Inculturation in Korea

In both Catholic papers we have book reviews of Monsignor Sim Sang-tae's Theology of Inculturation of the Korean Church. [Inculturation is the term used in Catholicism to denote an encounter between the Christian Gospel and a particular culture] Monsignor is the Director of the Research Institute for Korean Christian Thought, and a seminary professor.

While preparing for the diaconate in Munster Germany in 1970, and on a retreat at a monastery in the outskirts of the city where the abbot of the monastery happened to be Asian: he asked about issues facing the church  in Asia, and was quickly answered: What is 禪? This is the Chinese Character for Seon the Korean variant for Zen.

He, the priest, was a Korean who knew little of his own history and spirituality. Knew little of his ancestors, and had little interest in their way of life but knew the thinking in the Middle Ages of Europe.  No knowledge of the Buddhist ascetic practices, and decided from that moment on to make inculturation his life study.

Christians need not only believe, pray together but to live what we believe. And to remember we are influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism Taoism and other cultures. Book contains: Church's teaching, and the  concept of inculturation;  direction of inculturation; road taken and the present reality of inculturation;  study of different areas of inculturation.

He mentions when persons are interested in becoming Catholic it is important to show from where they are coming, and the relationship to Catholicism.  Similarities and differences will make a person's faith life more comprehensive and active. 

Monsignor sees the Korean Church as narrow minded and exclusive as the pre-Vatican II Church of the West. He thinks the Church is more Roman than the Roman Church which he hears as a criticism of the present church, and warns of the results. We still depend on books of theology translated from the West and are not open to discussing the Korean way of thinking, the structures and concepts and  influence of the main religions of Korea on the thinking of Koreans. With this understanding we can come to a greater knowledge and depth of Jesus'  teachings and behavior.

If we don't leave this thinking of the West in its world view, manner of life, and ways of evangelization we will never get far in our task of evangelizing Asia. We need a new ardor, new methods, new expressions from the ways of the West.  
If we are not to follow in the footsteps of the West we have to find ways to experience what we believe,and to change to a spirituality proper to out mental make up, and this is what inculturation wants to do.

Living a Simple and Plain Life

Let's live the simple lifestyle.  "If you have anything to throw away bring it to the country, and we will find a use." An article in the Catholic Times is captioned: "Revolt against the fanning of consumption--'Throwaway Culture' needs to go."

The sale of books on how to live the simple life, continues to increase and this year in the first three month, we have 13 times more books sold than the previous year. A Japanese book on ten minimalists: "I want to live in room without anything"  translated into Korean, is a good example of the trend.

We can see this expanding on SNS with  information passed on and received by those who want to simplify their lives. The article goes on to mention  this is not  a recent phenomenon but goes back to the sixties in Japan and the United States. After the Second World War, many saw the barbarity of our civilization, and began to shun the unnatural and artificial. People have always followed the natural and a life of non possession, and it appears again. In 2011 with the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, many precious items suddenly disappeared. Water was transformed into a murderous weapon, changing the thinking of many on the value of goods and their possession.

This attachment to material goods is also seen in Korea. With its quick economic growth, Korea was engulfed within the whirlpool of extreme competition, materialism and consumerism, accompanied  with ostentation, bringing  fatigue in its wake. A person's personal improvement, healing and mentoring, etc. did not permit the pursuit of a splendid lifestyle, and  price required. Problems with continual progress, and the stagnant economy had something  to do with the change of thinking. Problems with environment and new ecological understanding also played a part.

Opposition to spending was in the current context  of  resistance to the consumerism of capitalism. In the West, it was not only their ideology but a result of practice. France has the 'Vide Grenier', (cleaning out the attic) which in  English would be a flea market sale. For the last ten years, the number of sales and  people attending continue to increase. The press calls this a fight against waste. Economic crisis is involved  but more so the lack of virtue and the superficiality of capitalism;  minimalists are determined to not thoughtlessly be taken in by words. In France the key words, according to the writer, are organic, just trade, togetherness, and second hand. 

'Planned obsolescence' is a phrase, an open secret, where products are made to wear out. This is the phrase used to  criticize the way many businesses operate.

He finishes the article with quotes from Laudatio Si.  "This task [social and ecological awareness] will make such tremendous demands that (we) could never achieve it by individual initiative or even by the united effort of men bred in an individualistic way... The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion." 

Death of a Christian

Death makes us, reflect with respect, on a serious happening in life. We don't dwell on the failings of the deceased. Is there anyone  without fault? We pray for the repose of the person's soul. 

Words we use at the death of someone, are not used randomly. We think, and are discrete in what we say and do. An article in the Peace Weekly discusses our feelings when faced with death of someone. Many  words are used, and each one has a slightly different feel: died, deceased, a person left us, went to another world, left this world, passed away, breathed her last, returned home, passed into Nirvana and  many others. 

With these expressions, we extend our condolences and respect for the deceased to family and friends. According to the way a person lived and died, there are differences in the expressions used. He shows us this with the accounts of the way the deaths of some well-known  persons in Korea were written up in the press. Some died,  some left this world, others passed on, etc..

Those who believe in an after-life usually have a different expression. Buddhism will often express having attained Buddhahood or entered nirvana. Protestants often say they have heard the call of God and returned to him: a meaningful way to express the meaning of death for a Christian. Catholics use an abbreviated expression meaning:  "lived a good life and finished it well."  Our writer feels what is missing is no allusion to the after-life. 

These expressions, says the writer, do show a graded way of dealing with death. A bishop who recently died, in one of the papers  was reported to have expired. He has no problem with people using whatever they feel comfortable with, but to avoid discrimination using the Catholic expression for all, would be proper, would-it-not?

Reporting on deaths that are accidental or have come about with circumstances far from proper makes it  difficult for the press, at all times, to use words of respect and consolation. Even the Catholic paper in which the writer represents, does not find the same words used. At times, we have the Catholic expression of 'lived a good life and finished it well' but also 'left this world'  which has little religious meaning.

He concludes the article  with  a reflection that death  for a Christian is in God's realm. A person returns to God and on our part, we pray for them, use words of kindness and don't judge.

Lessons From the Desert

We can learn a lot from games and the Seoul Diocesan family bureau gives us such a game. The premise is a family flying, and emergency lands in a desert. No one is hurt but they are 62 miles from the nearest inhabited area. The temperature was 116 Fahrenheit and before the plane went up in flames they removed 14 items:

Flashlight, knife, map of the area, compass, emergency medicines, a pistol with ammunition, parachute, a bag of salt, 2 quarts of water for each, a book on how to live in the desert, sun glasses, a bottle of whisky, overcoat for each one, and a cosmetic hand  mirror. These were the items that they want the readers to list in the order of importance. The answer comes from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from their studies on disasters and rescues.

The list begins with the least important of the 14 items which is salt (14). Whisky (13), book on life in the desert (12), is of no use since you don't have time to read and expend energy.  Map of the area (11), they should stop any one who wants to go in search of help. No need for a compass (10), for they know from the rising of the sun and the North Star  the directions on the compass.  No need for the emergency medical supplies (9), no one was injured.  From the 8th  on we have what is necessary to stay alive in the desert.

A pistol which will show their location (8), sunglasses needed (7), pocket knife to make juice from the cactus and aloe (6), parachute (5) can be used as a tent and to gather dew in the morning for drink. Flash light to give the location to the rescue team (4),  water (3)  no need to explain its importance. Overcoats (2), to protect from the hot sun and in the morning from the cold temperatures of the desert.  A cosmetic hand mirror (1) which is used to reflect the sun to show location to the rescue party.

The object of the game explains the writer can be summarized by the passage from proverbs: "The way of the fool seems right in his own eyes, but he who listens to advice is wise" (Proverbs 12:15). Talking this over with a group will usually give better results, but always the danger that those with the loudest voice, rank, the oldest, men rather than women, adults more than children will be heard.

In this exercise what may be considered the most important is not in reality important, and that which is thought least important becomes the most important. Is this not true in our own lives? What we think is important drives out what should be important but we don't realize this truth until too late.

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

In the Peace Column of the Peace Weekly, we have a summary of a discussion the writer had with some close friends some 10 years ago. He doesn't remember all the discussion but what still remains with him was the worldliness within the church.

Authoritarianism and self-importance  of the clergy were an issue that must be remedied but more than that was the secularization of the church. After the Second Vatican Council, the laity had the task of bringing about the kingdom of God in society. This is the particular task of the laity. They are to help spread the fragrance of Christ and help to improve the society in which we live but here, he says, it was just the opposite: society's values entered the church.

Lay people  are related to the clergy like those in the workplace are related with their superiors: laity try  to please the clergy. Works of service are considered like a government position, and this spreads to all the areas within the community. This evil pushes out the good.

A priest was the person that brought this to the attention of the group. For the writer more than what was said was the reason behind the change in thinking. In the later years of the 1970s and 80s, we had an increase in the numbers entering the church. Many were not able to filter out the behaviors in society that were not proper for a Christian, and these ideas entered  the  church community. They became the current within the church. What is important, said the priest, is not just to increase the numbers but to form Christians who think like Christ. 
 
Pope Francis has often repeated we are a community of sinners. Consequently, we will have both large and small problems to face. The vast majority of the Christians are immersed in our culture, and the temptations that come from making ourselves the center of everything.

However, we have to be careful for there is much the church  can learn from the society in which we live:  knowledge gathered from the sciences and the humanities which can greatly help the community of faith. At the same time, we keep out the wrong  behavior, and work to change it to Gospel values.

This requires that all the Christians together work to examine and discern what is happening in society. Accept the good and work to change the wrong. However, we have to begin with ourselves. When we see what is not in harmony with the Gospel, we resolutely work to overcome it. When we have the correct order of things in ourselves we will be able to work wisely to correct the problems in society.

Korean Martyrs of the North

Martyrs who have died for their faith are many in the history of Korea. In recent years we heard about the  martyrs that died during the years of the communist take over of North Korea.

The Korean bishops have asked the Vatican to open the beatification process for the bishop of Pyongyang Hong Young-ho and his 80 companions after the division of Korea in 1948. Rome has approved the request and the study of the information has begun.

On the list, we have a number of foreign priests of the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Columban Fathers, foreign missionary nuns, Korean priests, religious sisters, seminarians and lay people and on the list are two Maryknollers: Bishop Patrick Byrne and Maryknoll Korean Sister, Chang Chong-on Agneta the sister of John M Chang (Chong Myon) who was ambassador, vice president, and prime minister of the Republic of Korea from 1960-1961.

Bishop Patrick James Byrne  a member of the Maryknoll Fathers was the first missioner chosen in 1923 to begin the work in Korea and is listed as one who has died for the faith in North Korea. He was named Prefect Apostolic of Pyongyang but in 1929 had to return to the States after being elected Vicar General  during the first society chapter. He returned in 1935 to a new mission in Kyoto, Japan where he helped to calm the people during the American occupation. In 1947  he was appointed as the first Apostolic visitor for Korea and in 1949 the first Apostolic Delegate to Korea.

In 1949 he was consecrated bishop in Myong Dong Cathedral,Seoul, and the following year the Korea War began. Knowing the imminent fall of Seoul to the invading army the Americans were advised to flee to Japan but he didn't want to leave his responsibility to the Church of Korea. He complained about the   persecution of the Church in the North and the imprisonment of Bishop Hong and the priests and Christians.

He was arrested in July and before a people's court with many other foreigners was imprisoned and was sentenced to die. He was transferred to Pyongyang and imprisoned again on July 19th. On Oct. 8th he was moved to Manpo and shortly after began the four-month death march.

Bishop Byrne became ill and finally died of pneumonia. Before he died he told those who were with him: "After the privilege of my priesthood. I regard this privilege of having suffered for Christ with all of you as the greatest of my life." He received the absolution the night before from Father William Booth a Maryknoll priest who was his secretary. Bishop Quinlan, A Columban priest and Prefect Apostolic of Chunchon recited the prayers at the gravesite. He died on November 25, 1950, at the age of 62 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

The great sadness is the fact that the age of the martyrs has not ended as we know from the daily news. In North Korea, we have no way of knowing the suffering of the Christians that remain.

For those who may be interested in more information about the Maryknoll Society and its  work in Asia you are invited to go these sites: 


https://maryknollsociety.org/

http://brianbarrons.typepad.com/  

Chinahands-typePad

What Do We See?

A Catholic University professor writes in the Catholic Times' View from the Ark column, about something he saw on the Internet which moved him greatly. An elementary school teacher presented to his class a picture of a child bent over scavenging for food with the caption: Let us think. Followed again with the question:What is the child doing? After 5 minutes of thought--How happy is the life that I am now living?

According to the professor, the school teacher was expecting to have the children reflect on their own life and respond with gratitude. One student,however, after seeing the picture wrote: "Seeing the picture of another's misfortune and being thankful for my blessings is not what it should be. We should work together to find a solution to the problem so we  all can eat and live well."

The voice of the elementary school child moved the professor and he uses the words of the child to express his opinion on happiness. What do we see that makes our living worthwhile? What makes us happy? The child mentioned 'together' and  was not interested in a happiness that comes from a comparison with another. The professor wonders if the individual happiness is really possible without the other. What really is happiness that is not in someway related to others?

Is there a happiness that separates us from others? When we have plenty of material goods,and receive praise and are envied by others can that be a reason for true happiness in life?

In society we have many who work in jobs that are subcontracted and at a lower salary, this is besides the irregular workers. The column mentions a young person who was working in a subcontracting job who was making much less than would be the case for a regular worker and saving over three quarters of what he was making to go to college. Money comes with education, and gives us dignity.

Isn't this our culture? We accept that discrimination  comes with a lack of education and money. A person who is making about a thousand dollars a month is distressed  and society forces him to learn if he wants to be accepted. Dignity of a person comes from what he has achieved in life.  Our columnist wonders if  some of the joy many have comes from this comparison with others, who do not have what they possess.

Those who have spent their lives looking for wisdom will advise us to look beyond what we possess for an answer. We need to look inside of ourselves to see who we are as persons. What makes us tick, our inner being should be the object of our examination. Our elementary school child could do this and gave our columnist his topic.