"Religious education is seen as a means of deepening our faith life, but in reality the
reason for the education is to have an intimate personal relationship
with Jesus. " With these words a seminary professor begins his interview
with the Catholic Times.
Before we make an assessment on our religious education programs, he said we have to decide on the meaning and object of religious education. For those who do not know Jesus, these programs, he explains, are a means of introducing them to the good news, to the gospel message, in order that they might more easily give themselves wholly to Jesus and to understand more fully what he teaches.
The professor feels that the greatest difficulty
with religious education is that many do not feel a need for it, no
matter how much effort is expended on such programs. Secular values are more important, and
even if there is some awareness of the need for more religious
education, secular values take precedence. Many feel no serious
disadvantage in not knowing more than they presently know about the
spiritual life. The pace of modern life does not allow the opportunity or
the time to do any deep reflection.
Another way of describing the situation is to say that we get our religious education at church, our knowledge from school, and our common sense from daily life. This is the way we bring stress into our lives by dividing
life into compartments. The religious education that children used to
get in the home in years past, as an antidote to a compartmentalized
life, is no longer the case. Now it is expected that the Church will
take care of this area of life.
The whole person has to grow in knowledge, in ethical behavior and spirituality is rarely a concern. When we see growth in maturity as many faceted and our way of thinking becomes less directed to the individual and more communal, we will see a religious education that will begin in the home, where it should begin.
At present, there is no ongoing system of religious education for our Christians that begins in infancy and goes on to old age. This has to begin by putting in place a welcoming environment and encouraging personal desire. The present situation in Korea, however, is that there is a lack of commitment, a failure to live the faith we say we believe in. The
numbers that have dropped out from the community, the decrease in Mass
attendance and of sacramental life, all point to something seriously
wrong with the faith life of our Catholics.
A clear understanding of what
it means to be a Catholic is missing in the lives of many. The content
of our tradition is enormous and the lives of those who have lived it
well are recorded, but a desire on the part of many to emulate what has been handed down to us to follow is missing. This 'Year of Faith' will continue to bring many more thoughts to the mix, which will undoubtedly bring a change to our parish life and the way we go about forming our Christians.
The faces of many
Catholics at Mass are not happy faces, says the columnist writing on
spirituality for the Catholic Times. An example of this sad situation
that readily came to mind was a person he knew; she was living a life
without hope because of the pressure of sin. The only word uppermost on
her mind was repentance.
Of course, this is different for all, he
reminds us. Some see themselves with 10 percent negativity (sin) in
their lives, and others see 80 percent. The experience of sin will be
different for everyone according to the lifestyle of each one. Those who
are dealing with 10 percent failure should look upon the 90 percent and
give thanks; those who have 80 percent to deal with should quickly
break the surrounding darkness to get to the light.
Educational
programs for those in prison may be best advised not to focus too
directly on having sorrow for what was done, he says. Repentance for
what we have sinfully done is healthy, but we know that those who want
to change do not find it easy to do so. Better it is, he says, to accept our weaknesses and rely on our spiritual faculties to come to our aid. It takes time for some changes to
occur, especially when we have been overcome by our faults.
To be
sorry for our sins is important but change is also important. Let us
consider, he suggests, a husband who drinks and often shouts at his
wife. He goes to confession and pledges he will not be violent in his
behavior again. The chances are 9 out of 10 that within a week or a
month he will be back at his old ways, regardless of the sorrow he felt
at the time of his confession.
One step beyond sorrow, the
columnist says, is to have an inner change, a spiritual renewal.
Something different has to take place within the person. It is good to
remember that the word we translate into the different languages to mean
repentance is the Greek word 'metanoia', which means a 'changed mind'.
This change will not come easily; we need God's help to make this
happen, to give us a new way of looking at life, a new way of living our
lives. Without this new way we will continue to return to the past. We
have to forget the past (it's no longer here), We have to make the past come into the present and be directed towards the future. This is the work of the spirit.
God, the columnist reminds us, does not bind us
to the the sins of the past. He released Israel from Egypt
and again from Babylon captivity. We need not be chained to the past. We
acknowledge what was done but then must move on. If we spend too much time in the
past we will become exhausted; we have to move to another level and give
ourselves over to a new spiritual energy to change. We have to
experience God, and that can only be done here, now. By experiencing God, says the columnist, we will resonate with
the strength that he gives us, without this we will have more vacillation.
"One need not adorn
the beauty that we have" begins an article by a priest writing in a
diocesan bulletin. He selects a number of commentaries by a famous
vocalist and a judge of auditions for
vocalists on TV that he
believes important for those who intend to follow a singing career. "A
vocalist should not dislike their voice....If the
vocalist is not familiar with their voice they will not sing well....The
vocalist should not try to imitate the original singer of the
song....More important than singing well is to convey what the vocalist
wishes to express in the song....The tone-color of the voice,
and what that is able to convey is more important than singing
well."
Simply expressed, the priest says, when
we sing with our voice and from the heart without adornment we are
being authentic, and those listening will be moved. We want always to be
ourselves, to love ourselves, and to express this in our singing--that
is what is important.
Applying this advice to life, the priest
goes on to say that we should at all times strive to be authentic and
avoid being a copy of what we would like to be. We are made by God and
loved and are his masterpieces (Ephesian 2:10). We are precious, loved
by God and need to love ourselves, which will enable us to be more free
in whatever we are doing. God will then be able to work through us to
accomplish his plans.
There is nothing we need do to receive God's love or to be considered precious.That is our birthright, he says. We can however refuse the love and ignore our preciousness. We are not changed into a person that is
precious; we are precious to begin with, and that is the reason we do not need to adorn
who we are.
The priest ends his article by adding another
statement of the vocalist: "We are not beautiful because we were born
so, but because we lose ourselves in what we love; that is what makes us
beautiful. This has nothing to do with our exterior." We are beautiful because we love ourselves, because we love others, and because we love God. When we sincerely love others, everybody becomes beautiful, regardless of what they may appear to be.
Anything said can be used in a way that fails to understand what was intended, and consequently becomes distorted. His article,
if understood correctly, is not recommending vanity, self-absorption,
or any unhealthy self-esteem. It recommends understanding who we are and
doing away with the obstacles that prevent God's love from being
accepted. His love will enable us to respond with love. When God is in
the picture, whatever aberrations of unhealthy self-love remain are controlled.
"Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John
4:8).
The general meeting
of all the archdiocesan priests clearly showed that communication was
an important issue, that increasing understanding between the diocese
and priests will be an
ongoing concern. The archbishop, Yeom Soo-jung, is quoted as saying he
thought he
should always be solemn but communicating is wonderful. He has made this an important value in the way the work of
the archdiocese will be conducted, with more use of the digital media.
Both the Social network services (SNS) and the
participation of the archbishop were warmly praised by the priests and Christians. There will be a Korean and an English version of the
Facebook page.
Korean: www.facebook.com/seoul.archdiocese.kr.
English: www.facebook.com/seoul.archdiocese.eng.
The intention
is to inform the archdiocese of what has been planned, including the archbishop's
informal daily plans. It is an attempt to realize
the desire for more communication within the diocese: between the
archbishop and priests, among the priests, and between the diocese and laity.
In the past, the means of communication were few; now with the
digital possibilities available, this will change.
With the
English Facebook page, information will be available to all who are
interested in the Korean Church, wherever they may be. It will also enable
news to come more easily to the Korean Church. The efforts that have been made to
communicate have been taken seriously. This should affect how the dioceses will function in the future.
The
Peace Weekly interviewed the archbishop concerning the views expressed
at the general
meeting. He thanked all the priests for their comments during the
meeting. The interviewer asked him to say more about how he would
improve the lines of communication between pastors and their assistants,
and between pastors and the laity. Jesus
was an expert communicator, the archbishop said. Jesus told his
disciples that what they wanted from
others, they were first to do to others. To be a good communicator, he
said, is to understand what the other person wants to say, to be
concerned, and
to strive to understand the position of the other person. More
important than expressing your opinion, or to convince the other of your
thinking, is to listen with sympathy to what the other has to say.
The Archbishop has
not only expressed himself very clearly on his efforts to be open to
everybody, but has also taken steps that show he is earnest about
doing what he preaches. At a meeting of 100 or so diocesan society
members, he listened patiently and encouraged them as they made their reports. He later said Mass
for the group.
Korean
Catholicism has always been a fertile field for new movements. They
have done well here and continue to do well. The community of
Sant'Egidio
began in Rome right after the Second Vatican Council. It is a lay
movement with over 50,000 members in 73 countries. This month, Korea
will join the movement with its own
small group of about 20, sharing the spirituality and principles of
Sant'Egidio. The Catholic Times reports on their first meeting in Seoul
with the Sant'Egidio representative from Asia.
Prayer, they were told, is at the center of
their community life, as well as spreading the Gospel message to all who are seeking
to live a meaningful life, in solidarity with the poor, in voluntary and
gratuitous service. The
movement started in 1968, when a young man, Andrea Riccardi, only 19
years old, along with a group of high-school students, decided to put
the words of the Gospel into practice, very much like the beginnings of
the Church in the Acts of the Apostles.
After
hearing
the brief history of the movement, and following a question and answer
period, they went to the Martyr's shrine in Seoul for Mass,
where the priest, during the sermon, stressed that a distinguishing mark
of the Sant'Egidio community was to take attention off themselves and
direct their attention to God. The
movement in Korea has started with few members, he said, but with God's
grace we will
see miracles.
The movement says that war is the
mother of poverty. Working for the poor gradually developed into
working for peace: protecting, rebuilding and helping to work toward
dialogue. The members have been facilitators in working for peace in the world. Where this is impossible, they help to bring
humanitarian aid where most needed. The news services have mentioned that Sant'Egidio members have brought aid to the hungry of North Korea at the request
of their diplomats in Rome.
Ecumenism is another area in which they have taken great interest, wanting to facilitate dialogue, as well as striving to understand each other better in order to bring about a more
peaceful world. It is with this dream that the Sant'Egidio members
continue to work in many of the most difficult areas of the world.
The numbers of
those without a healthy religion are considerable,
begins the article on a priest psycho-spiritual counselor. The
Catholic Times journalist who interviewed the priest-professor
had some interesting points to make, especially when she asks: What is my own spirituality health
index?
The psycho-spiritual counselor, in addition to teaching at the Catholic Center for
Psycho-Spiritual Counseling, and being a pastor and a seminary professor, teaches a three-week course on becoming
a Christian dealing with the psychology of the spiritual life. The program
has been very well received by parishioners. The following questions: What is a healthy
spiritual life? And what is the relationship of mental health and our faith
life? form the heart of the program. The journey from anger to gratitude is also dealt with in
detail during the program.
The journalist, who meets many Catholics while engaged in her work, knows that
many have an emptiness in their spiritual life. Even those who are
known to be outstanding Catholics jokingly say they are half-hearted
believers. There does not seem to be an interest in nurturing a healthy
spirituality. However, probably different from most people of the West,
Koreans do not pride themselves in being independent of the community
to which they belong. Individualism has still not become a mark of the
Korean believer. They do not consider being 'a la carte' Christians as a
good thing, even though they may be such.
The
relation they have with God and the way they look at this relationship
is often distorted, says the journalist. Consequently, she says they
are not able to fill
the emptiness in their hearts. The first step of the counselor, she
says, is to have the troubled person discover the obstacles that are
preventing spiritual growth. One can
see that religion is often an obstacle that prevents one from being
happy.
An example would be the person that is not doing what is necessary in
the home but is faithful in going to Church. And
there are those Catholics who carry their anger inside, only to have it
manifest when certain circumstances arise.
The
Church, says the priest, has a long tradition of healing both body
and soul, but many Christians are lost, and try to find healing in
pseudo
and newly-formulated religions. It is the hope of the
psycho-spiritual counselor that they will be able to help those who seek
consolation in this way to discover the root problems they are dealing
with.
Each of us has certain habits or
failings that need to be changed by this type of counseling. He
recommends a network to make this a possibility. One of the problems
that must be addressed, he said, is
that pastoral workers often disapprove of these efforts. Counseling
should be a
way of life, and getting help in ridding oneself of obstacles to
maturity
should be welcomed. It doesn't mean getting rid of all the darkness but
such counseling can help be the first step in finding a small light in
the darkness.
The cardinals of
the Catholic Church, as they gather together at the Vatican to elect the
next pope, are being treated like Hollywood celebrities. The world
press is
approaching these men in red and asking for their opinions on both secular and religious
matters, and, of course, the currently most urgent question: who will be the next pope. The desk columnist
of the Catholic Times reveals his thinking on the all-important issue of selecting the next temporal leader of the Church.
In the recent elections for president, we
saw, the two parties either affirming their own candidate or trying to
diminish the status of the opposition. The elections, says the columnist, were as enjoyable to most Koreans as a horse
race, as expected there is little interest on the part of the ordinary Korean on the election for pope.
For Catholics, what is of interest may be simply the awe of the unknown surrounding
the election of the pope. Many see the the secret election at the conclave as the work of the Holy Spirit, as something sacred, worthy of respect. And though well over a hundred cardinals will vote for the next pope, most Catholics believe that the ultimate person selected will be decided by the Holy Spirit. But the columnist reminds us that the election of the pope is done by
humans, and he knows it is impossible to avoid the human element in the election. He believes that to think so is to be
blind to history or simply mentally lazy. In any event, the columnist recommends that we remain immune to the wild, and sometimes not so wild, conjectures of the Western media concerning the "most likely candidates."
One cardinal when asked what
happens in the conclave answered jokingly that not much happens, that it was rather boring: "We pray and vote, wait...pray and vote, wait...." More than a mystical experience, he said it's a time for patience and endurance, love for the Church, and
trust in God.
Each cardinal is thinking: in what direction do I want the Church to go? What are the areas of greatest concern for
the Church in its relationship with the world in the second decade, and beyond, of the 21st century? What kind of personality
and character, spirituality and tendencies, do I want in the new pope?
The
mass media is giving us the pros and cons of the different candidates; the cardinals, for the most part, are doing
this all internally. The media continues to focus its attention on the
scandals that have plagued the Vatican.The columnist recommends
that we develop an immunity to this static and talk without any
foundation in reality, and even to talk with some basis in reality. And trust in God that in his providence all will work out for the best.
