Medical Treatment of a Friend

Cancer in  Korea is common. A doctor who is a professor in a medical school cancer center, reports that one out of 3 are diagnosed with cancer. He writes in the Kyeonyang magazine about his feelings when boyhood friends come for help when they hear they have cancer.

He tells us the story of a close friend  from elementary school days, both  going to the same college. He became a university professor. One day, he received a call  telling him that he was diagnosed with cancer in the inner part of the nose. Looking over all the information on the treatment, the doctor, who had much experience with head and neck cancer thought without an operation radiation and chemotherapy was possible, and he became his primary doctor for the case.

He made the general examination of the patient and discovered high blood sugar and a serious case of diabetes. The professor explained that he was eating irregularly, a lot of instant food, eating quickly, working late and slaking his thirst with cola. He began the treatment and his friend lost all his hair, which made the doctor feel uncomfortable but continued to give hope to his friend. A month later he was given a CAT scan, and the cancer had completely disappeared.

Two and a half years passed without problems, but then he heard they found lumps in his throat; the cancer returned. The doctor felt his heart drop. He started the process again, and  all worked out well. With the recurrence of the cancer, the patient's mental state was fragile. He didn't know when he would hear the same words again. And a year a half later they discovered  some abnormalities in the lymph gland. The biopsy showed a recurrence of the same cancer. Fortunately, it was a small area and with radiation and chemotherapy, they eradicated  the cancer.

The doctor with these recurrences  also began  to feel anxious. There was an area of the lungs that looked suspicious, but it was only an inflammation but  an area near the previous spot was  the third occurrence of the cancer. He felt lost, and the future prospects did not look good, which caused the doctor to lose sleep. The cancer did shrink with the chemotherapy. The doctor did a lot of praying and  considering the possibility of a recurrence used a small degree of radiation. All the friends also had low expectations for his return to health,

For 7 months after the  end of treatment his friend has returned to his teaching position, and his research. All the hair has grown back; everything has returned to normal. With the recurrence of the cancer three times, the doctor is apprehensive. He wants to believe that he is cured and thanks his friend for putting up the good fight.

He gives us another case in which the results were not as fortunate. They were also friends from elementary school. He was a doctor with his own practice. He was operated on at a large hospital for rectal cancer and received word after the operation that it was not successful because the cancer had spread. He was thankful he was not involved this time because of the  stress that he feels. However, the operation was not successful and the friend confided on his doctor friend. What was he to do? The doctor friend didn't know what to say. The cancer had spread to the liver. He tried to give hope to his friend and started the chemo and radiation.

He was the only child  of his parents, and the mother spoiled him. His father wanted him to be a lawyer, but he chose medicine. The father was a very strongly opinionated person and wanted his way, which gave rise to the feeling of estrangement between them. The mother was a devout Catholic who wanted him to be baptized, but he wasn't interested. His marriage ended in divorce, and he was the care giver of the parents who were in their eighties. He drank too much, had bad eating habits, diabetes, liver problems and now the cancer.

The doctor finishes the article by telling us that the cancer spread, and before he died, he did receive baptism, and all his many friends from the different parts of the  country came to be with him during the last days. The relationship between the father and son changed for the better. The doctor concludes he wasn't any help in returning the body to health but he was a help in bringing his friend to a new spiritual life, a new beginning. And finishes telling us it is difficult having a friend as a patient.

Purification of our Motives

How many  have a pure motive in what they do? Am I really living  genuinely? A priest, who worked for the poor, asks his readers these questions in an article in Biblelife. Many are those who are working for the country, the citizens, for unification, peace, for the parishioners, for God and  so forth, but in reality, is that the truth? We package this up with altruistic thoughts, but in reality, it seems to the writer; we try to satisfy our personal  desires. This is the reality he sees in his own life.

He remembers a conversation he had with  classmates after ordination. When we work pastorally with the young, work hard, and have all kinds of events, is it really for the young people? "Is it not my wish to be with the young people, and I dress it up with the notion that I am doing it for them? Am I working for the young people to bring them closer to Jesus or is it for my own glory?"

This can be the case with those working for justice. They  give the impression they are interested in others, but  actually are more concerned about their own situation. The search for glory is possible. It could be a matter of pride, ignorance, hypocrisy, but it is  not acting as  a follower of Jesus. One of the reasons he left the work for the poor after eight years in a slum area of the city was the fear that this was the actual case with him. Was he using the poor people to draw attention to himself?

There were many who felt sorry for his working in such difficult circumstances. They would compare what he was doing with the work of parish priests and praise him. Was he really worthy of that praise? Was this the reason he was working in the slums? He knew that working in the slums could be all a lie. He felt that it was necessary for him to leave the work if he was not to begin living a lie. He  considered himself a weak person and  would not be able to see the change in himself if it came.

From the outside, people could admire his living poorly. He did his own cooking, washing cleaning and without help. One can be in search of poverty and not live  poverty. One can use the appearance of poverty and live the opposite.  One can desire to pile up achievements and can be negligent of the poor. Working with the poor one can  arrange to do his own thing, and win the respect of the public. This is a possible.

A follower of Jesus has to check to see what are the motives for his or her actions.  We have to keep our eyes on Jesus and the way of life he has shown us. 
There is always a need to purify our motives to be more in harmony with the life that Jesus showed us.
 

SNS: The Good and the Bad

Social Network Service (SNS) has captured the hearts of the world village. The network has connected us with the rest of the world and with individuals in the world. The Internet and the smart phone enabled SNS to increase its influence. All that is needed is a desire, and you can begin relating with hundreds and thousands of persons in cyberspace. We can become friends with Pope Francis and with leaders both within and outside the country. All possible with the SNS network we have constructed.

Biblelife magazine has an article by the  priest public relations director of a diocese on the effects of SNS on society. He introduces us to a survey that was made at the end of 2013, which reported that 31.3 percent of the Koreans use SNS for 72.8 minutes daily. The use is increasing each year in all segments of society. Politicians use it to increase their influence, businesses to increase sales. It is a way of answering our basic drive to reveal ourselves and to peek into the world of another. We can utilize the information that is available in the world. It is a way of making stronger our solidarity with others and a great tool in developing ourselves.  

However, with the use of SNS, we begin to see some of the negative aspects. In the United States with the appearance of Facebook and Twitter, addiction has followed.There have been public service announcements warning about the addiction. In Korea among college students 7 out of 10 curtailed the use of SNS because it was wasting too much time.  On-line games, web surfing, gambling, shopping, Cyber-sex all are addictive; they affect our lives and harm our health. A study that was made, reports  the addiction to SNS is harder to break than tobacco or liquor.
 
Addiction is not the only problem that SNS is causing in society. Since one can join the SNS world anonymously we have many abuses with the use of vulgar language and excessive criticism. This has at times even given rise to suicides. Information that has not been verified can spread quickly, making for pollution and distortion. The recent Sewol tragedy was an example of the false rumors that circulated and the harm that was done. Democracy does not always benefit by SNS, and we see some serious obstacles. One of the police investigations in a Korean election showed how a government department can help determine an election. The herd mentality prevents one from expressing his or her opinion.The message is usually a one way message.
 
Those who are expressing their views are a very small number. 90 percent are just viewers. 9 percent pass along what they have received, leave a comment or a response. Only 1 percent are creating content. In Twitter, according to a study that was made, of the interesting information half is contributed by less than 0.05 percent. Most participate  as passive viewers.

SNS when used wisely and in search of truth is a wonderful tool. However, the over use can work against knowing oneself, and hurt the relationship we should have with God.We can make it into an idol.  When it comes to the point that it is causing more harm than good it is time to disconnect. He concludes the article introducing us to the movie that was released last year called Disconnect. A movie about the tragedies and false images in SNS that brought much harm into the lives of the characters.

Joy of the Gospel: Needs of a Tired Society

People in Korea work 2,090 hours a year, more than the OECD average of 1,765 hours.The Desk Column in the Catholic Times brings to our attention this fact, and the Korean low happiness index compared with other countries.

A Korean Philosopher living in Germany, Han Byung-chul, says there is a certain sickness for each age and he, for our  society, calls it the 'Fatigue Society'.

According to Professor Han during the last part of the 20th century, we lived in a result-searching-society. This  was a new kind of society. Going back to the past was not permitted. If we  call this a negative society, what we have today is a positive society. We can do it. Looking for success is the basic rule. The problem with this is that when it becomes excessive others are threatened, and you end up putting pressure on yourself. "I can do it. I must do it well. I can do it." This kind  of thinking, he says, urges the person on. The result of his capabilities is the reason for existence and consequently, the reason for fatigue. When one is not able to achieve his goal, you have frustration and depression. One of the aspects of this society is that it gives birth to the leaders and those who become delinquents. In this search for results type of society, we have the depressed and the losers. Religion in this kind of society can't help but be influenced.

During  a  seminar sponsored by the bishops last year one of the presenters talked about religion and the believers in this 'fatigue society'. The hyper-positive society has lowered our level of immunity, and we are facing a crisis of faith.The result orientated society    emphasizes action and the gifts of believing, and not our duties as Christians.With this desire for what we can receive we lose the joy of our faith life. This brings into our life despondency, loss of faith, and skepticism. How do we break out of this  dryness? She asks.

Just recently at the Catholic University in the school of theology we had a symposium of  the Catholic and Protestant academics, using Pope Francis' Exhortation: Joy of the Gospel as the topic for  discussion. Many are the  ecumenical symposiums of the past, but this is the first time with a document written by the pope. We all need to find joy in our life of faith, a common need and the symposium was  a sign of its importance in our lives.

In our movement towards worldliness and materialism, we are losing the joy in life and being   overcome with the fatigue of life. We have to  return to the joy of the Gospel and begin to live it in our daily lives.

"We do well to keep in mind the early Christians and our many brothers and sisters throughout history who were filled with joy, unflagging courage and zeal in proclaiming the Gospel. Some people nowadays console themselves by saying that things are not as easy as they used to be, yet we know that the Roman empire was not conducive to the Gospel message, the struggle for justice, or the defense of human dignity. Every period of history is marked by the presence of human weakness, self-absorption, complacency and selfishness, to say nothing of the concupiscence which preys upon us all. These things are ever present under one guise or another; they are due to our human limits rather than particular situations. Let us not say, then, that things are harder today; they are simply different. But let us learn also from the saints who have gone before us, who confronted the difficulties of their own day. So I propose that we pause to rediscover some of the reasons which can help us to imitate them today" #263 of the Joy of the Gospel.

Getting Rid of our Idols

A priest professor at a Catholic University has an article in Biblelife  on  making the God I believe into an idol. He begins the article with an American TV program in which we have a group of college students in an auditorium asking questions of a Republican, a Democrat and the new's anchorman. The first question was for the anchorman:  Are you Republican, Democrat or independent? The anchorman responded with the name of an American football team. Another student asked: Why did the United States become such a great country? The Democrat answered: variety and opportunities; the Republican answered: freedom.  The anchorman again, humorously tried to  avoid answering the question, but was not  allowed to by the spokesman for the students. He  answered: The United States is not a great country. It only happened that  we have on occasions acted with greatness.

He went on to explain that the people have risen up for justice and fought for virtue.  They have made laws to increase virtue and have abrogated other laws. They have overcome much poverty, but did not at times fight with the poor. In the last election, they didn't question the reason they voted for their candidate. Looking back in the past, we see that at times they were courageous and  truly great. The reason we could act with greatness in these circumstances, he continued, was that we had the information to make a judgement, the reason that we could act wisely we knew the problems.

The way we look at society is different for each of us. There are those that see no problems with the society in which we live.  Then you have those that see the structural problems in society and want to do something to change the situation. And between these two points of view, we have those who are confused. He uses two phrases that are seen often on the Internet used disparagingly of the conservatives and the progressives. The division of the country has brought about a division in our thinking even here in South Korea, where instead of coming closer together we are making the wall of hate and distrust only higher.

The ideological battles are dividing the country. What is the most fearful of the idols which  we face? He asks. Is it not making God after our own image? Wanting God, the Church and the  clergy  to speak what I believe is  true. If I am of a conservative disposition I don't want the Church or the clergy to talk about anything outside of spirituality. If of a progressive disposition, I want them to put the  spiritual on the back burner and just speak about the problems in society.

Our faith is not wanting God and the Church to move in the way I think important, but to change the way I am living to  the way God wants. Often I  don't care to change and  desire God and the Church to change. This way of thinking is spreading widely in the society. The priest professor introduces us to the Joy of the Gospel and to paragraph #227.

"When conflict arises, some people simply look at it and go their way as if nothing happened; they wash their hands of it and get on with their lives. Others embrace it in such a way that they become its prisoners; they lose their bearings, project onto institutions their own confusion and dissatisfaction and thus make unity impossible. However, there is also a third way, and it is the best way to deal with conflict. It is the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process. “Blessed are the peacemakers!”

The first thing that is necessary is that we have a healthy inner life. When the interior is healthy,  we can live with  diversity and examine what is involved, and discern what is the truth that God wants us to accept. When the inner life is weak, then we are only concerned about ourselves and end up in conflict. We have to keep our attention on the God who is, and not the idol of our making. He recommends strongly that we read the exhortation.