Why did Cain kill his brother Abel? A priest from the Seoul Diocese
asks the question and surprises us with an answer which you rarely hear,
and it makes a lot of sense. The first Israelites
were sheep herders, and the story is a teaching story for their
descendents, and it all fits together. He explains his interpretation
in an article in the Kyeongyang magazine.
We usually
say it was jealousy on the part of Cain but if we leave it at that we
make God the one who aroused the jealousy. Did God prefer meat over the crops, fruits and vegetables of the land? The
writers want us to understand that Cain was a sedentary farmer with a
lot of land and rich, while Abel was a wandering shepherd with his little
flock going from one pasture to another. He was not what we would call
a large stock farmer. He had to work in the rain, and cold; he was a poor
shepherd. God appreciated the life of Abel and accepted his sacrifice.
We
today in the Church take the example of God in choosing to be on the
side of the poor.This choice is not always easy. Pope Benedict after he
retired was considered a very conservative pope, but in his Encyclical
Charity in Truth he was called a German Communist in certain areas of
the World. Here in Korea we have the same response when anyone speaks
for the poor, listens to their complaints, and becomes active in their
cause-- they are labeled 'followers of the North'.
What
kind of world are we living in? We still have many who are without
property and are living a difficult life. We meet many of them in Korea.
Marxism was a movement that wanted to liberate them and at one time had
over half of the world in their control. The curtain came down on their
efforts, workers were hoping that a change would come in their
situation, but it has deteriorated. Today the gap between the rich and poor has grown
larger. We have another Cain and Abel story.
The priest
looks at the situation in Korea. As a member of OECD ( Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) it has the
largest number of suicides and the lowest birthrate, a sign that life is
not very attractive to many Koreans. Land is no longer easily bought. The
number of industrial disasters is the highest, hours of work
are the second longest in OECD. Of all the countries money
spent on welfare is the lowest, and family debts are high.
The
middle class is ceasing to exist and the rich are getting richer.
Young people are finding it difficult to find work, and the many irregular workers always in danger of being fired. The condition of the old people in society is the worse in the OECD, and we are absorbed in
improving the situation for the wealthy, and this is the reality in most
of the world.
He concludes the article with a hope that
instead of greed, disobedience, and jealousy we will accept modesty, humility and be influenced by the teachings of Jesus. The dignity
of all human beings, hopefully will be recognized. We should not only
help the strong we need to work for a society in which we are all brothers and sisters. We all need to work for a society in which we all
are holding hands working together.
Pope John XXIII defined the common good as "the sum total of social
conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to
reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily" (Pacem in Terris #
55). Common good is a term that appears often in the social teaching of
the Church and a basic concept.
A priest with a doctorate
in social studies and now working in the labor apostolate
sees the lack of sensitivity for the common good as one of the primary reasons
for the MERS epidemic, contagion and death that resulted from the
epidemic. He writes about the spread of MERS in his column, and gives a
great deal of the blame to seeking efficiency over the common good.
Information
on the spread of the disease, and the name of the hospitals involved
was not made known at the start, and keeping this secret did much to
help the spread of the disease: more concern for private
issues than for the common good.
The desire of the Church
is to work in the area of the common good. He finds the government
retreating in the areas of public health and promoting private health
endeavors. This he also sees as a reason for some of the problems
experienced during the MERS epidemic.
His thoughts come from reflection on creation. God gave the goods of creation to all of
us. We should all benefit: not especially difficult to understand. There are times when a decision made will result in a loss either
materially or in humiliation, but the public
good benefits. The columnist gives blame for the quick development of capitalism
in society where efficiency is everything. Medical care, education, labor, and lodging all become commodities in the market, and those who
are sacrificed for efficiency we do not see.
In conclusion, he wants us to learn a lesson from the MERS
epidemic. More than to maximize efficiency in our society we need to increase our concern in working for the common good, which will promote a more peaceful life for all. Also help us to live according to
the order of creation and the road we Christians are called to follow.
Godparents for the baptized is a tradition seen in many
Christian groups. Tertullian, in the 200s AD mentions the use of godparents in his book on Baptism. In
the early Church the baptized were mostly adults, and had a godparent of the
same sex. They assumed the responsibility as mentors for the newly
baptized.
The Peace Weekly has a 'cover story'
on godparents and their godchildren. Godparents are to guide their
godchildren in the life of faith but this is not what happens. Often it
is only a name that goes in the baptismal book, and merely a formality
that one follows, without meaning. Godparents are to pray, and lead their godchildren in imitating Jesus but few take the
responsibility with any seriousness.
The Weekly
prepared a questionnaire that was given to 446 parishioners to determine
the situation in the present Church. According to the questionnaire over 50 percent have no contact with their godchild. 38
percent of the godchildren have no contact with their godparents. 15
percent do not know who their godparents are.
55
percent say the distancing from the godparents came from the lack of
contact. 25 percent said that they didn't know the godparent when they
were baptized so quickly lost contact. To prevent this from happening a
priest is quoted with five steps to be a good godparent. Praying for
the godchild, talk and listen to them, study to answer their
questions, introduce them to the liturgy
of the Church, and keep in contact with the godchild.
How
is the situation going to improve? One suggestion in the article from a
Sunday school teacher recommends to match the godparents with the ones
to be baptized into three groups: infants and children, young people, and
adults-- for infants close relatives, for young people Sunday school
teachers and devoted young people, and for adults,
members of the different societies in parish communities.
Serious
efforts to change the way godparents are chosen and programs to educate
those who are in such a spiritual relation will do much to change the
atmosphere of a parish and make for a community of faith.
In the question and answer section of the Peace Weekly a priest asks: In private conversations he is often asked why does the
Catholic Church disregard the countries' security problems, and
continue to criticize the government. When he hears words which incites
people he is upset but when he gets these questions he is at a loss for
words, and feels silence is the best answer but remains irritated.
The
columnist understands his perplexity. He doesn't agree that the Church
has no interest in security. Korea is surrounded by strong countries,
and North Korea has has shown hostility to the South. No one wants to
abandon our security. However, the Church's understanding of security
is much more extensive than the ordinary citizen, and looks towards
the future. Many see security only as related with
Communism.
He gives the example of the training of
children in Japan.They are taught to be considerate of others. In order
to get them accustomed to the cold, children wear short pants in the
winter. They receive leadership courses, patience is considered a great
virtue, and are taught frugality. There is a difference in the way we
can look upon this formation: on the short term we can see the sincerity
of the Japanese, in the long view we can see them wanting to form a
strong populace, and in case of war be able to withstand the difficulties
of daily life.
The columnist compares the Japanese
children with Korean children. If the children does well in studies
parents have a tendency to ignore their behavior. This later shows up in society. We have even in small things uncontrollable emotional
outbursts, and those with little knowledge want to solve difficulties
with emotions.
The Church is an alternative community
which tries to deal with these problems. To have care for the other,
respect the other, to educate the whole person to live with
others. It is education for life.
One of the maladies
of our society is the McCarthyism syndrome: (a witch hunt, unscrupulously
accusing people of disloyalty by saying they were Communists). When we
hear criticism of the government, persons speaking honestly and see a need to change certain behavior,
we have those who consider it a subversive act. We still are dealing with this kind of thinking in Korea. It
is an emotional problem.Those that point out the problems in
government may truly love the country and are doing more for the security
of the country than those who do not criticize.
We need to
understand each other and respect each other's opinions.When we don't
allow the others who think differently to speak and call them communists
we are dividing the country, and we can see this happening in many
countries of the world. As Christians we should see this kind of attitude as working against building the kind of world that God wants.
In her column in the Peace Weekly the writer reminisces on the many
people she has met, and lost contact with during her years of work. Of
that number were some she was able to speak to openly
and frankly. She doesn't know why but many of the relationships became
awkward, and gradually the degree of coldness increased.
Just
before retirement one of that group came to visit with the writer. She
doesn't mention what instigated the unburdening of her pent up
resentment but she fully expressed her feelings to the person. Made
known her hurts, resentments, criticism, grudges-- all poured out in a
short period of time, all negative. However, she admits that the anger
did not subside after it all came out. During the monologue the one-time intimate
did express herself.
After retirement she did remember the words of the visitor that were expressed that day and they
continued to reverberate in her head. The sentence that continued to bother her was: "Why do you think that everything you do
is right?"
When she let it all out, she also refuted
this statement that was one of the retorts by the visitor and her
response did get the person to nod in agreement, but the words remained
with her and continued to bother her. This is what they saw in her that
prompted the estrangement: everything she thought, said and did was
seen as cold hardheartedness by them, and now in every situation in
all circumstances these words come to mind.
North and
South Korea both have different understandings of the situation. The
North and South have different ideologies, and is it not possible to
say problems arise when we think that we always have the right answers? Isn't the problem between the
North and South basically that each maintains they have all the answers
to the problems and don't want to listen? And she concludes with the words of the Scriptures.
"Why
look at the speck in your brother's eye when you miss the plank in
your own? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take that speck out
of your eye while all the time the plank remains in your own?" (Matt.
7:3-4)
'In
random thoughts on religion', the columnist in the Peace Weekly, writes
about a woman who helped him in his work both materially and
spiritually. She was told by her doctor she had about 15 days of life
remaining. This news upset her greatly. She was far from her seventies;
the news left her in shock. She attended Mass and went directly to the
hospital.She never lost her dignity. She prayed earnestly for a cure and
dreamed of returning to her former ways.
He
heard that she was in hospice-care and went for a visit. "I don't
want to die", "I want to live" were her words, said with very little
strength. He visited her a number of times but all he could do was hold
her hand and and say nothing. No words of consolation came from his
lips. Our Lord hearing of the death of Lazarus and meeting Martha and
Mary he cried. Because of the human condition and original sin we will
all die. However, with the Resurrection of Jesus we have hope. Leaving the
woman for the last time in hospice, he had the consolation she was going to a better life.
Just
recently he had two other friends who were recently given a death
sentence. He was at one time very close to them and both of them, not
even in their 60s, were now in hospice care. The columnist was overcome with
a feeling of ingratitude towards one of them, and the other he grew
apart because of his friend's uncontrolled temper. Hearing that they were in
hospice-care he quickly went to visit them.
In
these times when we talk about people living to their hundreds it is a
sad sight to see these men who where until recently men with great
presence and vigor who were haggard images of themselves. Seeing them
in this condition brought tears to his eyes.
He
wanted to bring them to a knowledge of faith and give them a reason to
hope. In his own life the faith he had was a great consolation in facing
death, and he wanted to bring up the issue but they were in
pain and he felt it better to leave the job to their wives.
He leaves us with the words of a Germain psycho physicist Gustave Fetcher: Man
lives on earth three time,the first state is continual sleep in the
womb. Second stage is the present where we sleep and awake in turns.
The third stage is always awake. In the first state one is prepared with
the organs of speech, sight, smell and hearing which will be used in the
second stage. In the second stage preparation is made for the last
stage. When the baby leaves the womb the transition is like a death to a
new environment and new life. It begins with a cry and a whole new
environment with laughter and joy. The third state is one we don't know much about,
full of peace and liberty.We see the last stage as one with a very
narrow door and dark, but it is the way to eternal life.
Korea's
division into South and North has many intellectuals and authorities on
the situation giving their opinions. An article in the Kyeongyang
magazine by a student of the subject and a university professor gives us
his ideas.
Right
from the start he tells us of the difficulties of being objective
because of the restrictions that we face in society. North Korea can be seen as a devil and should not be in the world order, this will influence the way
the subject is approached. The other position wants
reconciliation, cooperation and co-existence.
When
Kim Il-sung died in 1994 and Kim Jong-il replaced him almost all the
authorities said he wouldn't last 3 years. This opinion was a heart-felt
desire, a subjective wish that overcame their thinking, which sadly is a
self portrait of ourself and a good example of our inability to
understand the North. Also the danger of wanting to white wash all that
the North does, and not seeing the situation objectively, and taking
everything we hear at face value is also not the way to go.
Many authorities have varied opinions on the
situation in the North with Kim Jong-un. Recently we heard news of
purges of leaders in the government and the appearance of government by
fear. Machiavelli is quoted as saying the prince rules the easiest
when the citizens are in fear. But when the fear turns to hate problems
arise which requires that the prince offset this fear with love and
blessings.
The
professor sees many different possible scenarios for the future
relationship. And would like to see the kind of unification that
happened in Germany without any blood being spilled He wants a policy
of engagement. The lack of a united position in the South is a great
obstacle to the unification of the country. Many are the citizens who do
not want the unification. We need to work for this unification among the citizens of the South, that will facilitate the unification of the country.
We
need to do all possible to overcome the hostility and confrontation
between the North and South, It shouldn't matter whether the government of Kim Jong-un is stable or unstable, we have to prepare ourselves for reconciliation and cooperation, dialogue, engagement and coexistence. And work for the realization of this dream.
