In and out of church circles, we
hear a lot about spirituality. Religion and the development of
psychology have turned our attention to the inner workings of our psyche
and the spiritual. A seminary professor, a priest with a doctorate in
spirituality, sees this recent interest in spirituality and the psyche
with serious reservations. (We commonly hear today: "I'm spiritual but not religious.") Writing
in the Catholic Times, he suggests that in today's world it's difficult
to have a correct understanding of spirituality and its psychological
implications without straying beyond the Catholic tradition.
A
2004 Gallup survey of Protestants, Buddhists and Catholics, on the
reason for believing, revealed that almost 80 percent of Catholics were
searching for peace of mind; 23 percent of Protestants considered
salvation and eternal life the reason for their religious belief, while
only 6 percent of Catholics had this as their response. The priest sees
this as a problem for Catholics, indicating an incorrect understanding
of spirituality, which Catholicism has traditionally meant to convey. He
does say that seeking peace does not necessarily mean one cannot
practice a correct spirituality.
However,
Jesus did say: "Peace is my farewell to you, my peace is my gift to
you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace" (John 14:27).
Jesus had another way of seeing peace from an earthly viewpoint: "Do you
think I have come to establish peace on the earth? I assure you the
contrary is true; I have come for division" (Luke 12:50). Because
Catholicism has stressed that we are not on this earth to look for
blessings, only 8 percent said that receiving earthly blessings was not
their understanding of religion. We can understand why some answered in
the way they did, the professor said, feeling that living the Christian
life would bring peace of mind.
Visiting
a Catholic book store, we are likely to see many more books on the
general topic of spirituality than on scripture,
liturgy, theology, and the catechism. He feels that reading these books
on spirituality, without a strong
religious foundation, will only provide, at most, a psychological boost,
an emotional lift. Jesus tells us: "In a word, you must be made
perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). We are called to be holy. This
is the beginning of a Christian's spirituality, the professor said, and
its end.
At
times, we have to fight courageously against ourselves from falling
into temptation and make efforts to practice the virtues in our daily
lives. We need a correct understanding of God and Jesus, with the goal
of being with Jesus after death. Even though each has his own way of
practicing their spirituality, there is a common element, a direction
that is true for all. That is why Catholicism has, for over 2000 years,
looked at spirituality objectively and made judgements in a scientific
way on methods to attain a healthy spirituality.
Charles
Andre Bernard, an authority on spirituality, defined it this way:
"Spirituality is based on revelation, the study of the spiritual
experience of Christians, its gradual development, and the desire to
understand its structure and laws. It is one of the departments in
theology."
The
professor points out that without the
correct understanding of the foundational teaching of Catholicism, we
are not going to have the correct spirituality of a Catholic.
Spirituality
for a Catholic, he emphasizes, is not a vague do-it-yourself effort. He
ends
the article by noting the need for a disciplined search, within the
teachings of the Church, to bring more clarity to the term
'spirituality'.
Dreams have great meaning for
many in Korea. Pigs and dragons appearing in dreams are good signs, and
for some a good time to buy a lottery ticket. In a recent Catholic Times
article, a priest mentions a woman he knew, a mother of two children,
who came to him to interpret a dream.
"What kind of dream did you have that you want me to interpret? I know nothing about dreams." he told her.
"Father,
in my dream I saw, coming from my son's room, an intense light enter the parlor. I ran
to the bedroom but couldn't open the door although it was not locked. I
kicked open the door and entered the room. Lying on the bed was my son,
half robot and half human. I quickly embraced him and he responded by muttering "Help me to be a human, I
want to be human, help me." While I listened to what he was saying, I looked at the mirror in
the room and saw that I was a robot. Startled, I woke up."
The
dream was much longer and interesting, said the priest, and they
laughed a lot during the retelling. That dream without any
interpretation is a gift from God, he said. We can say that as a mother
in raising children, there is the need to be concerned with the thoughts
and feelings of the children. Nowadays, young mothers have all kinds of
information on how to raise children correctly. Doesn't this, the
priest thought, turn the mothers into robots and their grownup children
into robots. Mothers are always thinking of what is to be done today,
tomorrow, next week, next month. Consequently, many children do not
sense the mothers' feelings as much as they do the information the
mothers have gained and passed along. Isn't this what can be assumed
from the dream, he said.
"Good heavens! Father," she replied. "I'm not that
kind of person. Compared to other mothers I give my children all kinds
of freedom. In any event, it was a strange dream. You are very busy,
Father, and have given me of your time, thank you."
" How about a cup of tea before you leave." invited the priest.
"No,
I have to be on my way," she said. "My child has three academies to go
to, and I have to take him there, prepare his snacks, help with the
homework, and shop for what is necessary. I have to work
being a mother, you know. Good bye."
She had in her hands
notifications from school, and as she hurriedly
scurried off, the thoughts that came to mind, he said, were of the
creation story. At the end of that story, humanity appears, and he
wonders why we still continue to desire a robot's existence.
The term "New Evangelization" has few rivals in the number of times it's used in
our Catholic World, and for good reason. Evangelization is the reason
the Church exists and is our constant mission; no other words are
necessary. Adding the word 'new' to 'evangelization' does not change
the meaning. Society has been changing drastically and to keep up with
these changes the word evangelization was modified. The Peace Weekly, in
its editorial on this continuing mission of the Church, which discussed
a recent seminar on the topic, held in a Korean diocese, begins with
the headline, "The First Step of the New Evangelization is the Renewal
of the Clergy."
Since
clergy were singled out to be the object of concern for the new
evangelization, some may think they are not in step with the times and
should be brought up to date, that they should use more of the tools
from modern culture, or get more involved with what is happening in
society. But the drift of the seminar was not in that direction, the
editorial pointed out.
One
of the speakers said priests have to witness to Christ. The Christians
are not looking for a great administrator, or for one who gets involved
in movements in the greater society that are secondary to his calling.
If these pursuits are taking away time and the interest he should have
for evangelizing, this will limit him in the work he should be doing,
and the Christians will not be seeing Christ.
Another
participant suggested that the administration of the parish should be
handed over to the laity, and the priest should be solely concerned in
making Jesus known. Since sermons are extremely important in fulfilling
this function, as much time as possible should be devoted to their
preparation.
Another suggestion, strongly expressed, was that the exterior expansion
of the
Church should be resolutely avoided, otherwise we are likely to have
trouble in the future. Though admitting this proposal seems difficult to
implement presently, the participant thought it important enough to
merit careful attention.
In the same paper, another article on the seminar considered the priests' relationship with the bishop. The relationship should be one filled with respect
and trust, otherwise the priest's fatherly relationship with the
parishioner will suffer because of a lack of confidence and peace of
mind. One participant saw the relationship as one of master and
servant, a vertical relationship that makes it difficult to approach the
bishop. It is hoped that the new focus on clergy renewal will go a long
way to not only improving the priestly relationships, but improving the
relationship between priests and bishops.
The Christians want
to see Christ in their priests, who need to make an effort to
fulfill this calling by imitating Jesus. And the Church has to prepare
the conditions where this is possible. This imitation of Jesus on the
part of the priest is the
first step in the renewal process of the new evangelization. Whatever
way we choose to modify the word
'evangelization', or however the world changes, evangelization must
begin with
meeting Jesus. And the renewal of the clergy, concludes the editorial,
will begin when this first step in meeting Jesus is taken.
Marriage
Encounter, a popular movement within the Korean Church, was covered
recently by the Peace Weekly, as it profiled three couples who attended
the weekend program in the Seoul diocese. They said they learned a lot
about the value of dialoguing during the weekend.
One
couple, ethnic Koreans from China, took a four-hour plane ride to
attend the weekend. The wife said she was a tourist guide working in
China and had met a Korean on a visit to China, who looked exceptionally
peaceful. When she asked her for the reason, she said she had a good
relationship with her husband because of attending a Marriage Encounter
weekend. She gave the care of their seven-year-old child to others,
after overcoming the initial opposition of her husband, and they
traveled to Korea for the ME weekend. Her relationship with her husband,
she said, was neither good nor bad, just so-so.
During
the weekend, however, by participating in loving dialog with her
husband, she shed many tears. She realized she did not know the basics
of how to communicate: looking into the heart of the other to understand
the other--that is what she learned, and that, she said, is what it's
all about. The husband thought that money was the answer to everything,
but learned that you don't buy love with money. They are not in the
least sorry for the money spent for the trip and the weekend. They
received more than they imagined: the key to living a happy life.
Another
couple came for the weekend from Australia. They lived with the wife's
mother and when the mother died recently, the pain of the loss was
unbearable for the wife. But instead of getting closer to her husband,
she spent a great deal of time at the church, which upset her husband,
causing a great deal of bickering between them. Her older sister
recommended the ME weekend. At the beginning of the weekend, she said
she resisted whatever was suggested. She did not follow the
instructions given and wrote letters to her husband that brought tears
to her eyes, realizing that she hadn't lived as she should have. In the
privacy of their room, she said she embraced her husband and cried
profusely.
The
husband said that for 45 years he had not been able to rid himself of
his impetuous temperament. He said he had no reason to dislike his wife
but things of no importance would often be the reason for fighting. He
had no idea of what dialogue was about, but could only resort to
bullying his way in the home. He said he learned the meaning and the
importance of dialogue during the weekend.
The
third couple, married for 50 years, was considered a well-matched pair,
with no serious problems. The wife mentioned she wished she knew about
the ME weekend earlier in life.
They
were not used to expressing their love for each other, she said, but
kept it inside. Expressing affection in words and actions seemed
awkward and embarrassing. In the home, talking about the children was
considered enough dialogue. Now, by talking to each other to understand
the other, she said, they were able to find an opening to a new way of
life. At their age, however, she said the decision to attend the weekend
did not come easy, fearing it would be awkward for the others, much
younger, to have a much older couple in the group. But a lot was
learned, she said. We now exchange loving words, often.
Abuse of the elderly is the topic
of a recent Peace Weekly article. June 15th has been designated World
Elder Abuse Awareness Day by the United Nations. In Korea, there
are 24 organizations whose goal is to protect our elderly. In 2010,
there were 3068 abusive incidents reported, and in recent
years, there has been an increase in these numbers. When one remembers
that
most of the abuse comes from children, it is easy to understand why
this is greatly under-reported.
The
abuse may be physical,
mental, sexual, financial. It may entail violence, neglect or even
abandonment. There are a variety of ways in which it can be seen. Even
the
refusal to go to a hospital for treatment or refusing necessary
attention,
which is the neglect of self, comes under this heading.
Those
who have studied the issue see much of this as handed down from
a climate of violence within the family or from neglect of the children when they should have
been nurtured. The break-up of families is also a cause, and when the
children come under the care of the grandparents, the resentment often
shows up in the abuse of the grandparents.
To
prevent this, the
article mentions the need for the elderly to prepare for their old age.
For the elderly to think that by raising and educating their children
the children now have to take care of them is the kind of thinking that
has to be discarded. Parents should not depend, the article strongly
advises, on the
financial help of the children, who in most cases are intensely involved
with caring for their
own children, and taking on any additional financial burden is bound to
be extremely difficult.
The so-called Kangaroo and NEET (Not in
Education, Employment or Training) Generation--those in their thirties who are receiving help
from their parents--are increasing, which tends to create the conditions leading to even more parental abuse.
There
is a need to acquaint the public of these conditions and the
help needed by those who are being abused; this will require educating
the public. The stubbornness of the younger generation and their
blindness to traditional cultural values are also problems
here. The article cites Sirach 25:6: "The crown of old men is wide
experience; their glory the fear of
the Lord," and urges the young to remember that wisdom that comes
with old age.
The
respect that Asians traditionally have had for their elders
should be remembered and passed on to the children. Filial piety has an
important place in our culture and should not be forgotten. If this
alone could be kept alive in the culture, we would see less cases of
abuse.
A religious sister who is involved in this work
says: "A child becomes an adult and then becomes old. Consequently, the
old person is what we too will become. We need to realize that respect for our
elders is respect for ourselves, and prepare for a culture that
will have respect for all of us."
In Korea today, the children of
the elite in society are making sure their children are getting the best
possible education available. A very natural desire of all parents. But
recently the mass media has revealed examples of the lack of fair play
in securing entrance to the better schools. A priest-professor at Sogang
University, in the View from the Ark, writes about this tendency
in society, and cites one example of a family who took their child out
of a famous middle school, after the press made much of the acceptance,
sending the child to China for schooling.
Among
the power elite are those that will send their children to study in
the States, but presently consider it more important to send their
children to China. Study of the Chinese language is becoming
increasingly more popular around the world today. He mentions hearing
that the royal family of Spain is teaching their children Chinese, and
the elite of the United States are employing Chinese wet nurses for
their children. Not only in Korea but in many parts of the world fluency
in Chinese is an investment in the new culture.
Parents,
by taking these measures, believe they are helping their children to
live more successfully in the future. They are aware that Mencius'
mother moved three times to make sure her child would have the best
education possible. Korean parents have this same concern: out-of-school
studies and sending them to study overseas are only hampered by their
financial condition.
The
professor has one question concerning all of this: What do the parents
hope to achieve by this zeal for education? What do they want their
children to become?
For some years, he was a member of a non-governmental organization working in East Timor when it was under the trusteeship of the
United Nations. He said that he learned a great deal about values and
experience, and their importance in life. Persons not having experienced
living in a colony, with poverty and tyranny being daily affairs, don't
know, he says, how dangerous it is to control the workings of a small
weak country. Korea has had the experience and can contribute to
building bridges of communication from the rich to the poor countries
around the world.
To
be players in the world of the future, he believes that knowing
Chinese, English, and even Japanese will be important. However, he
stresses that even more important than the languages will be the
mentality of the persons with these language skills, and it will be this
attitude that will have influence in society, an influence, he says,
that can be used to give life or to kill. Those who do not have empathy
for the weak, the dignity of persons, and the common good are not the
kind of people society needs; they can easily be concerned only about
themselves.
The
priest reminds us of the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke 16:19-31. The
rich man never saw Lazarus.
Often the weak are stepped on to benefit the strong. Consequently, the
talents and capabilities that many possess can be used as weapons to harm the weak.
In today's Korea it is said that
living a life that is happy and rewarding is more of a concern than
living a life without enough to eat. We all are seeking a life of
happiness. Past generations often saw their situation in life, good or
bad, as their lot in life, their destiny, and abandoned themselves to
this thinking. This is not the case today. Most Koreans lived through
the Japanese occupation, the horrors of war, famine, poverty, and the
loss of human rights. Today they give thanks for the freedom they enjoy.
A
priest-professor at the Incheon seminary, in an article for the
Kyeongyang magazine, discusses what we have left behind and what we are
now facing. The poverty of the past has, for the most part, disappeared
but the social evils still with us, he says, are poisoning all of us; a
case perhaps of the 'selfish gene' becoming prominent in our society, he
suggests. Fortunately, there has been an awakening to the dangers of
such selfishness, as we become more aware that we are intimately related
to our natural environment. The
problems are many: the breakup of families, contempt for life,
confusion of moral values, and the destruction of our environment, which
has forced us, he says, to acknowledge and face our common existence. A
sign of the times, he points out, is our search for more efficient ways
to narrow the gap between our ideals and the harsh reality, in the hope
that our concerted efforts will help save our environment. Where does
our faith enter in? he asks.
He
begins by making a distinction between a faith life that is of the
senses, and one that has a sense for the sacred. The former is
attracted to the externals: a beautiful church, the quiet, the
liturgical practices, and the like. He believes this kind of attraction
tends to level off. When one searches only for what they like, there is a
danger of being an opportunist. Often when the Church does not show an
interest in a person's concerns, the person leaves and becomes involved
in his or her own spiritual pursuits.
This
is not what a true spiritual life is all about, he says. Our senses,
which can't
see or describe God, have to be purified to have a sense for the sacred,
so we can meet and feel God's presence. When we realize that our
physical senses are being manipulated by the mass media, we have to be
on our
guard, be able to discern, and have the courage to say no to its
enticements.
We
often think we are able to determine what is good for us, but the
facts
may be quit different. We are often addicted or brain-washed by our
society. And even if we know this is happening we often do not have the
mental strength to prevent it. We can face life in desperation, and try
to deceive
ourselves but the selfish gene continues to expand its influence, he
says. The
mass media is so influenced by money and consumerism that we
also unconsciously follow along, mesmerized by it and losing our
connection to the
scared.
In
this year of Faith we
want our sense of the sacred to grow. The apostles, in Luke 17:5, ask
our
Lord: "Increase our faith." Jesus answered that if they had the faith
the
size of a mustard seed, they would be able to do extraordinary things,
our senses being made complete by our life of faith. To have a sense of
the
sacred, the priest advises us to kneel before God and confess that we
have lost the way. It will take time, he says, just as it does to get a
feel for a sport, art or
music. He asks us to reflect on whether our religious life is mostly of
the
senses or whether our senses are being influenced by the sacred.
