From a Choir Director to a Loving Pastor

In the recent issue of the Catholic Magazine, a priest who had spent most of his early life in the pursuit of musical knowledge gives an apologia for his life that was extremely interesting and insightful. He wanted to take a break from his seminary studies to study music but was told to finish seminary first. After a short time in pastoral work, he went on to study music in Italy, in the States, as well as here in Korea.

In the article he mentions that he was a professional musician who, after many years teaching music in the seminary and college, was assigned to a parish where he was able to use the music skills he had learned. But this time the members of the choir were his parishioners. However, this did nothing to change his method of teaching: when they did not do what he wanted--he would get angry. After all, he told himself, when he was teaching music that was the way he dealt with the members of the choir. He was the one who would point out the tone, the breathing, the timber, the timing, and when they were not right he would have them practice until they were right. He would not listen to objections. There was one way of doing it--his way--and he would push them until it was achieved.

Because of this drive for perfection, he had great difficulty in the parish dealing with people who didn't see it his way, especially those who weren’t interested in perfection. Doing it passably, adequately, was not to his taste. He could not accept the thinking that doing something in any fashion was proper. In the parish, he did not see the good that parishioners were doing but only the things that needed correction. Instead of praising, he was always criticizing. When he asked that something be done and he did not get the kind of response he was expecting, the good relationship with the person disappeared, replaced with his own angry response.

With this kind of relationship with the people of his parish, what kind of response could he expect to receive? Questions like this finally forced him to face himself as he was being seen by his parishioners: not a very loving pastor who took pains to be concerned with his parishioners but a pastor who was always finding fault. It was a revelation to him but one that made him realize that he didn’t have the necessary finesse that was necessary to deal with people successfuly. It came late but he wanted to make a change and did so by taking courses to improve his social skillls.

He took the Seven Habits Workshop, the Carnegie Training Programs, and kept up on his reading--applying all of it to his parish work. He knows now that it is possible to change, and it was impressive to see his humility when he realized that the problems he had were not the fault of the parishioners. It was a new way of seeing for him, and he was grateful for the change. In the article, he pointed out that he has become the proselytizer of a new way of dealing with others. Seeing the change in himself, he wants all of us to realize that to change is a very normal part of life. When our Christians are being changed for the better, so do those in pastoral work need to change.

A New Face for the Myeong Dong Cathedral?

An item in today's newspaper mentioned plans to develop the area around the Myeong Dong Catholic Cathedral in Seoul. The plans are for the construction of the underground parking and two
9-story aboveground buildings. The diocese has been thinking of this for many years. Cardinal Cheong has approved the plan for the construction, and the diocese hopes they can begin in October of this year.

At present, cars are permitted to approach the Church but future construction will make the area around the Cathedral a-no-car area. The two buildings will house the many offices that are now scattered here and there. The new plans for the Cathedral are an attempt to make the Cathedral grounds attractive and convenient for the many Catholics in the Diocese, including a plaza, common before churches in many parts of Europe. The Diocese plans to be ecologically sensitive with trees and other greenery out in front of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is considered a National Treasure and historical site, and has to receive approval for any construction by the Cultural Properties Administration. The administration was given information on the construction but has postponed any decision until they have time to visit and examine the reports that were submitted. They will have to determine whether there is a possibility of damage to the Cathedral from problems that come with the building of high rises.

Many see problems with the construction. The laws on building near National Treasures are complicated and there are those who feel that the view of the Cathedral will be sacrificed
and that building underground parking lots will demand the use of piles, which will possibly do damage to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is a landmark in Seoul and a must-see for many visitors. So the City will be very much involved in the study of the feasibility of the planned construction. The Cathedral was,in the 1970s and 1980s, a focal point for the democracy movement in Korea and played an important role in social development and the expansion of human rights.Factors that the Diocese
will also value very highly, and will make sure that the wishes of the Cultural Properties Administration are followed.

Korean Bishops' Statement On Life

Below is part of the statement from the Korean Bishops during their recent assembly. They are getting some criticism from some of the press on "being all knowing" and instigating the public against the project. The bishops have not been so publicly unified on any one social project, since we have moved into democracy. The editorial in the Catholic Times said that the bishops were sending an alarm to the society in which we are living.

Some of the press is telling the government to work to get public opinion on their side. The future will tell us how successful their efforts are. Most of the public is opposed to the government's plans. Part of the reason is the lack of information, and not having specialist in the field of ecology on their side.

"We, all the bishops gathered at the 2010 Spring General Assembly of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, are concerned that the 'Four Major Rivers Project' which is nowadays being carried out in many places across the country simultaneously will cause serious damage to our natural environment.

We have listened to an explanation for the project by a government working-level task force. Still we cannot understand why the government, mobilizing much heavy equipment and evading legal procedures without a national consensus, has to push forward in such a hasty manner this large-scale construction project which may cause irrevocable damage to our land. When such indiscreet development of nature for the unsatiable greed of human beings does harm to ourselves and to future generations, who among our contemporaries will assume responsibility?

In his recent encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI said: "The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole. …… because the natural environment is more than raw material to be manipulated at our pleasure; it is a wondrous work of the Creator containing a 'grammar' which sets forth ends and criteria for its wise use, not its reckless exploitation" (n.48). By seeking immediate short-term profits through indiscriminate development, we should not fall into the error of annihilating the precious works cultivated by the Creator over so many centuries.

In this difficult situation, we, the Catholic bishops, urge reflection and conversion of the whole society, including ourselves, and we pray with one accord that government authorities and all Koreans will choose a conscientious and responsible path for ourselves and for future generations.

God has taught us from the very beginning: "Here, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. …… I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live" (Dt 30,15.19)."

March 12, 2010

Catholic Bishop's Conference of Korea

Cyberspace, a World We Can't Ignore

Korea is well advanced in the electronic world of cyberspace. From the early 1990s, many parishes started using the Internet to setup websites, to contact their Catholics, and to help inform and educate.

While many found the parish websites very helpful in doing pastoral work, within a short time many of these same parishes found that few were returning to the sites and some were shut down. Why did this happen? A priest who is responsible for the public relations work in his diocese had a column in the Catholic Times giving us some answers.

He compares the websites, which in Korean are often called ''world houses,'' to the parish itself. To keep the parishes running smoothly takes money, a lot of time and effort; the same is true for the cyberspace home that has been created and opened to the public.

For a site to function efficiently a group of workers is usually needed to be responsible for its daily functioning, and in many parishes there are one or two who function in this capacity. Ideally, four or five would insure that the website is continually up-to-date. Appointing a committee to be in charge of the various groups would also be a good idea.

Having contact with someone with technical knowledge of computers would be of enormous help but those who have an interest and a passion for what they are doing will be sufficient. Ultimately, whether the website is a success or not will depend on the frequent, and even daily, changing and updating of the contents of the site.

It is also necessary not only to get information to the Christians using the site but to get their help in supplying information that would keep the site be relevant and a help to them in living their lives.

Cyberspace is no longer only a new and exciting secular diversion but has also become a serious and important part of our Christian life. The Church has urged us to get involved; the possibilities are limitless and according to some, will greatly influence, for good or ill, the kind of spiritual world we will live in. Since we all live in the world of cyberspace, this is reason enough to make the most of it.

The Absurdity of the Resurrected Life

In a sermon, I read recently a Korean priest mentioned an anecdote that was written up as an episode in the life of the Buddhist monk Chun Seong (1891-1977). The Buddhist monk was taking a train at Seoul Station. Many of those waiting for the train were greeted by a Christian shouting: "Believe in Jesus! Believe in Jesus." He came to the Buddhist monk and said: "the Lord has risen, believe in the Lord Jesus." The monk after a short period of silence said to the Christian: " What, died and returned to life? Up until now the only coming back to life is what happened to me. " Those who were within listening distance all began to laugh and clap their hands. The Christian turning red, ran off.

If resurrection is coming back to life then rebirth is a form of resurrection but quite different from the Christian idea. Reincarnation is an attractive belief because it does not believe in annihilation but the coming back to life in a form prepared for in this life. Justice is built into the very belief of reincarnation. You prepare to become part of the Divine and you do not stop this rebirth until you have succeeded in living the correct life. In Christianity, everything depends on our belief in resurrection, not a return to this life but a different life. Everything follows from it.

Christian Resurrection is not an easy belief and St. Paul tells us: "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him." Today we celebrate this feast of Resurrection. Jesus has given us the reasons for living the resurrected life daily, until we are born into the new life of eternity. A belief that is foolishness "complete absurdity" to many, but a great joy to Christians. Alleluia, Alleluia.



































I

The Place of Leisure in Our Lives

In a lecture on the place of leisure in our lives, part of a series at the Cathedral parish in Seoul, a priest used the writings of Josef Pieper to present a picture of our present society as more interested in living to work than in working to live. He quotes Aristotle to show, contrary to what we probably assume, that this thinking is not new: "In search of leisure we do without leisure."

In this unleisurely search of leisure time, we tend to focus our activities on what is practical. Even in the world of ideas, what is not practical is considered not useful and therefore not important. The value of a non-doing usefulness--making a place for leisure in our lives where stress and internal busyness is put aside--is often seen as a waste of time. The lecture reminds us, however, that while we need to let work come when it comes, we need to let it go when it goes. The result will be peace and also, if in addition we trust in God, a more meaningful connection with life.

To live this life more fully, we are urged to become more present to the Divine by ridding ourselves of our ego selves, surmounting the merely human, and allowing a leisurely attitude to guide us in all areas of life. As Aristotle has said, "as long as we remain in the human, we will not possess leisure; it is when the Divine comes into the human that we can have leisure."

The priest also compares the leisure mind to attendance at a feast--a feast that is the whole of creation. When seen with the eyes of faith, the world will be seen as it was meant to be seen--with ease and peacefully, the gifts of a life lived leisurely. These same qualities are naturally present in our ordinary banquets, which scripture so often describes as one of the great pleasures of life. In an ordinary banquet, there is ease and absence of exertion, non-activity, and leaving the pursuits of our daily life. Catholics attend a banquet every time we celebrate Mass.

It is because of this liturgical banquet that we can truly enjoy our leisure time and open ourselves to the gifts of God. The Cathedral lecture was meant not to demean work but to rid ourselves of the busy mind, and to instill into our work the leisure mind that is naturally ours when we become present to the Divine in the liturgy and continue with this mindset in our daily life. Today is Easter, the biggest feast of the year. It should be a time of great joy and a preparation to live each day as a little Easter. Happy Easter. Alleluia, Alleluia.

Good Friday

Today we remember the death of our Lord and meditate on the reasons for his death, and what it means to us. In the English speaking world, we call it Good Friday. And we know why it is a good Friday.

On this Good Friday let us consider how our Lord was seen by most of those who saw him crucified. He was a death-row convict who was getting what they thought he deserved. There have been many before and after who have been put to death for reasons that would seem to justify such a punishment.But is such a punishment, called capital punishment for criminal acts deemed worthy of death, ever justified--morally or even for promoting an orderly society?


An editorial in the Korean Times has again made a plea to stop this killing done under the guise of righteousness. The editorial made clear that its position is not based on a religious belief but on a conviction that capital punishment hurts our society.The Constitutional Court in Korea thinks differently, and in a recent ruling clearly states the government's position:

"Capital punishment does not contradict the constitutional guarantee of the right to life or infringe the constitutional guarantee of human dignity....Capital punishment is a penalty with the public goal of realizing justice through just retribution against atrocious crimes and protecting society by preventing crimes," the court said. "As a kind of necessary evil, it is still functioning properly." The ruling was 5-for and 4-against, which was a change from the 7-for and 2-against in 1996. The Catholic Church in Korea is trying to change public opinion on this issue, and there has been change but not enough, as this recent ruling indicates. Korea has not executed anybody for over 10 years and was considered a country that has, in effect, abolished the death penalty--joining 26 other countries that have not used their legally sanctioned punishment for many years; 87 countries have made it illegal.

Though it is universally accepted that one may kill to protect ones life if directly threatened by another, there has been, many feel, an overall weakening of respect for life throughout societies everywhere. This is readily seen by the prevalence of abortion, and the lack of respect for a person's values and property--they are not unrelated to the cultural climates we live in.

Changing the cultural climate for all of us was part of the mission Jesus was here to perform. Our Lord's death, as the centerpiece of his mission, means a great deal to us Christians for it was a death that leads to eternal life for all. Jesus was a prisoner of conscience but put to death for reasons his society considered valid--as societies continue to do today to justify the taking of life. Let us pray and work that some day we will come to an understanding of how precious life is, even for those that seem not to deserve it.