Gambling is a strong addiction, deadly, and the cause of family ruin.
Since it is harmful to society the country has made it a crime.
Gambling, habitual gambling is penalized and the largest penalties are
for those that build places for gambling. Human rights group director
in a Peace Weekly column writes about the issue.
The
way the country looks on gambling is not consistent. When a civilian is
involved we have punishment when the country provides the space for
gambling we justify it. Race tracks are managed by the Korean Horse
Affairs Association and are helpful in the welfare programs of the
country and contribute to the use of leisure. Three race
tracks exist in the country and for those who are addicted it may be a
long distance to the track so they have off-track video betting rooms. A newly-opened off-track horse racing betting center in Yongsan, which is very close to many schools in a residential district of Yongsan, is receiving a lot of opposition. Off-track betting centers are called 'Let's Run' and there are many throughout the country.
According to government statistics
of 2010 we have over two and half million civilians addicted to gambling
and the government is inciting them to continue with these betting rooms. As long as it is a
money making enterprise, and since the money is for
welfare, the decision to discontinue is a dilemma for some.
Yongsan
video horse racing gaming room has been opposed by the residents and many others for over two years-- public opposition is great. Sacred Heart Middle and High School are very close to the video gaming room but the Korean
Horse Affairs Association is playing dumb, using wise tactics, and
helped with people in high places opened the gaming room. The Sacred Heart Sisters are also very much in the battle.
The reason it has continued so long, seeing the hopelessness of the
fight, is because of the sisters. It is like throwing eggs at a stone,
the eggs get smashed and the stone remains unmoved but they continue.
In
the beginning it was the school and the surrounding environment that
motivated the sisters but this has changed. Now not only the children but for those who
will be going to the gaming rooms to gamble.
The columnist praises the sisters for being real teachers, and willing to give themselves for a cause that has the need of persons to stand up for the common good, even if it seems like a hopeless effort.
Today is the feast
day of the first Korean priest, St. Kim Taegon, Andrew. Born on August
21st 1821 of a noble family. His great-grandfather was an official of
the regional government and at the age of 50 was baptized, shortly
after was arrested and spent over 10 years in jail where he died. His
grandson Kim Chae-jun Ignatius and Ko Ursala gave birth to Kim
Taegon. His father Ignatius was martyred in 1839.
Kim
Taegon, Andrew died in 1846 just 13 months after ordination. He was
arrested tortured and killed for helping priests come into Korea from
China. He is now revered as the patron saint of all Korean priests, the
first priest of a 60 year Catholic history.
Two
editorials and articles in the Catholic papers show us the reasons he
is an example of what is expected of a priest. His family was before
conversion to the foreign religion, a wealthy and respected member of the
Korean nobility. Conversion meant becoming fugitives and living in
poverty.
One
of the editorials mentioned the talk that Pope Francis gave to the
bishops and priests in which he asked them not to strive for success
and power in the way of the world. The reason he brought it to their
attention: " Your Church is flourishing, a wonderfully evangelizing Church, and big Church."
Pope
Francis, said the editorial, was concerned that the Church will be
criticized for being too wealthy. He doesn't want the Church to ignore
the poor, and be a Church for 'well being' a wealthy and indolent
Church, and he is mainly addressing these words to the bishops and
priests.
Poverty
is not destitution. Doing less with what one needs is the beginning of a
life of poverty. When we are not concerned with prestige and honors we
are on the way to spiritual poverty. We need the material
poverty but more so the spiritual poverty that we hear about in the 'Sermon on the Mount' in Matthew's Gospel.
The
editorial ends asking for prayers for priests to follow the example
of St. Andrew Kim. In his short life he was an example of poverty, and asks we pray that priests realize the joys that result from this type of life.
History is not always what happened in the way recounted. We have
both a bias that is personal, and cultural, in recounting events of the
past.Truth of history is not always easy to determine and requires
personal study, freedom from ideology, and a great deal of humility. In
the the study of historical events--reader beware, is not completely
out of place in looking over any period of history.
An
article in View from the Ark in the Catholic Times gives us some facts
about the Japanese/Korean situation and information the columnist wants
to pass on to the readers. Antagonism between the two countries goes
back many centuries: precedes the colonial period and the many
atrocities that came along with the occupation and the Second World War.
The
columnist, a priest from Pusan, mentions a photograph that was taken
before the fire that destroyed one of the ports in Pusan.The photo shows
the port and train station that was moved after the fire to an
adjacent area. The port was where the trains took the soldiers that
came in from Japan by boat and transported them quickly by train
to Seoul, Sinuiju and Manchuria.The credit Japan wants for helping
Korea develop into a modern country,was actually preparation for war
against China and Russia.
He tells us an interesting
vignette about a medicine that the Japanese developed for their troops
in Russia who were having serious trouble with diarrhea, caused by the
water. They asked the Japanese government for help in overcoming the problems, and
the result was the medicine 'Chong Ro Hwan' using two
Chinese characters that mean "Conquering Russian Pill"-- the characters
having no relation to the medicine's use for diarrhea or stomach
complaints.
Comfort women for the
Japanese army and many other endeavors in Korea were Japanese ambition to increasing their control in Asia. Our columnist has little sympathy for
historians who say that it helped develop Korea and twist
history in the process.
He also sees this same thinking at work with
the development of the Korean economy.They forget the blood and sweat
of the citizens and nonchalantly, in general terms, give the credit to
certain individuals. The work of the Church, the small groups, and
individuals whose efforts are a part of our history and have walked the pilgrims journey should be signs for future generation on what to
do.
As we know ignorance of history has many evil
results. We need to know our history. Our young people need to know
history and be able to overcome ignorance with the truth which
freedom of democracy and freedom to criticize brings.
This
is true also for us as Christians, to go back into our history and meet the
saints who have lived the Christian life and follow their examples. They inspire us to live more closely the life of Jesus and to be
changed. This is the reason we need to know history.
One of the questionnaires that was sent out in preparation for the
synod on the family was the question on how accepted is the teaching of
natural law when it comes to matters about family. A Catholic Times'
article brings this issue to the attention of the readers. The answer
from the bishops of Korea: Confucianism is the basic understanding of
society which accepts marriage as a bond between one man and one woman,
a natural law understanding of marriage similar to the Church.
However,
moral questions in society: abortion, marriage, family, sex and related
issues are not as clear cut-- relativism, hedonism, individualism and
feminism, prevents many from accepting the teaching on natural law.
Although the direction of society is not to accept homosexual marriages,
the future is far from certain.The international attitude towards
homosexuality is changing and the recent decision of the United
States Supreme Court to legalize homosexual marriages will bring about
discussion in Korea. A movement is already active and wants to see
homosexual marriages legalized.
Natural law in Catholic
teaching is fundamental in its teaching on morality
but it is, according to the article, not easily accepted by society, and
there are many who say we need a new way of explaining what is meant
by natural law. One of our bishops returning from the synod wrote an
article for the Times in which he said: The church needs to use new
words to explain the teaching on natural law: making it understandable when speaking about contraception, and related moral issues.
At the synod it was shown
that many felt that a new tone, attitude and way of teaching was
necessary if the teaching of the church was going to resonate with the
people who are listening.
Natural law and Scripture
are the two sources of Catholic teaching on morality. A German legal
philosopher, Erick Wolf was quoted as saying the concept of natural law
is diverse, and one of its functions is for the natural law to
critique positive law and its imperfections.
Reason gives validity to the natural law, consequently, whether you have
a belief system or not, there should be universal validity to our
natural law thinking easily grasped by all. There are all kinds of
thinking in the areas of marriage, sex and life issues. We are faced with relativistic thinking and ideologies: absolutes
are not looked upon favorably, so efforts have to be made to use words
that will speak to the people in today's world.
Spiritual worldliness is a word seen often in our reading of Pope
Francis. In an article in the Kyeongyang magazine a priest professor
explains in detail what this temptation to spiritual worldliness means.
We
have many problems in society and we who are Christians often pay
little attention to what is happening. We are afflicted with a great
case of apathy. We are taken up with ourselves and our needs, too much on our own plate to be concerned with others.
He
uses the Sewol disaster as an example of this apathy. Certain elements
in society have heard enough talk about the tragedy, and when it comes
up they coldly dismiss it: the very word is odious to hear and makes
them tired.
Last year within Catholicism was a petition
to gather names of those who wanted to make known the truth about the
Sewol tragedy. The priest shows that only 130 thousand participated out
of the 5 million Catholics. Since only about 20 percent attend Mass on
Sundays that leaves only about one million 150 thousand that practice.
With these figure he says the 130 thousand that participated are only
about 11 percent of the number of practicing Catholics. However, he understands for one reason or another, many did not see the
petition so raises the number of those who would have
participated to 20 percent of the practicing Catholics. This
tells us a great deal about our Catholicism, he laments.
Pope Francis
has made clear in his visit to Korea that there is no neutrality when faced with suffering. We have to go outside our own
interests to the poor and hurting. He wanted the Korean Church to see
the temptation of prosperity and being concerned only with oneself, and not see the ones who are crying. We can't be the Church of
Jesus if we have a spirituality of the world.
Wolves
are all around us seeking an opportunity to approach. No longer are they
seen as ugly but are refined and attractive with the cloak of
efficiency, success and prosperity. Our eyes should be turned to our neighbor but are turned to ourselves. When we are concerned with the needs of others we are not ignoring ourselves but more concerned about ourselves. St. Ignatius said that when we are far from self-love, self-will, self interest and our rights, we grow as persons and spiritually.
Across from the pharmacy, a woman for seven years was a one person picket with her placard. The pharmacist in Bible & Life writes about his thoughts
on the woman who wanted to say something to all those who passed her
way.
On a cold day when she began her picketing she entered the pharmacy to buy a warm drink.He asked her why didn't she forget about the picketing on such a cold day. With a smile, she said she didn't notice the cold.
Except
for weekends, from morning to 1:00 pm, she was in her place before
the clothing exporting company she worked for, after leaving the
country, and coming to Seoul some 15 years earlier. In her position before the door of the clothing company she stood with her placard:
"Its unfair all I want is to work." Each day her one-time follow
workers and bosses would pass her without a word.
It
was a small company, her first job after arriving in the city after
graduating from a girls' commercial high school. The company was small but
solid. With her salary she was able to help educate her brother and
participate in the life of the city. She married and had two children.
The atmosphere of the company was changing and a labor union began.
She was involved in the forming of the labor union. Her apartment head
warned her that participating would have a deleterious effect on her
job rating. One day on coming to work her job had been changed, and no
reason given, shortly after she was laid off.
She was
responsible for a family of three. Her husband died in a traffic
accident so she was the sole support of the two children and had to take
care of the monthly rent for her villa, about 400 dollars a month.
She had taken pride in her job and when she was fired unfairly she
didn't want to leave in disgrace, and took to the street.
Her
picketing came to an end without any benefits. She was in debt and had
to send her two children to her parents in the country. She worked at
anything that came her way: as a janitor in a bath house, domestic
help, selling juice on the street, tending the sick, in a welfare
center and office help-- one day coming out of a restaurant where she washed dishes,
she met her old boss who fired her; he had been promoted. The news
bothered her for some time.
The pharmacist
recommended she sell rice cakes in the spot she had been
picketing for all those years. She did so, and did very well for there
were many who remembered her from her years of demonstrating. Laughing, she was sorry she didn't stay longer at
the picketing; she would have a bigger clientele.
The
pharmacist also had a time in his life when he fought against
injustice, and he learned a lot from the fight although he did not win,
and the women also has no regrets in the battle she undertook. It has helped her to grow and the pharmacist concludes: marketing her rice cakes shows how the nutrients in her life have given dignity to life.
On April 16th we had the first anniversary of the sinking of the
Sewol Ferry. The tragedy is now well know throughout the world and Korea
is still looking for answers. 476 passengers and crew were on a trip
from Incheon to the holiday island of Jejudo-- 11 hours after leaving
Incheon it sank killing 304.
Bishops' Mass Media
Committee and the Seoul Diocese sponsored a forum on the sinking of
the ferry and the Church's role in dealing with the wounds caused by
the tragedy. The topic continues to be contentious for only small
steps have been taken to appease the anger of the parents of the
victims; the independent inquiry the parents want is still far from
a reality.
The movement to 'live correctly' was one of the
presentations at the forum, and what can be learned from the tragedy.
Progress and development are positive goods but they also come with some
serious negative results if we forget who is meant to benefit from the
progress. The professor recalled the corruption that was involved, the
lack of concern for people in the pursuit of financial profits,
selfishness, greed, taking the easiest way to the greatest benefits,
forgetting responsibility and the need for competency, unfettered
competition with no concern for the damage that results prepares for a
man-made disaster.
One of the presenters mentioned many
of the Catholic laity did not show an interest in the aftermath of the
tragedy for the victims.
We need to break down the narrow mindedness and concern only for our own
needs, and our failure to go out to others who are hurting.
A
mother of one of the victims mentioned many individuals showed
solidarity with the victims and parents. Solidarity was shown from below
but she lamented that the government showed little of this concern.
A psychology professor mentioned at the
port closest to the place of the disaster there was a lack of
sensitivity shown to the victims and the families by some of the
government civil servants, which left a lasting wound on the families of
the dead.
Cardinal Yeom, who gave a talk of
encouragement to the forum members mentioned when the ferry sank,
many of our values and societal trust went down with the
ferry and the victims. He hopes the tragedy will be a light that will
show us our future direction.
Transparency is a
difficult attitude to attain for it allows the truth to appear no matter
the harm done to the individual or group. Most of the time it is not
something a person or group permits to happen without outside pressure.
Hopefully the truth of the Sewol disaster, which is mostly known, will be
allowed to be part of Korea's history and a lesson to future
generations.
