Where Was The First Button Placed?

On the spiritual page of the Catholic Times, the columnist tells us we all have a scroll that when unfolded reveals our life. But that only we can make it known to others, revealing minutely how we have reacted with others and the world. There are laughs and tears, scars and my brutal moments. If we want to be happy, he says, we have to examine this scroll and see what it tells us.
 

There are places where we see the constructive side of life, its joy, but also the inadequacies and much that is negative. There is no one outside of Jesus with a perfect scroll, so there is no need to be embarrassed or lose hope.

There is no need to see our history with  human  judgments and measurements. The glasses we use see mystery. We have from the beginning in God's providence been formed well. We have been made to live in harmony with God's will.

This is the measurement that we should use in looking over our life. Saying this in another way is to say that God is the only one to judge definitively. I do not make the judgement but leave it up to God to use his measurement.  According to the same rules, the world of politics, finances, culture and our present situation will be judged. Our work is to live in harmony with God's will.

Jesus is the model we are to imitate. Jesus was one with the Spirit and with God. We are made in the image of God; are we striving to live according to the blue print Jesus has given us.This standard is the first button that will lead us to genuine happiness. 

 

In recent times, we see many regretful things. The values of society are going in a different direction. But no matter our station in life, after a time, with this attitude, the bottom appears. 

 

Do our hearts hurt? Is life difficult? Are we giving our neighbor blame for the present situation? Do we have pangs of conscience because of some of our actions? Do we experience God? Is life a battle? Do we see life as meaningless and empty?

 

The answer our columnist says is to check to see where we have placed the first button.

 

 

Peace of Mind and Religion

Busy young people in the Seoul diocese are looking for peace of mind when practicing their religion. The diocese recently made a survey of 3,773 young people  and compared the results to a survey made after the Seoul Synod in 2002. 38.7 percent said their primary desire was to experience inner peace, 30.6 percent said family joy. In the 2002 survey, the desire for health ranked first. Clearly, the change to a much harsher reality in today's world has resulted in a change to desiring more peace of mind and family harmony.

What seems most worrisome for young people, however, is concern for doing well in their studies (38.8 percent), concern for money (35.8 percent), and finding work (32.7 percent). Ten years before, money was listed as fifth; now it has  become second; a sign that materialism has become more prevalent.  The social networking  services have become prominent in the world of many young people, and interest in books has decreased.

When asked about the meaning of religion, 61.7 percent indicated that it gives them peace of mind;  ranking second, with 19.2 percent, was the belief that religion helped them form a value system. Purification/sanctification of life came in third with 10.4 percent. Their introduction to the religious life, they said, came from those who were close to them; the influence of the mass media was negligible.

The editorial in the Catholic Times, commenting on the survey, mentions that pastoral programs in the future should work to understand the  results of  the survey. At first glance, the results are not surprising when one sees religion as only something personal, a very natural understanding of religion. But with further reflection, when one understands the spiritual and the communal aspects of religion, it should make us question whether this more comprehensive understanding of religion is being overlooked.

The difficulties that our young people are facing today can be seen precisely in this desire for peace and stability. However, if their desire for peace of mind is sought exclusively in religion then we have a misunderstanding of the meaning of Christianity, particularly in its communal and  transcendental aspects. Peace of mind is a by-product and not the object of a mature Christian life.

Gaining Grace Points

A journalist for the Catholic Times reflects on his grammar school days when he worked to gather grace points by attending daily Mass. It was an opportunity which permitted students to  choose from a list of good deeds they had performed in order to accumulate grace points. The points could then be changed into a kind of money that could be used at the church  bazaar to buy gifts or sweets.

He was excited about getting  his points by attending daily Mass. He would get up early, and with his mother went to daily Mass. After two days, often dozing and finding it a great  bother, he was going to give it up but the words of praise from the parishioners and his desire for the points kept him going. Compared to his classmates, he remembers gaining a great many more grace points.

But getting grace points wasn't what motivated the children in Vietnam, he soon learned while traveling there to gather information on minorities. In order to write his article he went to a 5:00 am morning Mass at the Cathedral parish in one of the dioceses. Although it was a morning Mass there were many at the Mass; surprisingly many were children. They were, he recalls, all very attentive and devout, from beginning to end. It made a big impression on him. There were no adults to praise them or to present them with grace points, and yet they were all singling loudly and saying the prayers together. He interviewed  a few of the children, and was told they considered Mass a part of their daily life and a joy.

Even though the Vietnam government is putting obstacles in the way of believers, making it uncomfortable for them to observe the faith freely, they continue to build up
"treasure in heaven," he said, not grace points here on earth.

He wonders if he may still be unconsciously motivated, as an adult, to gain earthly  grace points by how he lives his religious life. He hopes to guard against this all too common tendency among believers.

Aliens Are My Brothers

Some years ago a priest responsible for a welfare center put a sign out in front with the words: "Aliens not welcomed." It was an attempt at humor, welcoming all to the center.
A staff member jokingly asked, "Aren't they also God's children?" Writing in the Window from The Ark column in the Catholic Times, the priest recalls that the incident was the prelude to thoughts on a subject he was not familiar with: other inhabited worlds, other people we call extra-terrestrials. 

One of the students who frequents the center asked the priest in all seriousness: "Father, if I am made from the DNA of an alien, does that mean that my head, as I get older, will develop into the head of an extra-terrestrial?" The priest was stupefied by the question and asked the student why he thought that was possible. It was then that he realized what the student had been seeing in the mass media. Doing his own search on the internet, he was surprised by what he found.

He soon began asking himself what would he do if he met one of these aliens, in the future or in the present? He also came to realize how much interest in aliens there was in our society and that there is a religious movement, the Raelians, who believe they have the DNA of aliens. However, he believes it important to remember that Internet information on extra-terrestrial life is presented without any supporting factual evidence, that no sources are given for the pictures shown, and that the explanatory theories offered are, in his words, "without the least semblance of credibility." Though most people know this, it does not prevent some from believing that extra-terrestrials are here, disguised, living among us.  

The priest mentions the well-known astrophysicist Carl Sagan and the influence of his 1980 television series: Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.  In his science fiction novel Contact the protagonist says: "If this universe was made for just one  type of intelligent creation, it was a great waste." He reminds us that Sagan was agnostic and felt that religion was close to superstition. 

Our response to all this, the priest says, is far from clear, but we can't just ignore it.  There are many young people who refer to the words of Sagan when asking us about extra-terrestrial life.  What should be our answers? he asks. If there are other worlds and other intelligent creatures living there, then aren't they our brothers? It's a question that young people are facing and struggling with. What are we to say to them, when we see their faith being challenged? These are the thoughts that came to the columnist as he looked out the window of his 'Ark' and saw that the rain was still falling.

Diabetes and Nuclear Power Plants

Writing in a bulletin for priests a medical school professor compares nuclear power plants with diabetes, a common  disease with a long history. With the advance of civilization and prosperity, there has been an increase of the disease, which is marked by a large reservoir of bodily energy, wasted energy, and when not properly regulated cannot be used and thus is thrown away in our urine. We have poverty in plenty.

The professor sees our nuclear power plants as beset with the same problem our bodies have in dealing with a poorly regulated supply of energy. The energy is there to be used but just as we have a problem with distribution in a diabetically diseased body, the same is true of nuclear power plants, which are, the professor asserts, a disease of modern society.

Briefly summing up what occurs in a nuclear plant, he points out that the nuclear reaction gives us heat energy which heats the water, and the steam produced turns the electrical turbines. It is the same principle as the thermal power plant: heat energy turned into electrical energy. When we have a change in the shape of  energy, there is a great loss of energy. Much of the electrical energy we use for heating purposes, he believes, is wasted.

As is well known, it takes a few days to start a nuclear power plant and a few days to shut it down, so it is not operated to match the needs of the average citizen.  The plants are continually in operation, and at night, when there is a surfeit of electricity, there is a cheaper rate for the electricity, which benefits mostly, not the homeowner, but the big industries which often operate around the clock. In the homes, the electricity (estimated to be about 24 percent of the total generated) is most often used for heating purposes, which makes for a lot of waste.

There are other uses for this excess energy, the professor says, but they are all a great waste of energy as presently used. The comparison of diabetes to nuclear power plants is meant, he says, to point out this great waste of energy and its poor distribution. (He does not consider the nuclear waste matter which is the result of the nuclear operation.) It's not too far-fetched to compare as some have done, the nuclear power plant operation to killing a fly with a canon. Getting rid of this societal disease, the professor insists, must be done as soon as possible.

What Is Success?

The present problems of Korean society are clearly evident to all, a columnist in one of the daily papers points out, and solutions are not easily found. To illustrate the complexity of a particularly troublesome problem, he relates a recent conversation with a businessman who told him he had been telling his  third-year high school son, repeatedly, to study hard so he will be able to get into a good school, get a good job, marry a beautiful woman, buy a nice house, and live the life of a prince. His son answered: "Dad, what is the value of  graduating  from a first class college, succeed in business, and end up in prison? Whether you have money and power makes little difference, when there are many who are under suspicion of corruption and end up in prison. Is that what it means to do well in life?"

The father said he was severely crushed  on hearing these words from his son. His many efforts to help his son break through the competitiveness of society and succeed left him feeling like a first class snob. He did have other words he could have used: be mature, humble, have good sense, dignity, respect, sacrifice for the country, love for the family. However, he felt these words would not have been helpful in the jungle of competition we now have in society--so our children only hear words such as  "study and don't play games."

What do our children see watching the news on TV? he asks. Usually another 'dirty hand' picked up by the police for questioning, big names in society who give bribes and receive them; bankers who are picked up for embezzlement and breach of trust; those close to the president, politicians, and company officials  who are making prison seem like a second home. 

Korea, the columnist says, is high up on the list of corrupt countries in the world. According to a Hong Kong research group that compared countries in Asia, Korea is listed as 11th out of 16 countries (with the 16th being considered the most corrupt.). Korean integrity in government  was shown to be less than Thailand's, which was 9th on the list, and Cambodia's, which was 10th. And in the last six years, the integrity index for Korea has steadily declined.

Though income has increased and Korea has become a leading exporting country, we should not be considered a developed country, according to the columnist, if we can't expose corruption and maintain a high moral standard in society. He concludes the article by telling the older generation that they have to show the younger generation a love for the good and a hatred for evil. If we continue to be insensitive to corruption and irregularity in our society and are not embarrassed by this, we will not become, he says, despite our material affluence, a truly developed country.

Educating the Whole Person

Teaching gospel values in educating the whole person is taken for granted in Catholic educational theory. The practice of these values, however, is not so easily taught in our schools, which usually designate their teaching of the whole person, made in the image of God, as holistic, humanitarian, character education, among other terms--all of which take into account that  we are a composite of mind, spirit and  body.

Catholic Schools in Korea face the dilemma of being unduly influenced by societal thinking as they try to incorporate more gospel values in their educational programs. The article in the Catholic Times deals with this serious issue.

Government regulations, the article explains, takes away the freedom of the schools to decide what programs of study to provide, what students to accept, and what teachers to appoint.  The government requires that private school imitate the public schools.

Another serious problem is the emphasis given to preparing for the college entrance examinations, in effect paralyzing any desire to work for the education of the whole person, success or failure of one's education being determined by grades and the chances of entering a first class college. This unnatural emphasis attempts to change the values of parents and society, with the relationship between the providers of education and those who seek it being weighed in favor of the consumer. Competition in society is the obstacle that makes educating the whole person difficult.

There have been some examples where schools  have managed to control half of their courses and freely accept Catholic  students. By having seminarian classes like a "seminary," they don't have to follow the school group system. There have been some famous cases were the schools have followed the education for the whole person and have done very well in the government exams for college. One Catholic school principal stresses there is no conflict between studies and growing as a human being.

The principal of Nonsan Daegeon High School was honored for developing a new education model, described as utilizing an approach  to education that sought to balance the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person, while also balancing study and service in the school. Surprisingly, the  spiritual was at the center of the program. There was a great deal of opposition to the change but when 96 percent of the students went on to college, this brought a big change into the thinking of the community and the teachers. Many thought the whole effort was a waste of time and money. But for a small high school to achieve the results they did and not have to jettison their educational ideals made many take a second look at his balanced approach to educating the whole person.               

From the Diary of a Prison Chaplain

Although there are some law breakers who have become altruistic members of society after leaving prison, following many years of crime and imprisonment, most ex-convicts have a different story to tell. In his pastoral diary in the Peace Weekly, a prison chaplain recounts his experience with those who have left prison, only to return after committing another crime, which is a concern for those who have to deal with this sad reality.

The chaplain mentions an odd fact that when some ex-convicts return to spend time in a prison other than the one from which they were released, he hears about it from his former prison inmates. Surprisingly, they know, in addition to the prison they are now in, when and what they did and all the details of their crime.  How can prisoners separated from societal life be so knowing so quickly? He remains perplexed.

He recalls one of the inmates who received the chaplain's blessing before being release, and after a crime returned to the same prison, saying to him--as most have done on returning to prison--"I'm sorry." But there are those who do not acknowledge their past relationship with him, and avoid him.  All know what crime the person returned to prison has committed, even though there are those who shamelessly tell a different story.

Some of them can't forgive themselves, he says; they suffer alone, hating themselves. They need a great deal of consolation and therapy. Often you also meet, he says, those who have no qualms of conscience for their criminal acts, no remorse for what they have done. in an attempt to do whatever is necessary to reach them, he has sometimes gone with the religious sisters to a police station to talk to those they knew well when they were in prison, after they were picked up again for a crime.

What is true in prisons is also true in detention homes for the young, he said. The inmates are familiar with what has happened to their companions, and their conversation is very much like those in the prisons.

The reason for prisoners returning to prison, in the chaplain's opinion, is their difficulty of fitting back into society. Society is not welcoming to those with a record of crime; the opportunity to rehabilitate is generally not available. It's the same story the chaplain hears from most of the prisoners who have not made a successful return to society.

Many of them are not familiar with the basic family life that all should have, leaving them with emotional scars not easily healed. The efforts to correct the problem are ongoing but the needs of those who are seeking to make amends for their life are great. The chaplain ends by asking his readers to be open to embracing those with this history of crime and who seek to rehabilitate themselves to an honest and productive life in society.

Spring 2012 Visit to North Korea

 A partial report of Father Gerard E Hammond's  visit to North Korea is printed below with his account of the Holy Mass for the Foreign Community in Pyongyang DPR of Korea.

As has been my usual custom for more  than ten years, this spring I traveled to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with the Eugene Bell Foundation. Other members of the delegation included Dr. Stephen Linton and his wife Hyuna Linton, Dr. K Justin Seung from Harvard University, Professor Teresa Moriss-Suzuki from Australia National University, and Father Berard Christophe of the Paris Foreign Mission.

This spring's visit was scheduled for April 16th through May 1st but a Maryknoll Asia Regional conference in Hong Kong meant I had to leave North Korea on April 26th. Gratefully, I was able to celebrate Holy Mass at the Polish embassy for the foreign community in Pyongyang as usual.

North Korean authorities limit the number of delegations permitted per year as well as the number of days a delegation can stay in their country. Consequently, much must be accomplished in a relatively short period of time. On most days our delegation leaves the hotel no later than 6:30 am and returns long after dark. Because multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is such a dangerously contagious disease, most of our work takes place outside. For this reason, our visits are scheduled for the spring and fall; when the  weather is most agreeable. Despite these precautions, however, we sometimes have to spend wet, cold days out of doors, and this spring was no exception.

Occasional discomforts notwithstanding, I really enjoy these trips and this spring was not exception. As each group is different, usually two or three members on our delegations are complete strangers. I serve as the official delegation chaplain. Despite our busy schedule, the absence of cell phones, internet connections and other engagements provides many opportunities  to discuss issues related to faith, particularly around the supper table on days we do not make site visits. For some who are not used to seeing so much suffering, these visits can trigger a spiritual re-awakening. Those who have a Catholic background often attend their first Mass in years in North Korea....

For the past few years, it has become a tradition for the Polish Embassy in Pyongyang to invite the foreign community to a celebration of the Holy Mass when I visit North Korea. This  spring the Mass took place on April 22nd.

Celebrating Mass for Pyongyang's foreign community by visiting priests has now become an accepted custom. While it is still too early to expect that North Korean authorities will permit regular visits by priests, they have  no objection to my ministering to foreigners when I am there to engage in humanitarian work with the Eugene Bell Foundation.

On Sunday April 22nd, Ambassador Edward Pietrzyk opened his  mission and home to  Pyongyang's foreign community and sent First Secretary Michaal Skotnicki to our hotel to conduct us to the Polish Embassy for the Mass. During the service, I was assisted by Father Berard Christophe of the Paris Foreign Mission. Approximately, fifty people attended from more than a dozen nations.

After, we were invited to a dinner prepared by Madame Anna Pietrzyk. I was deeply moved when the Ambassador and his dear wife got up from the table and served us themselves. On this and other occasions, by word and action, Ambassador Pietrsyk gives  amble evidence of his deep reverence for the Church and the priesthood. My prayer is that God will expand this small beginning into a regular Mass for Pyongyang's foreign community.

Father Gerard E. Hammond

Media Literacy and Sex

"The distorted understanding of sex the culture portrays is a massacre of life. We have to make efforts to redesign the environment of this erroneous culture." These are the words of a researcher of culture writing in the Catholic Times. He continues: "Culture is a strong tool that subtly internalizes the prevailing values of a society, which then becomes, unconsciously for most of us, the foundation for our actions."

Our children and teenagers are being bombarded with sexual stimulants, giving them a distorted understanding of sex, crammed indiscriminately into the heads of our children by the culture we have made. An example: the 'literary youth' is now referred to as the 'erotic youth'; our culture is internalizing sex to the point where sexual relations have reached the threshold of normal behavior for the young. Even though they understand, he says, how wrong this emphasis on sex is, unconsciously they tolerate it.

As a professor in a university who heard stories of students who had abortions, he decided to devote full time to the study of the culture of life. These students were not juvenile delinquents or raised in families with problems, so why, he wondered, was it so easy for them to talk about their abortions?

To answer the question, he gave up his professorship, and without  permanent job security decided to devote himself to this work, researching and lecturing. Listening to his lectures enthusiastically, he noted, were mostly those in their 20s and 30s, who were having their eyes opened to another facet of sex that was being ignored by society and unfamiliar to many of them.

The professor does not talk only about the preciousness of life and what should be our attitude about life, but he wants his listeners to see what the media is doing by fantasizing sex and how this approach inculcates the culture of death.

He urges us to become media literate and be able to see what this unhealthy approach is doing to our society. We have to learn to see how cleverly and systematically the media has influenced the popular culture by using sex to sensationalize the way we see life.  Our efforts have to be directed to show, he says, the results of this sex culture on our society. One way of resisting this dangerous trend, he suggests, is by creating programs in the schools and churches that focus on improving our media literacy and raising our maturity in judging more effectively.

Happy Buddha's Birthday

Both Catholic papers had editorials on Buddha's  birthday, celebrated on May 28th this year. Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk  delivered a congratulatory message to all the Buddhists: "May the  mercy of Buddha spread to all the world, especially the poor and suffering. For those that can't find meaning in life, we hope that Buddha's teachings will enable them to find true joy and happiness."

This is the 2556 year of the Buddha's appearance on the world stage, 500 years before Christ. Buddhism has been in Korea 1400 years before Christianity came to the country. For most Koreans, Buddhism is more than just a religion, it is part of their religious culture. For them, Buddha's birthday is what Christmas is to Christians.

The relationship between Buddhists and Catholics has been close. In addition to the congratulatory message from the Vatican, many churches have a placard over the entrance to the church grounds celebrating his birthday.  


Because relations among religions have not always been peaceful, there is a greater need to try to achieve it in the present. The world has come closer together, which often accentuates our differences but fortunately also our similarities; respect for each other' differences in a world increasingly polarized is becoming more necessary than ever before. Without this respect, we will all suffer the consequences. 

If one simply takes the numbers of religious adherents in Korea, they would be greater than the total population of the country. In this "museum of religions," as the editorial described it, how open are we to the different religions, the editorial wondered, and will we be able to hand on this understanding to the younger generation?

Christianity and Buddhism have two world views and two different  starting points; they are two very different religions. It is an impossibility to see them united in doctrine, but in the understanding of mercy and love and going out to the poor and alienated, we are of the same mind. The world is ardently in search of peace and love. The editorial, expressing what all Christians should hope for, wishes to see Buddha's peace and mercy spread throughout the world.
           

Pentecost

In the readings for the  liturgy of the Mass in  preparation for Pentecost, we are at the table talk at the last supper. As the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sends us. Just as God loves Jesus, Jesus loves us. And just as Jesus is one with the Father, he wants us to be one with him; by sharing this love and oneness we are sharing in his joy. Jesus prays for us and leaves us with a message of love and unity, the Eucharistic Mission.

This is clearly the message of John's Gospel. It is easy to relegate it to the literary form of poetry and to forget it. The message of Pentecost is: yes impossible, but God can make it possible with the  message of this feast.

The word liturgy comes from a  word meaning 'public work'. In Korea, during the years of economic difficulty, the government would require citizens to lend a hand in building roads, helping in flood relief and doing whatever else was necessary for the  public good. This is the origin of the word in Greek: 'public doing'. In the same manner, at each Mass liturgy we are being sent out to do the public work Jesus has given us.

During this week of preparation for the feast of Pentecost, the Mass leaflet the Catholics use at Mass has a meditation on one of the readings that tells the tale of the frog in the pot of hot water. The frog can't stand heat, but the water is heated gradually over a long period of time so the frog doesn't realize the change in temperature, gets accustomed to the heat, but finally dies because of the heat.

In the readings at the last supper,  we are told that the world we are in is not going to be happy with the message we have received, and we will not be liked because of it. The meditation tells us  we should not get accustomed to what is happening in the society that makes us  forget the message we have received from Jesus.

Jesus calls us to his public work at each Sunday Mass.  He gives us our orders and message, sending us into the world to spread his message, armed with his promise of help.    

The Power of Blessings

In the  seminary during vacation time, we went to different areas of the country for on-the-spot mission experience. During that time one of the priests we worked with urged parents to bless their children and one another with the laying on of hands, a practice we were all familiar with. To bless is a way of sharing in a loving way with another, and we should probably be receiving and giving blessings more than we are accustomed to do. A priest-columnist of the Catholic Times recounts his experience in receiving  a blessing. 

When blessing, we have the  opportunity to humble ourselves, to trust and to rid ourselves of negativity, believing that we can be better than we are, a conduit of God's many gifts, and thankful for the opportunity to receive what we are about to bestow.           

On entering his favorite coffee shop recently, the columnist saw the owner on his knees before a woman who was giving him a blessing. He was interested in what was going on and asked the owner, who he knows well, what prompted the blessing.  It was a blessing for purification, the owner said, and introduced the woman, a Catholic, who told him she wanted to impart to the owner her feelings of sincerity and desired by her blessing to unleash the same feelings that were now hidden within the owner.

Moved by what she said, the columnist asked for a similar blessing.  The woman felt that the priest was not in need of such purification and courteously refused, but with the continual importuning of the columnist, telling her of his difficult personality, which made life difficult for those he lived with, she gave her blessing. From that day on, he felt changed and gave several examples.  

He took time from his work schedule to clean the corridors of the monastery where he lives. At the request of one of his fellow priests, without a word of displeasure, he went into the kitchen to prepare noodles and later, while washing the dishes, was aware that he washed them differently than he would have before the time of the blessing; it was, he felt, a small step toward holiness.

Striving for sincerity in all his actions had triggered a purification that affected how he behaved with others. There were fewer concerns about himself and more about the needs of others.  He urges his readers, and hopefully all of us, to bless and be blessed.

Growing in Spirituality

Spirituality is approached in a variety of ways and thus can be defined in a number of ways. For those who believe in God, it can be defined as maturity of life, the reason for existence, and the goal of life. Jesus is the model of how we should approach this goal. The columnist writing on spirituality for the Catholic Times delves into the hidden dimensions of the self to reveal what must be uncovered to attain spiritual maturity.

He uses the example of bricks used in construction work. Though all are all well made, in themselves they have little meaning. It is their relationship with other bricks  that gives them meaning.  A church building built with bricks is not just a gathering and piling up of bricks every which way, but its construction follows certain rules, especially at the corners; a skilled hand working with those bricks and following a plan can construct a beautiful building.

This is also true in life. We all have a multitude of memories, experiences, life fragments that can help us build our own internal temple. We have had many experiences in life from the time of infancy: failures, scars, joys and successes, and in the midst of all this there is the seed of God's grace, which is there to help us grow. Even when we do something wrong, the grace of God wants to move us to a new life. Unfortunately, we often forget this seed that is in us, opening our eyes to another reality.

Israel's history is an example of how difficult it is to discover this seed within us. The exodus from Egypt was not seen as freedom by the Jews. During the  later history of exile, slavery, the division of the country they sensed the presence of God but went back to their old ways.

Jesus came to teach us the harmony that exists between heaven and earth and to discover the hidden seed within that will enable us to live this harmony, while still dealing with the many fragments that have to find their rightful place in our lives. In doing so, we are building the internal temple, the home of the Holy Spirit.This spiritual life is not  destroyed by external misfortunes.  Even though we are weak human beings, we can be strengthened by looking for and finding the hidden seed within that will light our troubled ways. That seed does not bloom all at once but requires our constant care to nourish it.

Adversity Quotient

A series of articles in the magazine "Bible and Life"  are on the Adversity Quotient. We have all been exposed to the Intelligence Quotient, the Emotional Quotient, and the Moral Quotient, and now we have this latest measurement of personal functioning, the brain-child of Dr. Paul Stoltz, to tell us where we stand in terms of how we are likely to deal with, and hopefully overcome, adversity in our lives. 

The lead article reminds us of an obvious fact, that life is full of obstacles: accidents, sickness, deaths in the family, divorce, financial problems; these are among the major catastrophes but almost as troubling at times are the small things that pester us daily.

Using Dr. Stoltz's example of mountain climbing, the article divides the type of climber into three groups. The Quitter, who finds the climbing too difficult and can't wait to get to the bottom of the mountain, The Camper, who does not act like the quitter but is comfortable with setting up a tent when he sees the difficulty of the climb. The Climber, who overcomes all the obstacles to reach the top of the mountain.

In the Scriptures, it is not difficult to find the Climbers. Among them, the son of Jacob, who wanted to monopolize the love of his father and being hated in the process by his brothers. He overcame all his difficulties and saved the family. Moses, Job, and many others, especially Paul the apostle, can be mentioned. However, not only in our own Christian and Jewish history but in the history of the world, there are numerous examples of those who have overcame great obstacles to help many, and Korea has her own many examples.

All of us are faced with these obstacles and trials of life. Adversity can be the stepping stone to change in our lives, either for something better or for something worse. Whether we succumb to the difficulties or use the difficulties to overcome and go on will depend on us.

This e-mail was sent to this blog  for help in selling a DVD.  I am happy to reprint the request.

My name is John Martoccia, an independent filmmaker based in Utica, NY. In May of 2011, I released a film theatrically I produced/wrote/directed called "Vito Bonafacci" (http://www.vitobonafacci.com). So far, it has been shown in theaters in New York City, Cincinnati, and St. Paul, MN.  We are now proud to announce that it is  available on DVD. 

The film chronicles a man named Vito through a spiritual crisis where he comes to realize that his materialistic life is an illusion, and what is important in life is what he doesn't have. Thus leading him on a soul searching journey to understand life's purpose and a renewal of his Catholic faith. The film features a strong emphasis on the sacraments and what it really means to be Catholic in a corrupt world. 

Communication is Difficult

Communication is an area of life that gets a great deal of theoretical discussion. How do we communicate our ideas so they will be understood? A columnist in the Catholic Times reminds us how those who appear for the first time on a radio program have to be told to express their emotions by words and not by bodily gestures.

In order to express our feelings and our intentions when talking to others, there are many things that have to be remembered. In radio what is important is the spoken word, but visual media has another dimension besides the ears. With a smile, a great deal may be conveyed, and actions of course can also 'say' a great deal; with the proper action, one can convey what a thousand words cannot.

The viewer and listener's situation has to be considered when deciding what is appropriate communication. Some see all with a biased view, waiting for something that from their point of view is wrong, and can be condemned. With that kind of person one never knows if one has communicated with him or not, and in return, he may be perplexed by not being understood.

It seems, the columnist says, that it is getting harder to communicate with the passage of time. He laments that it has not been just a few times he has failed to communicate what he wanted to say.  The I-am-right-and-you-are-wrong type of attitude should give way to the attitude that we have different ideas on the subject.  He wonders if it is not unlike showing something to a blind person and talking to a person with a hearing difficulty.

Dishonesty, prejudice, lack of knowledge, wanting to be accepted by others, our own history, among many other distorting conditions are often responsible for our failure to communicate clearly. It would be helpful if all of us had the humility to admit this, and try, without condemning or ignoring  another's position, to search for a better understanding of what we hold to be true in order to communicate more effectively.
           

Marriage Requires More than Love

Statistics show that among OECD countries Korea has the highest number of  divorces, but this may mean less than it seems since we do have so many forgetting about marriage in the first place. Writing a column in the Catholic Times, a diocesan priest working pastorally with families gives us his understanding of the problem.

He has asked young people what they consider the most important qualities for a partner in marriage. A typical female response would be: "First of all, one has to make a good choice; one who is tall, good looking, capable, with a good personality is the  kind of  man I want to marry." A typical male response would be: "I want a girl who is thin, beautiful, good natured, cheerful, and cultured."

After these basic and mostly unrealistic expectations,  there is the interest in the mate's finances, the house, the place of  marriage, dress, and the other factors considered essential for marriage. It is understood that not having money problems will make for a happy marriage. But is that the case? the priest asks.

Love is not enough, he says, and notes that his maternal grandfather, who very much loved the priest's mother, did not allow her to do what she wanted. Do you think that his mother appreciated this great love of his grandfather? he asks. The grandfather did not consider his daughter's needs but only his own love. What one person thinks is love is often seen by the other as discomfort and pain.

The priest refers to Genesis 2:24: "This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body." God does not ask for love, he says, but that they be one. The partners to be married are brought up in different environments, circumstances, educational backgrounds, and understanding each other will require much effort. Questions that are helpful in reaching this understanding would be: Am I a suitable match for my mate? Can I make the effort to bring harmony and unity to the marriage? Can I overcome my own faults, and at the same time am I mature enough to accept the faults of my mate that I may see later in life? Otherwise, he counsels his young people, the unity will not be achieved.

The priest reminds Catholics that the Sacrament of Matrimony allows one to be open to the graces of God, for what is demanded is not easily achieved without  grace. We have to know what we lack and ask this from God. The priest laments that many young Catholics opt for marriage in a wedding hall instead of the church, which is a sign that the desire for the spiritual help necessary to make their marriage a holy union is missing.

Fair Play In Life

A Religious Sister writes about fair play in the column "'Window from the Ark" in the Catholic Times. Although she has little ability in sports, walking being her only exercise, she enjoys watching athletic events and sees them as miniature portrayals of life.

No one plays any sport with the intention to lose, winning is usually the primary goal. Tenacity and challenge are also incentives motivating those who pick up a sport, along with the desire to win. However, it is necessary that the winning comes with nobility. We are all moved by seeing a sporting event played properly following the rules. When this is the case, the winners and losers all receive a fitting round of applause. In life this is also true. Sister does not see sports separated from life.

She brings to our attention the news story of a gold medalist who was thought to have plagiarized in getting his doctorate. An editorial wanted the readers to understand that he wasn't a scholar, and to understand with magnanimity his position as an athlete. Sister was not happy with this attempt to understand what was done, and says that when we sympathize without objectivity we are not doing anyone any favor.

It is understood that we make mistakes but when we do, it is necessary that we face what was done, feel sorrow, and face the morrow with hope. When a serious mistake is made, and the embarrassment is so great that to say I am sorry is difficult, then at least it should be acknowledged in the person's deportment, in his eyes and attitude. This will be seen by others and forgiven. However, we don't often see this fair play attitude of sports in the game of life.

She sees lack of fair play permeating a great deal of society.  A few years ago when we  had an irregularity that some considered a blotch on the  reputation of the country, some thought it was a sign of patriotism to overlook what was done for the good of the country.  Sister sees this as a strange way of behaving; does this really benefit the country? she asks. Can this lying continue for long?  Thinking that it's good to hide from other countries our disgraces and embarrassments is rather to retreat into exclusiveness, nationalism and inferiority.

Sister concludes that plagiarism or other irregularities are not the big issue. The effort to hide what was done, she believes, is the bigger problem. That the young people are influenced by this way of acting is regrettable, she says; we will never accomplish anything by trying to cover darkness with more darkness. The pain and embarrassment that come from mistakes, when acknowledged, can often lead to a better tomorrow.

46th World Communication Day

"Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves." These are the words used in Pope Benedict's message to us on World Communication Day, the Feast of the Ascension.

The editorial in the Catholic Times reminds us that this day was created 46 years ago to show the importance of the mass media and to foster its use in spreading the good news. We are told of the Pope's concern and the importance of silence in communication. He points out the many sites  across the internet that can help us grow in our spiritual life, and he urges the Church to become interested in the possibilities of evangelization using the mass media.

We live in a world flooded with information, and the quality of life we experience is mostly influenced by how much of this information from the mass media is used to form and guide our lives. The extent of mass media communication is so pervasive today that we have christened it the information age. Understanding its potential to shape our lives through the power of satellite broadcasting and the internet will help us see how revolutionary this new network encircling the world has become.

The Church needs to put this technology to use in spreading the good news. Granted, the editorial states, the Church cannot  compete with the commercial efforts of big business; however, in her  own way the Church has the mission of spreading the truth that she  has received. This will require all who are working in the media to expend their energies in achieving this goal, if we are to follow the example of Jesus, who was the communicator par excellence. Churches have to make efforts to spread his love to all;  this is the  vocation we all have. Use of the mass media has to grow if the Church's future is to be bright. 

In the same issue, a  journalist comments that the Church's message of truth is just one of the messages among countless others around the world. We can think it is only a question of speaking about Jesus, but this is not what moves hearts. It is the experience of Jesus in our lives that is the message that we need to give.

Silent scream

The desk columnist of the Catholic Times focuses on a troubling societal problem that has been much discussed but without finding a satisfactory solution. The large number of youthful suicides in Korea leads the developed world, and the number contemplating  suicide is one out of ten. Obviously, a serious issue for Korea.

What do the adults see as the reason? he asks. Is it the 'body' getting larger and the spirit getting weaker? Are parents telling children we are doing everything for your future but endure present difficulties? In the past, the young only had to worry about the last years of high school to prepare for college, but now it begins in kindergarten, where the competition and specialization begin. Those who have the means can accept what comes but those who do not, blame their parents and envy the more fortunate, which tends to create many other problems.

Efficiency and ability are the measuring sticks used to judge the worth of our young. Violence and bullying in school are ignored, and students with the poor marks lose the sympathy of teachers and adults, and become the object of ridicule.

The children understand the thinking of the adults on this matter, the columnist explains. They know their parents want them to succeed, have a good job, meet a good mate and live a decent middle-class lifestyle. If it wasn't necessary to go to the best schools to achieve this ideal, their battle to succeed in a highly competitive society would not need to be waged.

These are the reasons parents put pressure on the children; those who can't take the pressure often end up as suicides. The parents realize the risk but think their child is different, and will not be affected. And when these incidents do happen to their child, the parents find it difficult to understand. Obviously, it is not only a problem of parents but of society as well. It is a chronic, silent malady within our society, and he wonders how long it will continue.

Although he sees no easy solution, he would be happy with a makeshift solution. Isn't there some way of discovering the children who are hurting and do something about it? he asks. He believes there must be ways of reading the mind and heart of these children before they end their lives.  Isn't there, he pleads, at least one person out there, somewhere, who can read the silent screams of  agony of these young people?