A Healthy Questioning of What We Believe

A priest writing in a diocesan bulletin mentions visiting an elderly priest relative he greatly admired. He lived a very organized life, following the guidelines to holiness he had learned in the seminary.  Before the time of the Second Vatican Council, he remembers hearing in seminary that "those who live within a rule live in God." Which seemed to him a perfect description of his priest relative.

Many Christians at that time felt that the goal of religious life meant only saving your own soul.  Rules and regulations were there to protect us from sin and to keep us from succumbing to temptations. After the Second Vatican Council, this emphasis is beginning to change.
 
He remembers a course he took in the Philippines a few years after ordination. The professor said to the class he regretted not stressing the Gospel message of love more rather than some of the other areas of the Christian message. The order of priority of the teachings was not clear, he said, when he looked back at the way he had taught in the past. He felt he was like the lawyers of the law Jesus had difficulty with during his three years of public life.

He recalls the words of a French bishop who said he had, unfortunately,  lived the teachings of the Old Testament more than he had the New. Jesus had stressed the importance of having a deep and wide love and of working to establish his kingdom but, instead, the priest said he got lost in the regulations.

We should always question what we believe, he reminds us. All of us believe a great many things that we have never bothered to examine carefully. This is not only in matters of religion but in all facets of life. We accept too quickly when someone we trust has said it, or because it is the common understanding or because we learned it in school. "Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have,  but do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

The writer mentions how a sacristy priest is often described:  A priest who limits his pastoral work to the Mass and Sacraments. These are, he says, very important but when we forget the works of love and have no interest in the  problems of society something is missing. At times there is a lot of criticism of priests who seem to be too concerned about social problems, but we hear little about those who stay in the sacristy.

"The truth will make us free" (John 8:31). We should be searching for this truth in the will of God and by doing the works of love. Not only to save face and be concerned with regulations, but to  be a responsible person before God and a mature disciple.

Power of Words

 

Words have many different meanings and connotations. Often, for unworthy purposes, words are created to influence others, and sometimes used sarcastically.  A seminary professor introduces us to the Korean word 'jongbuk,' which can be taken to mean a sympathizer of North Korea or a North Korean slave. In most cases it's used as an abusive term for those who want a closer relationship with those living in the North.
 
People using language that is coarse and confrontational, he says, only helps to divide the country into different factions. Conservatives, "for lack of a better word,"  often see the liberal forces in society as "reds" and "commies." The appearance of the word 'jongbuk' to describe those who would like to see a closer relationship with the North is one manifestation of this conservative mindset. The far right have tried to make the opposition party, which lost the recent election, the 'jongbuk' party. 
 
What reason gave rise to the word? he asks. Is it the present division of the country? The persons who have suffered and continue to suffer from this situation are the weak of society, but this is not a sufficient reason, he says, for the appearance of the word. Is it the large number of pro-North Koreans in our society? Or is it the plan of those who are trying to instill fear and the bring about a more security-conscious government that encourages this 'jongbuk' thinking, resorting to charges, as in the past, of 'red' and 'commie.'

Because of the word 'jongbuk,' hostility and exclusiveness are being nourished in our society, the professor says. When we stop asking the question, why? words like jongbuk begin to spread throughout society. The abusive tone associated with the word, he believes is a sign that the ability to communicate has been lost and fear and irritation becomes the reality. It shows the poverty of our words and the thinking that is influencing our politics, media, history and academia.

When we cease to question the words we use and feel uncomfortable asking "why," the professor is convinced that words like 'jongbuk' will appear, used ignorantly. When this is done we are mercilessly doing harm to many. Looking at history we see  this kind of thinking repeated often. The life of Jesus is an easy example of the harm that arises from ignorance. They were not able to find anything against him worthy of death and yet because of ignorance and bigotry, death was the result.
 

This type of thinking develops into the crimes frequently committed in the past and in the present century. 'Why' is a word that comes easy to mind, says the professor. In a democratic society we are not restrained in its use; in the face of all kinds of power we are able to express our questioning. When this questioning attitude disappears, democracy, viable politics, history, academia and religion will not fare well. And our hope that the history of suffering of so many will be only a past memory will also disappear.  

SNS Relationships

Ten years ago after passing the written exam to work for a newspaper, a journalist, now writing for the Peace Weekly, recalls a question he and four others were asked during the followup interview, a question that surprised him. They were asked for the meaning of a word. Only one of them knew; it was the word for a male second cousin of one's father. 

Family relationships, are very important in Korea but this is changing in today's world, he says. In Korean all degrees of relationships within a family have a name. There is a different name for the relationship between a man and a woman when seen from the father's side and when seen from the mother's side. The journalist gives us an example of some of the titles given to family members. He believes that the word he was asked to define during that interview ten years ago would stump 9 out 10 persons asked to define it today.

He goes on to mention how the question of family relationship arose during a wedding ceremony of one of his relatives. There he met many he hadn't seen in a long time. One of his nephews and a male cousin's son  asked him who he was, and then gave him their name cards. It was their first meeting, but it prompted him to give the "family tree" more thought than he had previously. In fact, he says that once you know the principles involved, the family tree titles are not that difficult to remember, marveling at the scientific manner and the simple way it is done.

In the past, when families lived in the same village, all the children had no problem with the different titles and relationships; they were well-known. This way of life has changed: families have moved, the dependence on each other, prevalent in the past, has changed, replaced by a new style of life and manners. The younger the persons are the more this is true. They are very much part of the capitalistic way of life and its  competition. Both men and women have to work to make ends meet, often resulting in many young  people putting off marriage, which increases the likelihood of having a society with many older unmarried women and single men. The bonds of the past have become weak, he says, and it is only natural that the blood relationships have also suffered, with today's youth finding it more difficult to have a close  relationship  with family and others.

The natural relationships we had in the past are giving way to what has been called SNS relationships, relationships that exist only in cyberspace.The social networking services are taking the place of the old connections. In this world the entertainers are the ones frequently encountered.  We may not  know, he says, our second, third or fourth cousins, but we know every thing about the entertainers: what they eat, what they wear, their hobbies, and the like. The modern entertainers of the world have replaced, he regrettably says, our good neighbors of the past.

The Laity's Role in Fostering Clericalism

The desk columnist of the Catholic Times brings to mind the Pope Francis interview with the atheist Scalfari. The Pope's way of handling himself during these interviews has become of interest to many of our Korean young people, he says, often generating plenty to talk about. The Pope's habit of treating subjects very openly that previously were deemed "hush-hush" have endeared him to many, non-Catholics as well as Catholics.   

He wants to open up the Church to the whole world, the columnist says, adding that the temporal interests of the Vatican seem not to be this Pope's chief preoccupation, since these concerns tend to neglect the world around us. And he believes the Pope will do everything possible to change this type of mentality. Is the Pope right in following this approach? he asks. This question is now being asked by some who doubt its effectiveness. But what can be said with certainty about the new approach is that what was once considered taboo when finding fault with the Church has now  become acceptable.

In discussing anti-clericalism, Scalfari said he is not anti-clerical but when he meets clericalism, he becomes anti-clerical and the Pope agreed with him, saying he has the same reaction with clericalism. Clericalism, he said, should  have no place within the  Church.  

This kind of talk on the part of the Pope is welcomed by many of  the laity. Everybody, the journalist says, has had some difficulty dealing with  a cleric or a religious. He doubted, however, whether the laity here in Korea have the right to  criticize clericalism within the Church. He  may be opening himself up to criticism, he says, but we have to be critical of ourselves.There are good reasons for being critical of clericalism within the Church; the renewal of the Church and its mature development demands it. But we have to see what the laity are doing to foster this  kind of clericalism.

He mentioned an incident during a news gathering when a journalist was hit by a book thrown by a cleric. Let us not be concerned with the circumstances, he adds. In response the journalist quickly left the room. One of the laypeople attending the gathering reprimanded the journalist, telling him that was not the way to behave to a priest, that it was disrespectful, and that he should apologize to him for walking out. 

This idea of unquestioning submission to the leaders and priests of the Church, from the time under the Japanese, has come under attack. Church leaders in the past were reluctant to have Christians get involved in society. Today it is just the opposite. Bishop conferences are speaking out on more participation in society, and the laity are often on the opposite side of the issue. What Pope Francis said about the Vatican-centered interest, which neglects the world around us, is difficult for many of our Catholics to appreciate and accept.

When the Catholic newspapers treat some of the troubling issues of society, even passively, they receive all kinds of protestations, most of which are essentially asking the same question: Why is a religious newspaper getting involved in politics? Pope Francis gave his answer: Because we are composed of body and soul.

And this insight also forms much of the thinking of the Second Vatican Council. Though there are some who are looking forward to another council, the Second Vatican Council's teaching is still valid, with its emphasis on the Church as a communion of the people of God, a Church with a horizontal not a vertical structure, and thus motivated by love and mutual respect. Overcoming clericalism has to begin, and end, with the clergy themselves, but we of the laity, he argues, have a great responsibility to help in advancing that goal. The lack of effort on the part of the laity in effecting this change, the columnist laments, is regrettable.

Inability to Write His Biggest Pain

 At the funeral Mass for Choi In-ho (Peter), celebrated by Cardinal Nicholas Chong, the Cardinal said in his sermon that "Choi was the best and most beloved writer of our times, and his works convey his insights into life as well as his affection for people." The Catholic papers provided some of the many reasons he is held in such high esteem. 

 
The novelist moved his readers because of his deep appreciation of life and its meaning. He was able to write in the genres of fiction and essays, and even wrote children's books.  During his fight with cancer, which took his life at the age of 68, he wrote for the Seoul Church Bulletin which gained for the bulletin many readers, and even changed the image of the bulletin. His fight with cancer also helped many who were dealing with similar difficulties in life. 
 
Many of his books became movies and TV shows which made his name even more well-known. He often said that even more than the pain of cancer, his inability to write gave him more pain.  He was a prolific writer, often including Confucian and Buddhist themes in his writings, along with themes from the Christian Scriptures. He made a thirty day retreat, intending to gather material on Jesus in order to write a book on his life that would help people come closer to him. But he wasn't given the time. During his last moments he is quoted as saying he considered the Gospel of John as being the Gospel within the Gospel.
 
In the Seoul Bulletin he wrote the prayer he called the Piece of Taffy. “Lord, this body is a piece of taffy at the bottom of the wooden box. You can cut it up with scissors or play the taffy-cutting game; it is the taffy master's choice. Only allow that the words I have written be sweet daily food for the poor and sick. I pray this in the name of the master of taffy."
 
A fellow novelist writing in the Catholic Times mentions that Plato in the Symposium, using Socrates as his spokesperson, says there are two ways of attaining immortality in this world. One is to have children and the other is to give birth to art or knowledge. A prominent novelist in our time has died and been buried, he said, but his spirit is still with us. Though he noted that Choi wanted to die still writing till the last moment, his friend said that he was not  able to write a parting message for Choi, because he is still very much with us.

Maturing in the LIfe of Faith

 "Finding a road in the desert" was the headline of an article by a poet who entered the Catholic Church some  years ago and now retells her story to the readers of the Kyeongyang  magazine. She remembers a day in spring when the weather was cold and her own spirit colder, trying to find a place for herself in the big city, without money and confidence. But Jesus, she writes, embraced her that day.

She was walking with her head down on a large open space when an old man asked her for directions to the nearest Catholic church. She had  just walked  past the church and so simply retraced her steps to lead him there. Opening the door, the man entered as a  Mass was in progress; she followed after him, and very awkwardly did what everybody else was doing.

On the way out, in front of the holy water font, she noticed a desk with holy cards. One of the cards had Jesus taking his cloak off and putting it on a beggar boy. The writer felt that she was like the boy on the card, beggar-like, and from that time on she continued going to Mass, though not knowing what was going on at the altar.

Although she had been going to Sunday Mass for a number of months no one ever gave her any directions or even talked to her. But she overheard the names Peter, Mary and the like, and wondered what she needed to do to get a name. She inquired and was told she had to be baptized and then would receive a name.

If you ask a Catholic why they became Catholic many will say it's not like the Protestants, it's rather easy and not burdensome. Catholics, she noted, are lukewarm when it comes to evangelizing and not very good at reading the Scriptures. When talking to a Protestant they easily quote Scripture, and you are left at a loss for words, she remembers.

She has been studying the Scriptures since 2003 and, wanting to convey her enthusiasm to others, she began to volunteer her services by teaching the Scriptures. However, there are times she still has difficulties, she admits, and so she recommends two book: Contemplating Jesus by Robert Faricy and Robert Wicks, now out of print, and a book by Franz Josef Ortkemper, Go the Way  your Heart Directs.

She mentions two incidents from the Scriptures that she came to understand on a deeper level: the story of Babel, which gives us, she believes, an image of our inner self desiring the summit but it is God who resides there. The other is Abraham, who is called the ancestor of  believers, but his actions, she says, are difficult to understand. He is told by God to go to the promised land but he takes a route different from the one recommended, and gets out of a difficult predicament by giving  his wife to the Egyptians, followed by other absurd acts which might endanger his becoming the father of a great nation.

We can all become saints was her conclusion, she says, from her reading and study, including the provocative and puzzling acts of Abraham. (It's well to remember that Scripture does not give us the story of heroes but of temptations, errors, and depravity besides the acts of  heroism.) The contrast between Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) and Job raises us up to a new level of understanding. The book by Ortkemer helped her to see the Scriptures in a different light and to rid herself of much of the alienation that came from her first readings of the Scriptures.

Life Need Not be Boring

Life can be tiring and boring and the results can be seen daily in our newspapers. Obviously, this is not the way it should be. A seminary priest-professor, in the Kyeongyang magazine, comments that such a lifeless attitude frequently comes about when there is so much to do, accompanied by our inability to respond in the way we would like, leading to anger,frustration and depression--all brought about, says the professor, by a mental state that can be pathological.  

To avoid this, most cultures, he says, have built-in solutions: sporting events, festivals and holidays, art shows and literary events, and personal occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries, that encourage spending a night out dining and drinking. We attempt to overcome our tiredness and boredom by all kinds of distractions. What we really want, the professor says, is rest, but we continually take on more activity.

Our spiritual life is no different, he says. We should be concerned about our relationship with God and experience his presence in our lives, but the accompanying values and rules become discordant with the society we are in, being seen as musty with old-age and now unimportant. But even those who have been Christian for some time can feel tired and bored, wanting relief from such feelings. Prayer also can become arduous, further increasing our fatigue and feelings of being burnt out by what we believe is demanded. When we do not experience God and his grace, this is bound to be its natural outcome.

Catholics also have a great deal of habitual acts to perform as part of our faith life, and if there is no sweetness and tang to the life, we will become tired and bored.  When we lose the meaning and awareness of what we do as Christians, weariness will appear. When we are not aware of the graces we receive daily, we will be overcome with distractions and worldly thoughts.

Not only is this true for the laity but priests also have the same problem. And when obligation is the only motive for action, the same problems arise.  Mass, the Sacraments, the breviary, counseling, visits to the sick--all can be very tiring. Without joy in the life of the priest, these duties can become unbearable and lead to burn out and dereliction of duty. 

To find reasons for the boredom and fatigue, one has to look within, the professor says. Before we take an alternative route, we need the discipline to uncover the driving force for our actions, and work to purify our motivation. A small change in our thinking, we know, can bring a great change in our actions. The grace of God is always there to move us from stagnation, or something worse, to a new life of health and grace-filled living.