'Viriditas' and the Kingdom of Heaven

 Last week we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost the birth of the Church, entering again the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Cycle: the season in which Christ, the Lamb of God, walks among us desiring to transform our lives. The church was born with the giving of the Holy Spirit; Christians try to live moved by the inspirations of the Spirit. 

Those who find it difficult to believe the Christian story see it only as delusional, expressed in many ways by unbelievers in the world's literature: pie in the sky thinking or more condemnatory seeing it as an opiate— taking our eyes off this world's reality. However, what they understand as delusional is in fact more delusional once they understand that the mature Christian not only believes in life after death but also that he is in God's Kingdom now while here on earth. No, the church is not the Kingdom but a tool of God to help in establishing the Kingdom. It is already here among us but not fully. Christians know only too well that weeds are always present within the church.

One of the great theologians of the past Origin (185 – c. 253) has left us the following words which are the second reading of the Breviary on the Feast of Christ the King.  

"The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God’s kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it might grow and bear fruit and become perfect. For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone holy obeys the spiritual laws of God, who dwells in him as in a well-ordered city. The Father is present in the perfect soul, and with him, Christ reigns, according to the words: We shall come to him and make our home with him."

These words are what Catholic try to live as disciples bearing fruit, always hoping to be helped with God's grace.

Another theologian who lived many years ago St. Hildegard (1098-1179) one of the four-woman doctors of spirituality used the word 'viriditas' to describe God's spiritual and physical life force. The word is considered to be the union of the two Latin words Green and Truth. 

The symbolism of green is enormous signifying life, birth, renewal, vigor, freshness, hope, vitality, and creativity. Greenness is the creative power of life, seen all around us and nurturing both our bodies and souls.

The normal liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green. Green vestments are associated with the time after Pentecost, the period in which the Church founded by the risen Christ and enlivened by the Holy Spirit began to grow and spread. 

The New Testament Scriptures speak often about the Kingdom of Heaven or God's Kingdom, both the same. However often and by many, the understanding that we are now in God's Kingdom is not easily understood especially for those dealing with serious problems and yet it should be a foundational belief of Christians. Saint Catherine of Siena said: All the way to heaven is heaven. Jesus is the Way and where Jesus is there is also the kingdom.

Consequently, Christians  desire that all see the greenness of life and want all to reap the love, joy, and peace that it brings. The Kingdom is here now but not fully and we need to participate in its growth.

How to Deal with Appearance-ism (Lookism)?

 

In Bible and Life magazine a priest working on pastoral and human rights issues introduces the readers to the problems associated with evangelization in the present world of 'Appearance-ism'.

In Korea for some years, the composite word 'face/first' has first been used to designate a person with a handsome and beautiful face. The writer recently during a retreat heard the word addressed to him. It was welcomed even though he doesn't believe it to be the reality but would like it to be so even though for him it is of no great importance.

However in the competitive society in which we live this reality has great meaning. In the world of appearances, the best specs (specification) is a beautiful face. A teacher is quoted as saying: if one doesn't have a beautiful face you have to study and if you don't study you have to have a beautiful face. These are the golden words of this generation. Efforts to spend time and money to undergo plastic surgery are not different from the efforts made to study. Korea is not only a strong country for education but a reason why it is a plastic surgery powerhouse.

A world where looks are of great value is not limited only to the face. Wealth, social status, relationships, credit rating, everything that can be seen externally is more important than what is hidden inside. What can be seen and touched are more important than love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and temperance (Gal. 5:22). So rather than looking inside and changing, people only look at the outside. Is this not why people spend so much time on their appearance? 

In this kind of world, honesty and faithfulness have no place to stand. It's a make-believe life, a lack of reality, just full of images like the white-washed tombs (Matt. 23:27) a life full of lies.

The problem is this world of 'Appearance-ism', is one with the information world and has gone beyond the individual and entered all aspects of society.

Information is generally spread by the mass media, SNS, etc. by the written word or video; here also we have the 'Appearance-ism' problem arising. Suggestive, sensationalistic stories and pictures, not too concerned about the truth: only externals of the situation that become embedded in the heads of the hearers and viewers. 

Recently a composite word formed from the word journalist and trash (기레기) to signify that the world is being overcome with false news from the mass media is often heard.

Preaching the gospel of Jesus in such a world can be done by confronting superficiality. However, the gospel that reveals the precious work of the kingdom of God must be proclaimed as reality, not as an image, and must be proven by life and not appearances. Only then can the world understand.

What the church needs to hear is not the church is beautiful but it is different. In the past, many have gone to the cathedral in Seoul not because of the beauty of the location and church but because of the memories of the tear gas and the police clubs that persons were seeking refuge from. Appearance cannot hide the essence, and words cannot surpass life. This has to be shown in our lives.

Lantern of the East

In the Catholic Times, a Research Fellow at the Catholic Asian Peace Research Institute reflects on the Movie East of Eden from many years ago.

 

 'East of Eden' is an adaptation of the novel by American author John Steinbeck. It was also the first film starring the famous James Dean. It was created by comparing the human desire to be loved to Cain and Abel in Genesis. In the movie, the older brother monopolizes his father's love, and the younger brother feels resentment towards his father for not appreciating him. However, the father and the son later forgive each other and reconcile. In Genesis, the older brother Cain is the sinner, but in the movie, it's the younger brother who sins. 

 

At one time, the writer wondered why the title of the movie was 'East of Eden'. And while reading the Bible, he realized that "Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden" (Genesis 4:16), and found that 'East of Eden' symbolically represents the area where the sinners lived. 

 

 'Garden of Eden' and 'East of Eden'. Although the difference between the words is small, you can see that the meaning is very different. If the 'Garden of Eden' is like heaven where God was the protector, the 'East of Eden' is the place where sinners who kick off God's protection are sent to live.

 

We are quite familiar with the word 'East'. Indian poet Tagore wrote a poem titled 'Lantern of the East' for Korea, which was drowning in the gloom under Japanese colonial rule. [The lines of the quatrain: "In the golden age of Asia, Korea was one of its lamp bearers, And that lamp is waiting to be lit once again, For the illumination of the East.]

 

As such, our regional location, the 'East' of Asia, contains a positive and hopeful message.

 

However, the current situation is very worrisome. With the launch of a new government, the great powers are calling on us to stand on one side. The Korean government is also formulating a new diplomatic strategy, but it doesn't seem to be what the great powers want. 

 

It is demanding a choice not only in the field of military and security but also in the field of economics. The global village that was united in the name of 'globalization' is now colliding with the concept of 'new security'. The problem is that the more you choose one, the greater the dissatisfaction with the other. We earnestly hope that we will deal with this moment wisely and become a "lamp of the East" rather than an "East of Eden".

 

Wisdom of Old Age

Old age— What meaning is there in getting old! Just thinking on the subject makes some people feel miserable, and gives pain. A pastor writes in a diocesan bulletin about his ideas on the subject.

When one  entertains thoughts of this knd  they are probably envying the young and in the process annoying themselves or everything new is something to be against and everything old needs to be unconditionally praised— turning the person into a narrow-minded, stubborn old fogey.

These old people always have thoughts and words of the past, always uncomfortable and jealous of the young.

He quotes Herman Hesse who was a follower of Carl Jung. "Old age does not only mean weakness, deterioration, termination. Old age just like any other period of life has its attractive values, its wisdom, and sadness. I don't believe it's a time without value." So what is the value of old age?

The first is to accept the fact that our body and mental faculties are weakened and to focus on our inner life.

Arriving at old age they have experienced a variety of desires, failures, and successes in their work. Joy and pain were mixed up in their lives. They have grown in wisdom. Only those with wisdom see life deeply and do not lose their peace of mind facing the uncertainty of life.

Secondly, the past and the present are connected. It is a time to mediate the past and present, and to make use of the various cultures and traditions.

It is a task that a person who has not experienced old age can never do. And the old person has lived in the past and present. Therefore they know both periods and are a link between them.

Thirdly old age is the last stage of life. The finishing stage.   

Those who see death as destruction and extinction will be seen as pitiable in old age. But death is not extinction but the completeness of life; for a Christian the beginning of a new life. Consequently old age is the time of harvest.

We have the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. They all have their value and beauty and for the farmer, each has its special task. Spring is planting the seed, summer nurturing and cultivating the plant, fall is harvesting, and winter is a time to recuperate for the future. When the process does not end up with the harvest all effort and sweat lose meaning. Old age is the time of putting the finishing touches on our earthly life.

Old age experienced living the past and present and is now blessed with the wisdom to see the future. The Latin word for wisdom is 'Sapientia' which comes from the Latin verb 'sapere' to taste.

A person who is at peace with themselves is a person who leaves a good taste with the people he meets. Such a person is thankful for their lives and lives in harmony with others.
 
The 'taste' of peace, freedom, serenity, and joy flows from such a person.

Listening Is Difficult

We often hear the phrase knowing fosters love, love allows us to know. What comes first? Is it love or knowledge? In the Kyeongyang magazine a member of a  pastoral research institute gives the readers some  thoughts on what is expected during this time of listening in preparation for the Synod on Synodality.

In the writers experience it is not a matter of what comes first but it's determined by the situation and person. One loves, it seems, as much as one knows.  One may lose hope after knowing, not grow in love, but you will grow in understanding.

According to the writer it seems that loving allows you to know, more than knowing allows you to love. Loving another person— liking another—one desires to know  more about the person. Since you are already one with the person your efforts to know would not be a burden and you overcome the uncertainty that arises easily.

Listening seems to be an easy task but it requires heroic virtue. Jesus often said those who have ears and  eyes, he saw them as one, without an open heart they will not function correctly. When our hearts are filled with other thoughts our listening decreases and our vision is limited. If we recall those who walk while looking at their smart phones we will understand. 

When we are set in our ways we will have ears only for confirmation bias. When we hate or dislike, it is difficult to hear or see. Only when our hearts are soft and full of mercy will our eyes and ears do their job.

We  know that doing something with another at the same time and place, the experience is different. The situation may be  similar but it is not the same. Consequently each person's life is unique.We can't divide it into superior or inferior. Because a person doesn't speak of their inner spiritual life doesn't mean  it doesn't exist. The difference is mostly about those who elegantly express their inner life and those who do it unskillfully.

The writer has attended 10 different listening sessions and all expressed themselves differently but it all came from a deep faith life. All the believers have different degrees of faith life but the capability of comprehending is equal.

In the eyes of God we are all equal but live in a world that is unequal. Consequently we differentiate ourselves into the different social classes in which society places  us—upper class down to the poor. Even within the Church, the People of God, we have differentiated levels. It is said that one of the expressions of difference that emerges from such a culture is in hearing. To say we listen often in a vertical relationship and not a horizontal one is quite charitable.

In such a society, listening is inevitably a formality. It is a task that requires deliberate effort, not waiting for it to happen on its own. Effort must continually be made to hear that will develop into listening. Since  we live in a class society the coming together in some way of the upper and lower classes requires first effort on the upper classes to listen. It is natural that in the beginning stage many uncomfortable and harsh words will be exchanged causing the participants to close their ears but this has to be experienced and overcome for the group to come to a point of listening and dialog. 

For believers we need to have trust in the Holy Spirit that we will hear what we need to in this time in which we live.

 

 

Have You Read the Constitution of the Church?

"How many Catholics have read the Church Constitution? Probably less than one in ten thousand.” 

 

In a class on Catholic teaching, a former journalist, in the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times, was upset to hear these words: "Ah, maybe… This would be an exaggeration." This thought crossed his mind for a moment. But it didn't take much time for him to agree with the statement beginning this article when he realized there are four Constitutions: the Church, Sacred Liturgy, Divine Revelation, and the Pastoral Constitution in the Modern World.

 "The church is and must be open to the world, be for the world, that is, for the salvation of mankind." The late Cardinal Kim Su-hwan revealed the teaching of the Second Vatican Council in this way. While we value this Council, are we living up to its teaching? It has been 57 years since the most recent universal council published the results but it is seldom mentioned in parish communities.

After two and a half years the Corona 19 pandemic has diminished somewhat and face-to-face activities are increasing. However, we have not returned in any way to the pre-Corona time— recovery of the sacramental life is slow. Why? To give one example, we have become accustomed to the broadcast Mass, individualism, and conveniences around us. 

 

Protestant churches are also talking about the declining credibility of the church. They are Christians who do not go to church. According to a survey in 2018, one in four Protestants is a non-attendant.

 

But is the Catholic Church an exception? There is no difference. According to 「Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea 2021」 published in April, the participation rate for Sunday Mass fell to single digits to 8.8%. Only 9 out of 100 believers. The number of young believers aged 20-39 is also the lowest in 15 years. Why do they leave? Practical difficulties such as employment are the main reasons, but the church's indifference and seemingly lack of concern also play a role. Pastors and adult believers need to understand the MZ generation. (pairing of two groups the Millennials (1981-1995) and Generation Z (1996-2005) 

 

In the Constitutions, the church is seen as the body of Christ, as priest, mother of believers, and as pilgrim on the earthly journey. "People enter the Church through baptism, which is like a door" Thus, the Church is a community of those who have been called by God: clergy, religious, and laity. Our faith is not as dispersed individuals, but when we are together, our sense of faith is given life and filled with true salvation and gifts. 

 

The program he is taking will soon be on vacation. He has been taking a lot of subjects over the past four months which have opened up his half-closed eyes and ears anew. However, it is not easy for most students to remember what they have learned and live it in their daily lives.

 

As followers of God's Word, we should be familiar with the Bible, Church literature, and especially the Constitutions, which are full of spiritual treasures. He introduces the reader to the bishops' website which is also in English (cbck.or.kr). His wish is for us all to be mature believers by reading and re-reading. It is a way to get one step closer to experiencing more fully God's love and find strength and comfort in this harsh world.

Life in Abundance

In the Diagnosis of the Times column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, a scholar of life issues headlines her thoughts with the phrase from the first epistle of John 1:4. We are writing this to you to make our joy complete.

There is a saying: "A habit that begins at the age of  three lasts until eighty." We also call habit our second nature. However, having a habit often has a negative connotation. Maybe it's because once you get into a bad habit, it's hard to break. But what about good habits? Good lifestyle habits such as "Getting up early in the morning" and "Being orderly" help to manage one's life well. However, habits are not necessarily formed only in aspects of daily life. 

This is a story she recently heard through a priest. During the conversation, the priest and a woman he knew well said: "I eliminated my child" in a very casual tone. The priest probably had a moment of embarrassment and regret hearing these words from a person who had lost the sense of guilt as the culture of death permeates society. Before one acts, or says anything, the hesitancy one would ordinarily expect, in this case, was missing.

We live in a society where we have thrown away the necessary time for reflection before we act or speak. When did this become part of the society in which we live? We need to "stop for a moment" and ask whether the action is reasonable. 

 

She is speaking of those who are members of the church. The reflection, the "pause", cannot be cultivated immediately, so she thought about what was needed to bring this about. This is because, like "waking up early", reflection must become a habit of the mind. So, let this habit of the mind become established as our second nature, and while practicing it naturally, not indiscriminately rid ourselves of the pangs of guilt that may arise.

Good habits are not mere mechanical actions. They are to be learned by the body and mind and be naturally absorbed, while at the same time allowing us to experience joy. It speaks of a higher level of joy and fullness. Savoring this fullness is no exception in bioethics. The fullness that comes from choosing life, certainly exists, and it will lead us to a fullness that is perhaps greater than anything else. 

Pope Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical "The Gospel of Life," describes human life as "fullness". Thus, the choice towards life, the choice for life "means an opening to the fullness of life" (#22). This life does not refer only to unborn life but to human life that no one without exception can measure. 

 

"Man is called to a fullness of life that goes far beyond his temporal existence. For the fullness of life is the sharing of the life of God. The sublime of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and immeasurable value of human life even in its temporal aspects."

"The unconditional choice for life reaches its full religious and moral meaning when it flows from, is formed by, and nourished by faith in Christ. Nothing helps us so much to face positively the conflict between death and life in which we are engaged as faith in the Son of God who became man and dwelt among men so that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Gospel of Life #28).