Is He a Seminarian or a Soldier?

One of the professors from the Incheon Catholic Seminary, writing in the recent Kyeongyang Magazine, applies the teachings of the Social Gospel to military life in Korea. In a divided country like Korea, serving in the military is obligatory for all males, and, given the on-going difficulties between North and South, it is understood as necessary, though a burden they would like to avoid.

The professor spent three years in the military, and they were not happy years. In order to abide by the regulations and orders from superiors, he had to give, along with the other soldiers, tacit approval to  beatings and to ignore basic human rights--the experience left him with emotional scars. A great deal has changed under democratization but many of his concerns, especially for seminarians, are still part of the military scene.
 

After ordination, he went to Italy for studies. Among the seminarians he met there, none had spent time in the military. In the West, those who had chosen the religious life were considered 'God's sons,' and were given the opportunity to choose an alternative service. His fellow seminarians found it difficult to understand why a seminarian would be given a gun and be on active duty. He agrees; one should be a seminarian or a solider, not both, if we are to follow the teachings of the Social Gospel. 
 

The Church's teaching on violence is also very clear: It is not a proper countermeasure. Resorting to violence is an evil. Catholicism teaches that war is barbarous and other options must be utilized to settle disputes. However, there is justification for using force, as a defensive measure, in order to keep the sovereignty of one's country, or to defend one's personal safety.
 

What about the rights of conscientious objectors? They have the right, says the professor, to refuse to bear arms or to participate in war, provided they accept some alternative service for the community. 

In conclusion, before being a soldier a seminarian is a follower of Jesus, and if he is called up for military service, his duty as a soldier comes after his first duty: to be a follower of Jesus and to make known Jesus' love and to teach the way to true peace.The professor feels it is wrong to make a seminarian take on the duty of a soldier. He discovered this during his years in the military.

Learning How to Achieve Discretion.

"Life in the World  and Spirit Column" in the Catholic Times describes someone who was living somewhat differently from others. Because of this he had to contend with jealousy and criticism. The columnist asked him whether this jealousy and abuse bothered him.

The  columnist was half suspecting he would express anger, pointing to those who were envious of him and responding in a way that would show how wrong their  actions were, but he did not.

Instead he answered: "There are times when  people make fun of me by calling me a fool correctly because I have done something foolish. At other times when actions are not foolish,and they call me a fool, then it is their fault and no reason for me to be upset by their wrongfully directed emotions." What can he do to avoid this kind of behavior? the columnist asks.  

He said that in the past,  he had done all the things they have done.  He had a tendency to alienate others and to lie to make himself look better. He made a pest of himself to gain favor from his family and showed he disliked others by his behavior. With the passage of time, he  gained discretion. It is a matter of time, he said. Some receive it earlier than others. He feels that by the grace of God, he received it rather early. And he is thankful to his family and friends who put up with him during this time.

The columnist said that many who come to him for spiritual help are looking for discretion in their own life, or hoping to shorten the time for this discretion to appear in those in the family with whom they are having difficulty. Some that come for counseling don't seem to be open to change, but those around them have  hope and use their authority to send them to him for counseling.

He ends the column by telling us what he thinks is meant by discretion: Not to be  too curious of another and to get rid of wanting recognition from others. This can be a burden, he says, and to shed it will help in gaining discretion. It is looking at one self with a peaceful gaze.
We should free ourselves of the fear that we will not reach discretion before our dotage. Time is of course necessary but first is the will to get rid of the hindrances, so we can begin the journey in earnest.

Growing Old Gracefully

Writing in the Kyeongyang Magazine a professor explores the meaning of growing into old age. For many, aging is just an addition to the passage of time. Instead of finding meaning in aging, accepting it and preparing for it, they fear the passing of youthfulness and of health. 

It's necessary, he says, to acknowledge the weakening of our body and mental functions and to begin focusing on the spiritual dimension of life. The second half of life should not be a repetition of the first half; doing so, we delude ourselves.

Our society is getting older and the media do not see it in a positive way, which then affects how most of us respond to growing old. Is it true that there is nothing to see positively in growing old? the professor asks.

We commonly say: we are rusting as we get older. However, the professor tells us that  rust can also be seen in a positive light. Black rust and even red rust, because of certain chemical changes, makes the metal  stronger and gives it many new uses.

He turns our attention to Simeon and Anna in the gospel of Luke; they are the first ones to proclaim the Gospel. Both have suffered much, which enabled them to  have a full spiritual life. They prayed, fasted and served others, giving them the wisdom and the insight to see themselves and life correctly.

To grow in wisdom like Simeon and Anna, we have to embrace growing old like they did. We have to know ourselves, divest ourselves of youthful desires and from the values of power, honors, material goods and health. Our real values are not external to us but exist within us, in knowing we are loved by God.

In old age, as our bodies get weaker, we can become stronger in defending ourselves against temptations and trials of life; it can be a beautiful time. Along with the 'rust', we can take on a jewel-like existence, which is another gift of God. When society can see the internal life of the aged positively, they will no longer see them as a burden on society, and we will have more of us living a fuller life.  

Like Simeon and Anna, if we grow in wisdom and peace and  pray that God's blessings be given to others, is this not loving God and our neighbors and living successfully our twilight years?  With this outlook, we can peacefully accept loneliness, disease, and even death. To do this, we have to forgive more, practice detachment more, and pray more. 

Happy Lunar New Year

Today is the Lunar New Year, and because of the three-day holiday followed by the weekend we will have five days to celebrate. It is a family holiday, and many will try to be with family. No longer having the extended family as in the past, members of separated families are leaving the hustle and bustle of the  big cities to spend a few days with family in the  quiet of the country.

This morning the first thing to be remembered by everyone are those who have died and given them life. There will be the Charye ritual (praying for the dead)  and then Saebae, bowing to the living family members, exchanging well wishes, and having breakfast together. The Church respects this family ritual and wants to see it continued. The Catholics often end the morning by going to Mass at the parish church.

We will have Mass at the Gyodong mission station at 10:30 am. This Mass and the office of the dead will  be attended by  families whose ancestral home is considered to be Gyodong. These visitors, many of them returning to be with parents and grandparents, will often be at the Mass offered for the deceased.

The first reading in the liturgy today is taken from Numbers chapter 6:22-27, the priestly blessing on the Israelites. The second reading is taken from James 4:13-15, asking us not to be presumptuous about the future. The Gospel is taken from Luke 12:35-40, where we are told to prepare to meet our ancestors and the  coming of Jesus into our lives.

New Year for the Korean is the time when the old and the new, the deceased  and the living, heaven and earth, and the family join in preparing for another year. It should be a time for  reflection and to recall what is important in life, instead of getting caught  up in the fast pace of modern life, forgetting why we are here and where we are going.

A German Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper informs us "that the essence of leisure is an 'attitude of mind' and a 'condition of the soul.' True leisure involves contemplation and being receptive to things as they are in themselves. It means being open to things without regard to their value or how we can make use of them. The only way that we can enter true leisure is by stepping outside the routine of our daily life."

The time we take to be with family should provide us with the opportunity to break this routine, to cultivate the attitude of mind and condition of soul that Pieper believes will bring us true leisure, a time for recalling the important things in life.

Happiness According to Mencius

From the Chinese Classics, a columnist, writing for the Catholic Times,  takes the words of Mencius as her topic. The three joys of a virtuous person: to have long-living parents, and siblings without problems; to look up at the heavens and at others without shame; and to teach those who have talent.

Mencius makes us aware that he does not include the king in his list of three joys, probably scolding the king for not spending more time in trying to live virtuously instead of always being at war.  

The first joy, to have long-living parents and children living in harmony, is usually seen in families when love for one another is deeply felt and expressed, each one helping the other and showing concern for their parents. But this joy is a gift that we can't completely control; there are many families where this harmony is missing. Certainly, a great suffering for parents occurs when the children do not get along-- a lack of filial piety.  There is little that can break the heart of parents like the trouble between children. Children should remember, when something comes between them, that the one who suffers most will be the parents.

The second joy, to live in a way that does not bring shame on us, is within our control.  Living authentically and letting our conscience be our guide will guarantee that we will have no regrets when we look back on our life.
 

The third joy is truly a joy but is one that must be qualified in someway at least for a Christian. There are few  geniuses or  talented persons, we  have a chance to teach. Teaching topics that are objective, that have a right and wrong answer makes it easy on the teacher and gives joy when the students  learn the  process and have a eureka moment.  Many subjects are not of that type and the joy may take longer to achieve but the teacher's expectations make the teaching enjoyable even though  we are not dealing with geniuses.
 

 Our Lord's teaching can show us how to deal with persons who were far from persons of talent. He spent three years with his apostles in a close personal relationship. They were slow learners and disappointed him in many ways.  However, we can say that Jesus had great expectations of what they could  become. And this should also be our expectation when teaching--that there will be a change in those we teach.

Even when dealing with those who are among the most difficult to teach, the mentally handicapped, our expectation of change not only brings joy to us who teach but also energize those we teach to make the change we believe they can make. Teaching, when done well, becomes a discovery of the potential that lies within all of us--each of us is a possible prodigy.

What Does It Mean To Do Your Best?

Is this the best you can do?" said a character in a TV drama watched by a columnist in the Catholic Times. It prompted him to ask the same question of himself and others: Are we doing the best we can? He has tried, he says, but knows that he consistently falls short of what he intended. 

The head of one of the  big Korean conglomerates answers the question by saying that he tries, in his own way, to do his best.  We think we have been doing our best but others often see the reality differently--our best in their eyes is not their best. Because of our comfort range and different situations in life, the standards, we use to determine "our best" vary from person to person and consequently so will our beliefs vary on what actually is the best we can do.  

Also important to remember: Those that have found success in life have not necessarily done their best--doing your best is not  another word for success. We have to have eyes that see through the currents of our times, and double our effort, he says, in doing what we know to be the best for us.  Although our best may then result in more effort and pain for us, the reward comes as a gift.

Our columnist believes that "Doing our best" is one of our most beautiful expressions. Many people prefer to think that doing your best is material success. But he tells us that we should aim not for what we think is success but  putting are heart and soul in what we do. Whether we succeed or fail in the pursuit  is immaterial. In doing our best we will not have any regrets--doing our best is itself the success.  

As Christians we have the task of loving God and our neighbor. When we go about doing this with joy and delight we receive great blessings. This is the mystery of living with faith. When we desire nothing, but do what we are doing with our whole  heart and soul, we leave the results  up to God. We have the example of Jesus, who in life would be considered a failure, someone crucified on a cross, but when we look at the cross we see what is not there, which makes all the difference.                                                   

On the Spot Experience of Poverty

Writing in a newsletter for priests, the writer recounts  a visit to one of the poorest sections of Manila. He wanted to experience  poverty  first hand, and tells us he did it with  'pure motives,' although he did put a question mark after the word. His plans were to live with three families during a period of 15 days. In retrospect, he  confesses that he had a romantic notion of poverty  and  a very immature mindset. He was not able to last a week before he raised the white flag of surrender. Poverty, he now realizes, is not the simple back-to-nature condition he imagined but tends to create hopelessly difficult living conditions.

The life of poverty for this Korean, an 'alien' in a foreign land, meant not only being deprived of food, shelter and clothes, but being affected in spirit as well--he was frightened. One of the houses was built on water with logs used as piles for a foundation, making a four-square meter small house. Eight people lived in the house. Drinking  water, which looked whitish, from a nearby well, was  bought for 10 cents. The toilet, a square hole in the floor at the water's edge, was open to the sight of all.

He changed his plans  not because he didn't eat well or wasn't able to sleep in the small quarters. The decision came because he feared a  typhoon would sweep the house into the sea. He left because he was afraid.

That he was not able to live up to what he had planned did bother him.For him now, poverty is an impossible dream. It's no longer the ideal he had envisioned. However, he knows that not all react in the same way to poverty.  He remembers the laughter of the inhabitants of a poverty-stricken village. The poverty he saw there did not make the villagers miserable, maybe a little uncomfortable, but it was not the cause for making them unhappy.

Seeing the life of these people living like they did, he realized the falseness of the belief that money makes for happiness and the more you have the happier you will be. He acknowledges that even though he's not living the poor life, he can appreciate the life of poverty of many who are. In his own value system he does not want poverty for its own sake, but for the peace and freedom it can give. Jesus said, "Happy are those who are poor in spirit." Is this, he asks, really the case? This will be his topic of meditation for some time to come.

In Korea, there are many who want to experience the life of those with whom they are not familiar. Bishops go to farms and mines for an on-the-spot experience. Seminarians come to Korea to see what mission life is like. German bishops have been here to experience the small community group meetings. This learning experience is acknowledged as the best way to understand a way of life foreign to one's own--better than reading, hearing, or seeing pictures about it.  There is nothing  like an on-the-spot experience to move the heart and to change the way we see reality.