Feeling Useful in Her Retirement

A columnist in the Catholic Times tells us of the joys of retired life. She has so many things to say, she doesn't know where to begin. But begins by saying she now has no need to get up to go to work, no must-do plans for the day, go where she wants when she wants, see who she wants, go to the movies or study at her leisure...and being free to watch some good programs on television.

Like watching the Peace Catholic programs. Her faith life, she says with no exaggeration, has blossomed from all the talks she has heard by priests, sisters and, especially, lay people who have given talks on their own faith life.

Recently, she has been watching the "Dandelion Faith Classroom," which gives advice on how to evangelize both those who were former members of the community, and those who have no connection with the Church. Their advice is that we need to be more like the dandelion, whose seeds are spread all over by the wind. We start by being guided by three principles: be enthused by what we have received in grace and blessings; be evangelizing at all times, not limiting ourselves by any borders; and doing it all with fidelity.

Our columnist, with a group of like-minded Catholics has been visiting parishes, giving talks and appearing on television, discussing her own faith life  experiences.  From the time of her baptism in 1964, she has received all kinds of blessings, and continues to give thanks and continues to listen to God in the study of Scripture. She is happy that she continues to be used even in her years of retirement--as laughable as it may sound, she says with a chuckle.

She tells herself that honoring God and doing it all by herself is not all that God wants. He wants her to give to others what she has received. That is the very essence of  filial piety.

She concludes her column with a prayer: "Lord, I have overcome my embarrassment and have taken my place before others. Have the words that come from my mouth, like the seeds of the dandelion, find a resting place in the hearts of those who hear me. Amen."

A Remarkable Christian: Dr. John Chang Myon

Those of us who came to Korea in 1960 studied Korean at our Seoul House. One of the illustrious guests whom we had the pleasure to meet during that year was Dr.John Chang Myon, who was the Prime Minister of the Second Republic and actual head of state until the Second Republic ended with the coup of Park Chung-hee.  
 

Our Regional Superior was greeting an old friend in Dr. Chang, who had been the language teacher at the center house in the Diocese of Pyongyang where the regional  worked for many years before coming South after the war. Dr. Chang taught the new missioners the Korean  language, was  office man for the diocese and responsible for the young Catholics of the diocese besides doing translation work.  He translated many books into Korean, including "Faith of Our Fathers" and "Gemma Galgani." The book we used to  help us with Catholic terms was written by Dr. Chang.
 
When he went to the United States for studies, he spent 6 months at the Maryknoll Seminary where he learned English before going to Manhattan College. It was this relationship with Maryknoll that brought him to Pyongyang for 5 years before returning to Seoul and beginning his teaching career, and later getting into politics.
 

Dr. Chang was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and helped to build the foundations for this Order in Korea. He will be the first person profiled in a series of articles in the Peace Weekly on the members of the Order--men and women who want to live the Christ-like life in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. 

He became a third order Franciscan when he was in the States in 1921 at St. John the Baptist Church in New York. Although his family helped with some of the expenses of his schooling, his part-time jobs helped defray the cost of tuition and food.

It was surprising to hear that many of those who were leading figures in the Second Republic, moved by the example of Dr. Chang, entered the Church during the very difficult times after the coup of May 16th.  He was a devout Catholic and went to daily Mass in spite of his many duties.
 
In 1965, a year before his death, he wrote: "We are in very dark times. With dissatisfaction and  maledictions, we will not disperse the darkness. With each of us lighting a candle-when hundreds and thousands begin to do this--it will get brighter. We will have hope and find the way to go. With Christ, the light of the world, lighting the way in front of us, and each of us with a candle in our hands, we will be Jesus' crusaders."

From the Cathedral to Seoul Station

In the Catholic Times'  column "Window from the Ark," one of the visiting writers gives us an account of a walk from the Cathedral to  Seoul Station--a 10 minute ride on the subway. 

He remembers seeing the place outside of the Cathedral grounds where he was part of a street singing group some 23 years before. He recalls playing the guitar in the freezing cold; everyone's face feeling the bitter cold. Those that have followed the custom are no longer doing it periodically. In his day, it was every 3 or four times a week; they were happy days.

A little further on he remembers seeing a middle-aged woman within a vinyl-like tent, with 3 large microphones singing  gospel songs sure to be heard. In large red letters a sign proclaimed: "With Jesus heaven, unbelief hell." On that day, seeing the sign, he found it bizarre, and wondered how many would find what they saw and heard  helpful in believing in Jesus?

Next, he came to the  Exchange Bank, in front of which were a small group of picketers with signs: "Let us run the Exchange Bank ourselves." The manager of the  branch office, said  the night before, while drinking together with the columnist, that he felt for the employees who feared a merger was eminent. If the  writer didn't have a scheduled meeting to go to, he said, he would have joined the picketers.

A little later he sees street vendors with their stalls on wheels being chased away from their sidewalk places of business. The writer can't help but sympathize with these vendors who are trying to make a living outdoors in the cold weather. The effort of getting their carts to the place to hawk their wares is a problem in itself,  and then being chased away by those that have the job to regulate the street population is a sad situation.

Entering Seoul Station after the two hour walk, he sees that most of those in the waiting room are street people--people who have not washed, with clothes that have been worn too long, with dirty faces and the smell of alcohol; they were smells he was not accustomed to, and it was difficult to accept. Those who had been drinking were adding to the commotion by exchanging insults. He remembers the words of Jesus to the apostles when he was asked about the man born blind. This is to make known the glory of God. But he also remembers  the words that God made us in his image.

The writer says he faces the same dilemma that Jesus' disciples faced when they asked about the man born blind. What is he to make of this scene? He had difficulty thinking of embracing anyone in that waiting room.

Life is full of a great deal of sadness and pain; a natural response is not to want to see it. Even if we do not have ready answers, it's good for us to face  the pain and sadness and reflect on their inevitable presence in life. To take a walk into it, as our writer has done, may make it easier to remember the part all of us  play in the world we live in. It is an on-going challenge for all of us. The writer ends his article telling us it is like a 'mobius strip'.

"Don't Cry for me Sudan"

In  Letter of the Editor's Column of the Chosun Ilbo there was a short account of Fr. Lee Tae-suk, a Salesian missionary, who went to southern Sudan which was  ravished by war. Working there as a priest, doctor, teacher and musician, he also started a hospital, a school, and a youth movement. He died a year ago this month of colon cancer.

The writer mentions that the documentary film made of Fr. Lee's life , Don't Cry for me Sudan, was seen by over 300,000, and moved many to tears. There is also a best-selling book, Will You Be My Friend?  
 
When reading the book he was stunned to learn that he attended the same church that Fr. Lee attended: the St. Joseph  parish of Song Do in Pusan. It was a parish built for the poor and needy of Pusan, after the Korean war left many unemployed.  The writer was one year older than Fr. Lee, so he believes they both attended the same religious classes when in grammar and middle school.

At that time the pastor of the church, he tells us, was Fr. Aloysius Schwartz, who always had a desire to serve the poor. Although he studied  as a Maryknoll seminarian, he decided  to leave  for a life more dedicated to poverty, and was ordained a priest in 1957 in the United States. He came to Korea the same year and became a priest of the Pusan Diocese and then pastor of the Song Do Parish.

It was in this parish that Fr. Schwartz devoted himself to the poor, many of whom, because of the war, had to sell rags and waste paper and lived by begging. He founded the Sisters of Mary and later the Brothers of Christ, all the while living like the poor people around the parish. He established a  Boys town and a Girls town to care, educate and help children of the poor, orphans and the handicapped, receiving many awards for his service to the poor and was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. Later he went to the Philippines to work for the poor and where he is buried. 

The writer reminds us that Fr. Lee had Fr. Schwartz as his pastor and that it was his life he wanted to emulate. He did so in the Sudan.

Seeing the Unique Self We Are

In our society, we are continually presented in advertisements, on TV and in the movies, with the beautiful faces of our brothers and sisters. This continual bombardment of  physical attractiveness is bound to have a deleterious effect on many who have difficulty looking into a mirror and seeing a face that doesn't quite measure up to what they are seeing everywhere around them.

A columnist in the Catholic Times tells us that he was surprised to see the number of middle and high school students that are suffering from depression. He thought that was a problem of adults: often an inferiority complex that comes from rejecting their outward appearance.

He tells us what the antidote for this lack of self-esteem should be. Those who have a faith life are in many cases conspicuously lacking in self-esteem. It is not that easy to change our outer appearance, although not impossible. But the possibility of changing our attitude is always available and always free.

We are told that each one of us is a unique individual, and this in itself is a value given to us by God. More valuable than physical beauty is the value of the unique me in which I should have confidence, and value it as a gift from God. When I look in the mirror and do not see what I would like to see, remember that we can go deeper and see who we are as members of Jesus' body. This should make all the difference.

The columnist feels that we do not appreciate the meaning of self-esteem: love and respect for ourselves. Those who are able to look within, appreciate this. The degree of our love that we have for ourselves is a sign of spiritual health. It makes for a  correct relationship with God, with the self and with others. The recovering of this self- esteem, if there was a break, makes for good relationships.

None of us is perfect and without dealing with our imperfections, we cannot  become a mature person. The externals do not make for a person of faith. When we consider the inside of us as well as the outside spiritual growth will come. We are reminded to look at what we think a life of faith should be, and see if we may be lacking its true meaning.

Recovering of our self-esteem is not always easy. However, the moment we recognize some small aspect of  the problem we are on the road to personal growth. As a Christian, we know we are not given pain without reason, and pain without growth is not God's way. With the will to overcome our trials and despair, we will grow in maturity.

Difficulties in Trying to Help the Poor

"Truly, many things have changed for me. For 20 years I was not part of the world, and then by accident I heard about "Delight" and  purchased a hearing aid. Now I'm beginning to live a normal life." These are the words of a mother from Taegu, who was the recipient of a 340 dollar hearing aid.

This story would not have been possible if eight students had not joined together, while  at the Catholic University of Korea, Seongshim Campus (Bucheon), and started a business to sell hearing aids to the poor. The founder of the business noticed that the poor who were hard of hearing would rarely have a hearing aid.  From a young age, he had wanted to do something for the poor; now in college, he was able to realize that wish. The company offices, located within a university building, have many letters of thanks displayed. The Peace Weekly recounts the early years of the business in the recent issue.

The early years were very difficult. They tried to get help from many public groups but with no success. They were told the hearing aid field would be difficult to break into. And, in fact, the attempt to get financial aid proved to be impossible.  But they didn't give up, finally receiving help from a group in Seoul that helped young entrepreneurs.

Also helping out is a government stipend of $340 to the poor who need to buy a hearing aid. Since the company has little overhead and the difficulties of distributing are minor, they can keep the price low to take advantage of the stipend. And the product can be compared favorably with hearing aids on the market. (The market price ranges from $900 to $6000.)

Word is spreading about the product, which has resulted in a great deal of opposition from the companies that have brand name hearing aids. "Delight" has made it clear that the customers they are dealing with are different from the clientele of the big companies. The company goal is simple: that those too poor to afford a hearing aid should have the opportunity to receive one. The founder of the company laments the fact that too many companies are only interested in making money, and that they will probably make it more difficult for them to stay in business. But he will not give up. When the pressure builds up, he goes to the chapel to pray.

"Delight" is facing the same the problem that Lotte and E-mart experienced when selling their products cheaper than the competition. Lotte gave in to the pressure and stopped selling their cheaper chicken, but E-mart continued to sell their cheaper pizza.  The "Delight"  enterprise, the company stresses, has a completely different objective in mind. They hope that those who are opposed will be able to see the difference. 

Eating in the East and Sleeping in the West

A collection of meditations, written by a priest from Pusan, that first appeared in the Peace Weekly  has now been reprinted in a book, On the Road to Emmaus.  One of the meditations has to do with "straddling the fence" and not being authentic.

"Eating in the house of the East and sleeping in the house of the  West" is a well-known Chinese expression which in a dictionary would be defined as a vagabond. The origin of the expression, taken from one of the Chinese Classics, is quite different.

A young girl of marriageable  age received on the same day a proposal from a man living in a house in the East, and a proposal from a man in the West. The problem was that the man in the East was from a very wealthy family but was extremely ugly; the man in the West came from a very poor family but was the handsomest man in the county. The parents did not  know what to do and wanted the daughter to make the decision.

If she chose the man from the East, she was to uncover her left shoulder, and if she chose the man from the West, her right shoulder. She  also was in a quandary for some time, but finally decided to uncover both shoulders. She said she would eat with the man in the East and go to sleep with the man in the West. This is the origin of this famous expression.

Today this kind of thinking is called straddling the fence or being an opportunist. The author believes many Christians do the same thing. They go to Church on Sundays but the  rest of the week live without thought of who they are. They serve both God and the world. With the head and the ear, they believe one thing but with their actions something else.

In life, there are many times when we are tempted to straddle the fence. This is not the attitude of a follower of Jesus. In the Gospel of John 3:15, we hear:  "I know you are neither hot nor cold. How I wish you were one of the other--hot or cold!" One would think that being neutral would be a wiser way of acting, but taking a position, and being transparent and authentic with others, requires honesty. It is easier to talk with one who hates what you love but is honest, than to talk with one who is indifferent.  It is said the opposite of love is indifference, and that the distance from indifference to concern is often greater than the distance from hate to love. Straddling the fence may at times be unavoidable. Most of the time it is avoidable and  to "uncover both shoulders,"should not be the response.