraculous moment when the river of emotions that had been bottled up between her strict father and herself was released. 

One day, while talking with her father, she began to cry. That day, he laughed heartily and said, 'Cry, cry as much as you want. Cry your heart out in front of your father.' She doesn't remember exactly how long she cried that day, but she remembers well how his words completely released the long-held hurt inside. 

After that experience, she sometimes applies it to her own life. When a student comes for career counseling and starts crying as soon as they sit down, she tells them, 'Cry. No matter what it's about, cry your heart out in front of me before you leave'. 
 
What is crying? It's something that bursts out. Whether it's sadness or sorrow building up, it makes sense to let someone cry their heart out. There may be fake tears, but…

Every day, amid countless tasks, we wrestle with misunderstandings, injustice, and irrationality, and maybe each of us is just barely holding on. So, it's OK to cry if it gets too hard. Especially in front of your father, it's OK to cry your heart out. 

While she was writing this, her father passed away. It was an unprepared farewell. Her father, had chronic illnesses but was otherwise healthy, caught a light cold but suddenly departed from this world in just three days. 

Life is but a fleeting moment, and at  times, she gathers her longing with the two words, 'Always be prepared'. She often thinks about it when struggling. It's enough if just one person knows her tears. The tears her father knew, surely God the Father knows as well. After the funeral, while looking at the morning star before returning to Seoul, her mother said, 'I will live my portion, and you live yours. That's how it should be.' 

She  recalls (Psalm 56:8-9) "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your record? Then my  enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me."                                       

God, who wrote your book with human tears, tells us that it's OK to cry if we want to, that it's OK to cry our hearts out in front of our father. With that in mind, I take one more step forward.  

Daring to Call God Father!

 

A doctor of Biblical Literature from the Inchon Diocese, in the Catholic Times, offers some reflections on ways to sanctify the name of the Lord God as presented in the Old Testament and Jewish literature.

First, it is said that the people of Israel (the believers) sanctify God’s name by keeping His teachings and commandments when following the teachings of the scribes or rabbis. “You must keep my commandments and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not desecrate my holy name, so that my holiness may be revealed among the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 22:31-32)

Second, it can be noted that the salvation of humanity is to be fulfilled and proclaimed by the prophets. By revealing Himself as the righteous judge and the completer of salvation before all nations, the Lord God manifests His own holiness. “I will sanctify the great name which you have profaned among the nations.” (Ezekiel 36:23)

Saint Bruder Klaus (1417–1487) of the Swiss Church offered only the Lord’s Prayer during his pilgrimage from his hometown to the Einsiedeln Benedictine Monastery, about 50km away. How many times did he offer it? It is said that he could not even complete it once.

It is astonishing yet understandable. When praying while contemplating the profound meaning contained in the Lord’s Prayer, one might feel as if they remain in that first line for a very long time. How can we humans, “a fleeting smoke that appears and vanishes” (James 4:14), dare to directly call our Creator God ‘Father’? Saint Klaus probably found that even a ten-hour meditation could not fully grasp such a profound mystery.

The Lord God Himself has shaped us. Being born into the world through our parents is, in fact, the greatest mystery and grace on earth. How can one understand even 10% of the mystery of life, of the one and only me created uniquely in the entire universe, in just a few hours?

As a penance for confession, he sometimes suggested to the parishioners, “Would you like to slowly offer the Lord’s Prayer while reflecting on its meaning? Or would you like to devote yourself to the Rosary?” Some people respond, “I pray that every day,” giving the impression that they regard the Lord’s Prayer or the Rosary as not particularly significant. 

He encouraged the parishioners reading this to listen attentively to the words of salvation from Ezekiel 36 whenever you offer the Lord’s Prayer. I believe that His blessing is already blooming abundantly within us. “Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, the towns shall be inhabited again, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. … And the people will say, ‘The land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden…’”

World Youth Day, Korea 2027

 

The Korean Catholic  newspapers reported the interview with Cardinal Américo Aguiar,  2023 Lisbon WYD Organizing Committee Chair, in Seoul Korea on December 21st. "WYD Seoul 2027’ will be the greatest ever… We must spread the word about WYD boldly until the very end.”

“Young people around the world are showing great interest in Korea. That’s why I am confident that the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD) in Seoul will be the greatest ever. Young visitors to Korea will become ‘witnesses’ who testify about what they experience in this country.”

Cardinal Américo Aguiar, former Chair of the 2023 Lisbon WYD Organizing Committee, visited Seoul on December 21. He came to observe the Korean Church’s preparations for WYD firsthand and to share his experiences as an organizing committee chair.

Cardinal Aguiar said, “The global community is paying attention to the upcoming Seoul WYD because the Korean Church is a church built on the blood of martyrs and started by laypeople,” adding, “Portuguese youth will also have the opportunity to visit Korea to see and learn how the Korean Church conducts youth and young adult ministry.”

Cardinal Aguiar also emphasized that laypeople need to actively participate in preparing the event. He stated, “As Pope Francis has consistently stressed, laypeople must play a central role in WYD according to the spirit of synodality,” explaining, “In the past, team leaders in the Portuguese Church were all priests, but in preparing for WYD, we encouraged laypeople’s participation, and more than 20,000 lay staff and volunteers played a key role in the event.”

He emphasized the importance of broad promotion of WYD. It is necessary to continuously and widely spread the fact that the Seoul WYD will be held. WYD is a festival for all young people. We must go and invite even those who do not know about this event until the very end.” 

 Cardinal Aguiar recalled that there were difficulties in generating social consensus in Portugal regarding hosting the event during the Lisbon WYD. He said, “There were even those who opposed holding the event in Lisbon itself,” and added, “But we kept explaining to them what this event was and what it meant, and by inviting them to the event instead, we broadened the consensus. Another challenge was that Pope Francis’ invitation needed to reach all young people,” and advised, “Because not everyone knows about the WYD event, it is absolutely necessary to promote Seoul WYD both technically and strategically even before the event begins.” 

Cardinal Aguiar also extended words of encouragement to the young people of the Korean Church preparing for Seoul WYD as the ‘next generation’ following Portuguese youth. “Preparing for such a large event requires bold courage. God will give the youth of Korea the strength to overcome difficulties. Like the theme verse of Seoul WYD, ‘Take courage; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33), I hope you do not lose courage and walk together until the end.”

This is the second World Youth Day held in Asia but the first in a predominately non-Catholic Country.